Church changed teaching about Witchcraft?

[Contarini]

Most likely most of the Catholics’ enthusiasm was largely motivated by a desire to avoid the accusation by their protestant rulers that Catholics were overly tolerant of “witches”.

Why is this likely, let alone most likely?

Do you have evidence of such accusations, or a concern to avoid them on the part of Catholics?

And how does your hypothesis account for the significant amount of witch-burning that took place in the fifteenth century? Did Catholics have prophetic knowledge that Protestants would arise and accuse them of excessive leniency?

Scholars who study this subject are unanimous that witch-burning was an “ecumenical” endeavor. Your hypothesis is a desperate attempt to avoid the evidence.

Edwin

 

[Petergee]

Why is this likely, let alone most likely?

Do you have evidence of such accusations, or a concern to avoid them on the part of Catholics?

And how does your hypothesis account for the significant amount of witch-burning that took place in the fifteenth century? Did Catholics have prophetic knowledge that Protestants would arise and accuse them of excessive leniency?

Scholars who study this subject are unanimous that witch-burning was an “ecumenical” endeavor. Your hypothesis is a desperate attempt to avoid the evidence.

Edwin

Your uncharitable characterisations of me and my motivations are both quite incorrect. I seek to learn and promote the truth, and certainly do not seek to avoid or deny any aspect of the truth. .

As you yourself just said, “The biggest wave of witch killings did take place after the Reformation, and mostly in areas affected by the Reformation”. Surely it would be natural for the protestants and their leaders to ask themselves why this is so, and (given the highly confrontational and far from ecumenical consitions of the times) find the answer in a moral fault on the path of Catholics and/or the false doctrines of Catholicism.