Sadly, religion in many forms is responsible for the suppression and silencing of women, often drawing on sacred texts, or the misinterpretation of them, to justify inequities.
Sometimes it is hysterial men (I use that term deliberately) who foment fear and suspicion. A month ago a Tenessee pastor named Ted Locke told his congregation that his wife's bible study had been infiltrated by six witches, three of whom were in worship that morning. Locke is known for burning witchcraft books such as Harry Potter and Twilight and styles himself as a prophet, predicting Donald Trump would beat "demon-possessed" Joe Biden. Well, we saw how that prophecy worked out. In the disturbing video of the service Locke calls the women "stinkin' witches", which doesn't sound real Christian to me.
It would be easy to dismiss this as extreme looniness but it is actually sinister and reflects the growing misogynist tone of a strain of American and, yes, Canadian evangelicalism. It characterizes women as dangerous and practicing dark arts. In other words, they won't subject themselves to men and have the temerity to challenge patriarchial religion.
You may have read about the witch hysteria which gripped Europe, beginning in the 15th century. Within a century, witch hunts were common and most of the accused were executed by burning at the stake or hanging. Single women, widows and other women on the margins of society were especially targeted and they often "confessed" after torture.
Between the years 1500 and 1660, 50,000 or more suspected witches were put to death in Europe. They were supposedly in league with the devil and ruled by lust. Religion was at the heart of this persecution and a book written in 1486 by two Dominican monks called "The Hammer of Witches" was essentially the witch-hunters guide.
Salem Witch Trials
In the United States there were witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts spurred by a family named Putnam. This happens to be the family name of my wife, Ruth, and she's joked that the reason she became a counsellor in a women's shelter is to do penance for that unfortunate family connection.
It really is bizarre that in a supposedly advanced society (this is questionable) this sort of misogynist fear-mongering still has an audience. Then again, we are seeing the erosion of women's autonomy and choice in ways that we might have assumed was no longer possible, with the support of courts and legislatures.
When Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale in 1985 she was looking to the rise of the Christian Right and the Islamic revolution. She was also inspired by her grandmother's tale that they were related to a New England witch of the 17th century.Who knew that the recent television series made from the novel would be so relevant?
It's so important to be vigilant about all of this, however outlandish it may seem. And wouldn't it be great if Christians were no longer the kooks in these stories?
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