Were the Salem Witch Trials once an attempt to bring religion back to life during a time when it was losing many followers? The Enlightenment period sparked an interest in the scientific reasoning of the world. All while the new age evidence was coming out, religion was taking a hard it. Some people started to stray away from a ‘God-centered’ universe and more towards a scientific universe. After religion had faltered, the Salem Witch Trials started occurring.
Many women were accused of committing acts that seem almost impossible. In Cotton Mathers work, “The Wonders of the Invisible World”, he describes these women as “an army of devils” and “evil angels”(pg. 152). Delving further into the Norton Anthology, Martha Carrier’s, a presumed witch, trail comes to light. People of her town claimed that she had been committing devilish acts and causing them trouble. Carrier had been accused of “biting, pricking, pinching, and choking of them”. She had also been accused of bewitching cattle and attending witch meetings. But, while all these people testified against her, they made mention that is was her or her shape committing these crimes and bewitching people. Once word got around that she was being accused of being a witch, other people in the town started to step up and create accusations against her as well.
Christians during this time period had taken a very serious attitude towards these so-called witches and started to burn them at even the slightest accusation. Referring back to Mathers work, he wrote in the last paragraph, “The Lord comfort them!”, meaning he hopes the Lord will be easy on anyone who comes forward and confesses or anyone who dies because they are a witch. Now seeing as many of these accusations might be false, presumably because they are based on the ‘shape’ of a person rather than seeing someone commit the devil-like acts, who is to say that they are not a stretch to revive religion? During a time where many people started to stray from religion and become interested in science, there is a surge of Christians who rise up to fiercely fight to persevere Christianity. By burning ‘witches’, the religious figures could set an example for the rest of the community that religion can save you and you must always obey.