Progressive Witchcraft

It is the rivalry between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism that is the key to understanding the nature of hereditary witchcraft in Western Europe because Protestantism systematically went about trying to destroy Pagan survivals. From the writings of the time of the Reformation, it is clear that Protestantism’s main aim was to remove the remains of Pagan practices from Christianity. Martin Luther’s main argument with Catholicism was that such survivals existed within its system of indulgences, relics, and saints, and that these were unholy and against God. The result was that many a Catholic went to the fire or was hung as a witch by Protestant inquisitors. It also goaded the Catholic Church into having its own witch hunt to try to clear its name, as well seek out Protestant heretics. But of the estimated 300,000 witches that were executed during this period (and some put the figure as unrealistically high as 9 million) it is probable that the majorities were good Christians and that hardly any would have practiced witchcraft, let alone considered themselves witches.

In Britain, the real witch hunts did not start until the Stewart King, James the First of England, the Sixth of Scotland, came to the English throne, even though Britain had rejected Roman Catholicism two monarchs earlier in one of the bloodiest periods in English history. James was paranoid about being poisoned by witches and therefore commissioned the re-writing of the Bible to reflect his paranoia. For example, he changed "thou shalt not suffer a poisoner (of wells) to live" to "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". Even though there were few witch trials in England, they appeared to be many in his home country, Calvinist Scotland. When the English Civil War erupted, Mathew Hopkins, the infamous Witch finder General, set forth from Cambridge in England, and it was no coincidence that he headed towards were the fen lands of East Anglia, an area known not only for witchcraft, but also for its Roman Catholic population. It must be remembered that Hopkins did this during a conflict very much fuelled by the antagonism between Roman Catholicism and English Puritan Protestantism, dating back to the Tudor King Henry the Eighth. In modern witchcraft history, which we discuss later, East Anglia comes up again as one of the supposed birthplaces of Wicca. This is important to note.

It is here that an interesting paradox occurs in the modern history of witchcraft. Protestantism almost completely eradicated its survivals in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the other countries of that faith, or they forced it so deep underground that it almost disappeared completely. In Catholic countries it survived but was slowly absorbed into Catholicism, so its origins became unknown; a few folk practices continued to be practiced as part of that faith. We are not trying to say here that the Neo-Pagan movement or even that hereditary witchcraft has its origins in Roman Catholicism. We are saying quite the reverse: From one perspective, the origin of many Catholic practices is witchcraft and Paganism! So here is the paradox: If you look at the rise of the modern witchcraft and modern Neopagan movements, it is most prominent in Protestant countries. Why has this happened?

The fact is, even though some witches might dispute it, modern witchcraft has its origins very much in rebellion against the established Protestant monotheistic culture rather than the Catholic. In the United Kingdom, many who come into Wicca and Paganism do so because they are looking for the magic in their spirituality, which they find in the ritual practices offered in Wicca. In Catholic countries like Ireland, Spain, Italy and Portugal the situation is a bit different. Ever since childhood, members of this faith are brought up with the high ritual, mysticism, and other magical elements that Protestantism rejected. The result is that when they reject the Catholic Church they reject these aspects too. While in Protestant countries Neo-Paganism is one of the fastest growing religions, in Catholic countries we have found it to be traditions such as Zen Buddhism. Of course, this situation is now changing as the Roman Catholic Church loses social power, and Catholic countries are now starting to develop growing Neo-Pagan communities.