#3: ALL Bigotry is Bad -- Not Just Some of It Jenny jennyg@compuserve.com Thu Oct 14 12:51:43 1999 In my first post, I grumbled that "bigotry is bad" was not a very helpful insight. "All bigotry is bad" probably doesn't sound much better. But I think it has some disturbing implications for modern Witches -- and I think it's a lesson of the Burning Times we *haven't* learned.*p*The persecution of witches was clearly linked to religious oppression and intolerance. Everyone agrees on that.*p*Yet the link isn't a direct one. Many Pagans assume that a group of religious bigots (the Catholic Church, the Inquisition, Christians in general) hated another religious group (Pagans, Witches) and attempted to wipe them out.*p*This isn't true. As I've mentioned many times, most witches were Christians. Moreover, there wasn't much witch-hunting in the times and places where Pagans were common. There was little persecution of witches in the early Middle Ages, when Christianity struggled to convert Europe. (In fact, what little evidence we have suggests that Christianity decreased witch-hunting...) There are a few areas -- Lithuania, Estonia, Russia -- where there were still significant Pagan populations during the Burning Times. None of these areas killed huge numbers of witches. Witches died when and where there weren't a lot of Pagans.*p*Still, there is a connection between witch-hunting and religious bigotry. The height of the persecution came during the religious wars following the Reformation, and it was most intense in the exact areas where the Reformation was hotly contested. Areas with large religious minorities (France) or religious diversity (Germany, Switzerland) had the worst persecution. Panics were common along borders -- but especially the borders where countries with different religions touched.*p*Yet again, the connection is not direct. People didn't label their enemies "witches" in order to justify killing them. They didn't need to. They called them "Papists" or "godless Protestants" and thought that was a perfectly fine justification. Occasionally one sect would call the other "witches". In England, for instance, saying your prayers in (Catholic) Latin could be considered a sign of witchcraft. Yet most witches were killed by members of their own religion. Catholic countries might say that Martin Luther was a magician and the son of the Devil -- but the witches they killed were mostly Catholics.*p*So what's the connection? I think it ties into the idea of the Witch as Un-Person, the opposite of all that is good. The stereotypes and accusations thrown at witches changed continually, because they were twisted reflections of what people considered good. To Inquisitors, the Witch was the Un-Believer -- so they accused witches of devil-worship. To King James, witches were "the greatest rebels there are", because they rebel against the Highest King, God. They were the Un-faithful Subjects. To farmers, the Witch was the un-farmer who killed cows and destroyed the fertility of fields. To women, she was the Un-housewife, a woman who killed children and prevented the butter from churning right.*p*Religion takes on great importance during periods of inter-faith strife. Much of a person's self-image will come from their religion. In Northern Ireland, one is either Catholic or Protestant; in India, Muslim or Hindu. And the more you define yourself by your religion, the more likely it is that your Evil Other will be a member of another faith. Jews, Muslims, -- or mythical witches, people who worship Evil. *p*This isn't limited to religious issues of course. If we define ourselves as democrats and capitalists, our Evil Others will be Communists, as in the '50's. If we pride ourselves on being American, they'll be the Yellow Menace. The theme that connects all of these "witch-hunts" is the Evil Other. The idea that people who are not like us are capable of absolute evil.*p*Strangely, I think this is a lesson many Pagans have missed. We *don't* think that all prejudice is bad -- just prejudice aimed at us. We look at the Burning Times and say, "Oh those AWFUL Christians! Look how monstrous they were! Look what dreadful things They did to Us!" The unspoken sub-text is, "Aren't THEY evil!"*p*Look at any Pagan mailing list or bulletin board, and you will almost invariably find rank, unapologetic hatred of Christians. You will find people spreading the foulest stereotypes about Christians. And you will find people using the Burning Times to justify their bigotry. Part of the appeal of the Nine Million Martyrs is that a "holocaust" of that magnitude gives us the "right" to despise modern Christians.*p*The people who do this don't seem to realize that they're embracing the heart of the Burning Times. Dualism, hatred of the Other (especially the Other Religion) lay at the center of the persecution. We have to accept that all prejudice -- even our own -- causes these horrors. Giving in to Christian-bashing doesn't stave off the atrocities. It invites them in by the fire.*p*Jenny*br*