Just a minor point here, but, to an extent, what you've described is what most mountain folk refer to as "Granny Women." Reguardless of their religion, the were not appreciated by either the Doctors of the day, but if they made any enemies, they were accused of Witchcraft. Women weren't supposed to do those kinds of things! It might interesting for you to know also, that most Medical Programs now require their students to take classes on praying, laying on of hands, acupuncture, herbal medicine, etc. Interesting how things we've known about for years, are just now being introduced into the modern medical field of study. Rhiannon >X-From_: [email protected] Tue Apr 27 17:59:10 1999 >Return-Path: <[email protected]> >Resent-Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 14:53:15 -0700 (PDT) >From: [email protected] >Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 17:50:24 EDT >Old-To: [email protected] >Reply-To: [email protected] >Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] (no subject) >Resent-Message-ID: <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Resent-From: [email protected] >X-Mailing-List: <[email protected]> archive/latest/480 >X-Loop: [email protected] >Resent-Sender: [email protected] > > This has proven to be a most interesting and informative newsletter. >I got a few responses to my posting in Digest # 26 and figured I ought to >discuss it. > > In my post I remarked that some Wiccans seem to feel that the accused >of Salem Village were, in fact, practicing Wicca and that there was no >evidence to support such an assumption. I stand by my opinion in spite of an >email I received telling me that "no one knows which ones were or were not >(practicing witches)." All evidence points to the conclusion that the >victims, born and raised as Puritans, were, in most cases, practicing >Puritans-- and many were Puritans in good standing, respected by their >neighbors. I do, of course, understand the difference between Wicca and >Satanism. But the victims of Salem village were accused of trafficking with >Satan, not worshipping the Mother Goddess. It is erroneous to assume, based >on the accusations of the "afflicted girls," that people like Rebecca Nurse >and John Proctor must have been involved in some kind of forbidden religion. >My corespondent pointed out to me that Rebecca Nurse used herbs medicinally, >which is no doubt true; just about everybody used herbs medicinally back >then, since they couldn't go to Rite Aid and fill a prescription. I have >read nothing that suggests this was regarded with suspicion. The victims in >this case were charged with using their "spectral shapes" to torment >adolescent girls and, in a few cases, women and men. > > It is also erroneous to assume activities that were frowned upon by >the church (such as fortune telling) were terribly uncommon. They were not. >The "afflicted girls" dabbled in such practices, which Marion Starkey and >other authors claim were encouraged, if not initiated, by the Parris' slave >Tituba. I'm not sure that's true, however. The described methods of fortune >telling (e.g., the egg white in the glass) were British in origin and had >nothing of the Islands about them. We also have the story of Mary Sibley, >who with the help of the Parris slaves made a "witch cake" and fed it to the >dog. Mary Sibley was publicly castigated for this, but she was not accused >of and hanged for witchcraft. People who dabbled in the "occult" were not >Satan worshippers or Goddess worshippers. They were Puritans who >occasionally gave vent to their superstitions by trying forbidden things. > > Sincerely, > Jean Ely > >