Download Witches and Religion
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Lesson Plan:
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- Aimed at Students studying at UK Year 7 or equivalent
- Free to download
- Use as you wish in the classroom or home environment
Religion played a large part in people’s lives in this period. People not only believed in God, they also believed that the devil was causing evil in the world.
Super- natural ideas: People did not know much about science, so they did not know why natural things happened. If things went wrong people thought that it was the work of the devil.
Witches: People thought that witches worked for the devil and were evil. Some people accused witches of murdering people by witchcraft. Others were accused of turning milk sour or making crops grow badly. People often blamed their problems on witches.
The king: Even important people believed in witches. King James I of England wrote a book which described the signs to look out for to spot a witch. King James told Parliament to pass laws against anybody who was thought to be a witch. Witches were put on trial and hanged if found guilty.
The Pendle Witches: In 1612 a famous trial took place. Some people from the Pendle area of Lancashire were accused of being witches, found guilty and hanged.