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Summary Of The Devil Within Sq's

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Getter, Daniel The Devil Within SQ's Preface 1. a. Levack writes that modern scholars thought people were either playing a scripted role of being possessed and copying the actions of others, experiencing the effects of a similar physical sickness, or simply pretending to be possessed by the Devil. b. The "actor"hypothesis takes the other two explanations a step further and ties what the demoniacs were experiencing and saying to the existing religious and social norms at the time. He believes that the spread of demoniac hysteria can be better comprehended if these norms are studied. 2. The reform movements of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations are thought to be the origins of the wave of demonic possession. The new waves of …show more content…

"Obsession" was the idea that a person was affected by a demon externally: that is, the demon inflicted pain and discomfort upon a person without actually entering and taking over their bodily control. "Possession" was when a demon was thought to actually be inside a demoniac, hijacking the person's mental and physical capabilities and causing the myriad of abnormal actions described by Levack. According to Levack, the girls at Salem were obsessed, mainly because they did not show the most common examples of possession as described by documentation of other demoniacs. They were described as having many physical injuries and abnormal behavior, neither of which distinctly showed that they were truly possessed. 7. Demons were thought of as beings that did not physically exist, thereby allowing them to easily get into the bodies of humans. Humans were thought of as being very penetrable and having many openings for the devil to gain access inside them. The demons attack the body, especially the brain, where they take over the person's "...memory, imagination, and reason" (Levack 20). 8. The New Testament solidified for people the true existence of demons. The part of the text wherein it describes Jesus using his ability to rid people's bodies of demons was what made people believe that demons existed and that they took over human …show more content…

"Counterfeit demoniacs" were those who faked being possessed often for reasons of personal gain. Many counterfeit demoniacs usually wanted to receive more money and blaspheme without blame, which they believed they could achieve by saying they were demoniacs. Some of them were not interested in gain, however, but were induced into acting like one by a doctor for their own gain. Levack writes that not all of these counterfeits were doing so "volitionally," that is, voluntarily, because he believes that everyone involved in the wave of possessions were acting off of scripted behaviors set forth by religious teachings. While some did fake possession voluntarily, there were those who Levack believes were not willingly taken over by demons. These people were using a script that had been embedded into them by their religion and their community, and were behaving the way they were 'supposed' to as deemed by the people around

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The Scottsboro Trails and the Salem Witch Trials compare and contrast in many ways. Both outcomes result in mass death and heartache due to hysteria. However the reasoning for these false accusing seem to differ. Nine young men were falsely accused of raping two white women on a train near Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931.

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Anxiety was common from the very beginning of the settlements created in New England, Salem village in the 1690’s was the edge of the settled universe for the colonists. They feared death by starvation, death by savages, and death by the unknown. The strict religious tenants that brought them to this new world, feared that the devil and the Indians were allied with one another, yet also feared the supernatural such as witches. It was usually older women who were accused of witchcraft, mostly because people started to distrust one another because of noticeable behaviors. Everyone accusing these women believed they were doing the right thing by hanging them one by one, the judges, the townspeople, and even the little girls who were accusing the

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In 1692, the colonial town of Salem Massachusetts exploded with craziness, and had accused over 200 people of witchcraft, and executed 19 of them. The event was nothing compared to other witch trials around the world, yet even 300 years later, people are still talking about it. It is so well known because of the panic that really defined that time in history. But what caused the mass hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials? It was a horrible combination of high tensions due to the hard times people of Salem were going through, and fear of the Devil.

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Salem Invaded by Witches, 1692 Throughout history there has been the belief of witches, which are people that sell their souls to the devil for power, money, etc. but in return they harm people to show their loyalty, this is known as witchcraft. In the early 1692, of a small village in Massachusetts called Salem, a group of girls started to act strange. This caused many people to believe that they were being bewitched. Their conclusions led to the belief that there was an invasion of witches, which created a state of panic between the colonists.

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In Salem 1692 a group of young teenage girls claimed to be possessed by the “Devil”, due to the “witchcraft” done by their female neighbors. The Salem Witch trials were a group of young teens who accused their neighbors for being witches. It is said that the teenagers were having weird and unstable behavior. They would move in ways that is explainable, and the teenagers would randomly act like wild animals( History.com). It stated that the people from Salem believed that any birthmarks, warts moles, or other blemishes were seen as possible portals which Satan (The Devil) could enter a body.

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Several centuries ago, people had the believe that the devil gave power to harm people in return for their loyalty. Things really turned chaotic in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, when a group of girls claimed to be possessed by the devil. These dark fearful times were known as the Salem Witch Trials. During the witch trials people were constantly fearing their life. People turned on each other due to the fear that was spreading and sought revenge.

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