Comments on: Mean Lutherans

By: Meddling in The Other Party’s Primary, Gays Think They Are God, Romney’s “Strategy,” and more… | Article VI Blog | John Schroeder

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:24:03 +0000

[...] together and they are a lot more cohesive than traditional Christian expressions. If we are ugly on the blogs, then when it really matters, what do we [...]

By: Stephen M. Barr

Stephen M. Barr — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:48:31 +0000

Dear Trey,

Almost any book that deals with the history of witch-hunts will tell you that Catholics and Protestants had roughly comparable records in hunting and killing witches. Not having the time to go to the university library today, I will just give some figures available on-line from a book “Witches and Witch-hunts; a global history”, by Wolfgang Behringer. On page 124-5 he specifically discusses Lutheran territories: the duchy of Mecklenburg had between 1560 and 1700 about 4,000 witch trials. Pomerania had 1,000 trials and about 600 victims. Schleswig-Holstein had 846 trials and about 600 victims. Thuringia had between 1000 and 1500 trials and over 500 victims. Norway had 350 victims. Iceland 22. Denmark about 1,000 victims. and so on.

It is not a question of Church tribunals condemning witches. In both Catholic and Protestant lands most witches were sentenced by civil courts, not ecclesiastical courts.

The witch craze was most intense in regions where there was Protestant-Catholic tension and conflict, and in particular in Germany, Switzerland, and parts of France. the farther one gets from those places the fewer instances of witch hunts. There was a significant amount in the England/Scotland. Very little in Spain or Poland. Virtually none in Eastern Orthodox lands.

In any event, as I said, Catholics and Protestants (including Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican) were all heavily involved. One can consult any serious history of the subject for confirmation. I am afraid both Catholic and Protestant have plenty to blush about here.

(One notable example: the great scientist Johannes Kepler’s mother was accused of witchcraft by her fellow Lutherans, and Kepler had to exert himself to prevent her from being condemned.)

By: Gene Veith

Gene Veith — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:05:45 +0000

It wasn’t just the Lutherans who were being “mean” in the discussion in question on my blog. Non-Lutherans were also being mean to the Lutherans. My readers are actually more civil than is the norm on blogs. I was just knocking some heads together to restore order. Plus, after my admonition, most of the offenders were properly contrite, like good Lutherans. Even the non-Lutherans.

By: Trey

Trey — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:59:29 +0000

Stephen,

What is your source for your claim? I am unaware of any Lutheran Churches authorizing the burning witches. Thank you.

Trey

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:48:19 +0000

Witchcrazes are known throughout the world regardless of religion practiced except in modern industrialized societies and certain hunting and gathering ones.

By: Stephen M. Barr

Stephen M. Barr — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 22:14:32 +0000

Actually, persecution of witches happened in all the major branches of Western Christianity: Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican. Catholics tended to burn them, Protestants to hang them. One of the strange things about the witch craze is that it intensified toward the very end of the Middle Ages (it was almost unknown in the early and high Middle Ages) and peaked in the early modern period from about 1580-1630. A true wave of madness.

By: Jack Perry

Jack Perry — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:01:01 +0000

Still, civility does retain some place in debate, doesn’t it?

[bleep] no.