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Jason Pitzl-Waters on Jul 14th 2008 at 1:48 pm Uncategorized

Return of the Nine Million

Australian Gay and Lesbian website Same Same features an article by Jade Starr on the history of Catholic and Catholic-inspired persecutions that trots out some old “favorites” from within the Pagan community.

“Those who did not follow the Catholic ideals were deemed to be witches or heretics and were then persecuted from the late 1400s to early 1700s. It has been estimated that up to nine million people lost their lives during ‘The Burning Times’ but due to a lack of evidence the exact number is accepted as closer to 50,000 to 1 million. Many of these people, predominantly women, endured unfair trials and were subsequently incarcerated or burned alive at the stake for their so-called crimes against God. Not only were Pagan people segregated, tortured and murdered but they were also robbed of their rituals and practices, which are even now still used in modern Catholicism.”

As much as I like to call out the Catholic Church for their many misdeeds, the reality is that 40,000 – 60,000 victims in the span of 250 years is as high as your going to go, and those numbers are educated estimates. There is only definitive proof for around 12,000 deaths attributed to witch trials. Only one in 25,000 deaths was attributed to execution for witchcraft. While the “nine million” number is dramatic, I agree with Margot Adler when she says that:

“…it serves no end to perpetuate the miscalculation; it’s time to put away the exaggerated numbers forever.”.

Inventing a Pagan or women’s holocaust in no way helps our cause, or adds gravitas to our arguments against Christianity. Further, by the time of the witch trials in Early Modern Europe, there were no “Pagan people” to torture, imprison, or murder. While some may continue to argue for underground survivals from the pre-Christian era (a debate I’ll leave to others), by the 15th century Europe was solidly Christian in religious orientation, and the vast majority of “witches” considered themselves good Christians.

If one wants to criticize the Catholic Church, or Christianity in general, there are several excellent ways and reasons to do so. However, including false information only invalidates the entire argument.

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4 responses so far

  • quirkyknitgirl

    People are still quoting that number? Jeez. It does such a disservice to everyone. I know I had people tell me that when I was just starting out and too young/inexperienced to know any better and it really doesn’t help Wicca and/or Paganism appear in a good light. Once I continued studying, I realized that figure wasn’t correct, but books, elders, and teachers who use it are only going to assure that their students appear uninformed. Not exactly the image that should be presented, really.

  • Glenys Livingstone

    hmm … I posted a comment but it doesn’t seem to have come through. So I will try again … with what I remember.Essentially : who cares what the number is? it happened … whole towns were decimated and the religious culture of Europe was altered. People were forced to choose between the old ways and christianity (catholicism). And it was largely a gynocidal effort – and the present descendants of this tyrranical effort still try to maintain a woman-free-zone …. without sanctions of any kind. They do appear to be on their last legs though – despite the jumping on bandwagons of “environmentalism” and “sorry for pedophilia”.The pope is in town in Sydney, so we (many diverse groups actually but especially anyone who has a care about earth-based religious practice) are a little distraught here. To console ourselves we – at my place and at some other locations- are holding a party screening of Life of Brian on the 19th July.

  • Glenys Livingstone

    hmm … I posted a comment but it doesn’t seem to have come through. So I will try again … with what I remember.Essentially : who cares what the number is? it happened … whole towns were decimated and the religious culture of Europe was altered. People were forced to choose between the old ways and christianity (catholicism). And it was largely a gynocidal effort – and the present descendants of this tyrranical effort still try to maintain a woman-free-zone …. without sanctions of any kind. They do appear to be on their last legs though – despite the jumping on bandwagons of “environmentalism” and “sorry for pedophilia”.The pope is in town in Sydney, so we (many diverse groups actually but especially anyone who has a care about earth-based religious practice) are a little distraught here. To console ourselves we – at my place and at some other locations- are holding a party screening of Life of Brian on the 19th July.

  • Noinden

    One should also realize that it was SECULAR courts that did the majority of the acts that are known as the “burning times”. It is offensive when a group has to claim a very bad period of time as a even all about them. IT would be like someone claiming the Mongol Invasion was an attack on every redhead in Europe ;)