Task response 3

Name
Professor
Course
Date
The Burning Times
The Burning Times is a film that addresses witchcraft and persecutions that were applied in Europe in the old times as compared to recent trials. People who were accused of being witches were tortured, executed and killed mostly through being burnt. The Catholic Church in the past labeled followers of pagan religion as witches as a way of destroying the faith (Read). Witchcraft in Europe has its roots from traditional beliefs and religious text. The European Christians were the leading cause of persecutions of witches and individuals who were purportedly engaging in harmful magic (Read). Furthermore, the peak for trials, executions, and accusations related to witchcraft was conducted at different time and regions. However, the number of the executed based on the accusations is not specified.
Witchcraft was assumed to be a threat that was against the Christian faith in the early centuries (Kapicka). Additionally, those accused of being involved in witchcraft were presumed to be devil worshippers. They were also portrayed to engage in acts such as evil sorcery in their place of worship. Women who participated in medicine-related activities without formal education were regarded as a witch-doctors and were subject to execution (Wigington). A large number of people were accused of being witches and were put on trials and punishment that varied with time and regions. Women put on trials were members of the pagan religion that either worshiped the male or female-deity (Kapicka).

However, I believe that the support for the trials was not sufficient because there was no substantive evidence to show that the individuals killed were members of the witch religion. Additionally, there was no evidence showing that the witch trials were aimed at eliminating the cult religion and end evil magic.
Yes, I agree. I believe this documentary aimed to tarnish the early Christian church outlook. The film intends to show that before Christianity, women were the custodians of traditional and spiritual wisdom and men were threatened by their powers.
Works cited
Read, Donna. “The Burning Times”. National Film Board Of Canada, 1990, https://www.nfb.ca/film/burning_times/.
Kapicka, Jack. “Review Of “The Burning Times””. Debunker.Com, 1991, https://www.debunker.com/texts/burning_times.html.
Wigington, Patti. “What Do We Really Know About The Burning Times?”. Facts And Fiction About The European Witch Hunts, 2018.