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What Are The Similarities Between The Salem Witch Trials And The 21st Century

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In the rational world controlled by science and technology, many still believe in sorcery. From June through September of 1692, during the Salem Witch Trials, hundreds of people were accused of practicing witchcraft (Blumberg). The stories of the witches have been around for as long as humanity itself, expanding and adapting it’s way throughout centuries. Today, in the 21st century, it is especially prominent in Africa, continuously influencing large groups of people and creating convictions based on superstition. Both the Salem Witch Trials and the 21st century witch trials of Africa share their association with Christianity and the devil, with similar yet contrasting key elements such as accused victims and methods of execution. Members …show more content…

104 out of the 141 accused and 14 out of the 20 executed during the Salem Witch Trials were females. Beliefs on witchcraft that were based primarily on writings of men portrayed women as “morally and intellectually weaker than men”. This ideology is traced all the way back to Eve, the first female God created, according to the bible. During Genesis Chapter three, Eve is tempted by the devil at the Garden of Eden and takes a bite of a fruit God forbade to eat. This story illustrated women’s inherent weakness in the face of temptation by the devil (Wilson, 79). On the other hand, young children are seen as most likely to be identified as a witch, or possessed by Satan in Africa today, as they believe that children are weaker and easily manipulated. These “Devil’s children,” are identified to bring diseases, contamination and death to their families (Harrison). In her book, Unveiling the Mysteries of Witchcraft, Helen Ukpabio, Nigeria’s most popular preacher, writes, “If a child under the age of 2 screams at night and is always feverish with deteriorating health, he or she is the servant of Satan.” The churches often offer to run exorcism where pastors attempt to cleanse children who are labeled as witches by shaking them violently, dragging them around the room and pouring potions into their eyes. Then, they are held on chains, deprived of food until they confess to being

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