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A Witch's Secret Letter. How Absurd Claims Have Made History.

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posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 04:29 PM
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There is something about researching the past that humbles me. Yes, there are many things that are currently wrong in our society, but when you can look back to a time where freedom, lies, torture, and absurd claims, cost many their lives, you just have to take a moment, and be thankful.

Here is the story of Johannes Junius.


Here is a few excerpts of his letter to his daughter.

Many hundred thousand times good night, my daughter Veronica so dear to my heart. Innocent I came to jail, innocent I was tortured, innocent I must die. For whoever comes to the house [where witches are examined] either must become a witch or be tortured for so long that he claims something pulled from his imagination, and, God have mercy, figures out something to say. I want to tell you how thing have gone for me…

Dear child, six witnesses have testified at the same time against me: the chancellor, his son, Neudecker, Zaner, Hoffmaisters Ursel and Hopffens Else, all falsely, through cercion as they all have told me and begged me [to forgive them] for God’s sake before their sentences were executed… they knew nothing but good and nice things about me. They were forced to say it, just as I myself would experience…

AFTER MUCH TORTURE......

When the executioner took me back to jail, he said to me: ‘Sir, I beg you, for God’s sake confess something, whether it be true or not. Invent something, for you cannot bear the torture which you shall suffer; and even if you bear it all, you still shall not escape, not even if you were a count, but one torture will follow another until you say you are a witch. Not before that they will let you go, as you may see by their trials, for one is just like another’
www.strangehistory.net...


Here is the PDF with the full letter as it was originally written.
www.malefiz-haus.de...




There is a sadness that comes from a time of ignorance, and fear.

Peace, NRE.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 04:33 PM
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Thanks for posting that. Id never knew it existed. Such a horrible period in our history.. Americans torturing and murdering Americans in the name of religion.


+3 more 
posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 04:35 PM
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I guess after seeing the stats for innocent people on death row..its safe to say
not much has changed



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 04:42 PM
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reply to post by Advantage
 


I agree with you wholeheartedly. However, I felt the need to make it known that America was not the only place where these things happened. I'm not sure of exact statistics or anything, but it happened in Europe too. And it happens today also in Africa at least. I'm sure there must be other places historically and also today.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:05 PM
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Originally posted by Ellie Sagan
reply to post by Advantage
 


I agree with you wholeheartedly. However, I felt the need to make it known that America was not the only place where these things happened. I'm not sure of exact statistics or anything, but it happened in Europe too. And it happens today also in Africa at least. I'm sure there must be other places historically and also today.


yes, Im well aware. Unfortunately there is a long history of murdering and using religion as an excuse. I am American and it galls me that this happened, llike so many of our things in our history as a young country. I just was not familiar with THIS document



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:15 PM
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reply to post by Advantage
 


Oh I see. I was hoping I didn't come off sounding like I was annoyed or something. I wasn't. I just don't like it when people think America is the root of all evil.... hehe ... sarcasm there. But some people DO act like that. Hope I didn't offend you.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:18 PM
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I've just finished reading the full letter, & have tears streaming down my face.
To try and imagine the horrors & sense of hopelessness these poor people endured is beyond me.
Such is the power of fear if we let it take hold.....

S&F
Thanks for sharing
edit on 13-4-2012 by jewells because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:18 PM
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reply to post by Ellie Sagan
 


witches ultimatley were hanged in the states. in europe they were burned at the stake. this of coarse if they lived thru the torture. in africa,alleged witches are still hunted down and 'dealt with' in some villages.
now there is the wiccan 'church' that tells you how to worship.(gee,i thought wicca was a 'natural religion' not a church like hierarchy!)
the atrocities that happened in that era are unthinkable. there are many of these letters avaliable to read if you search on line.
i remember reading one story,it may have come from salem,but i can't be certain.
an older guy was accused of witchcraft,and his torture was they piled large flat stones on his body to confess.he wouldn't. more stones,he held his ground. one witness said the could hear the man's limbs breaking from the weight.
he ultimately died,but he never confessed!



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:25 PM
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Originally posted by Ellie Sagan
reply to post by Advantage
 


Oh I see. I was hoping I didn't come off sounding like I was annoyed or something. I wasn't. I just don't like it when people think America is the root of all evil.... hehe ... sarcasm there. But some people DO act like that. Hope I didn't offend you.


Oh not at all. I think you'll find Im quite the opposite.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:26 PM
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reply to post by reficul
 


I know the story that you speak of. I remember even as a kid I learned about this stuff. It is horrendous. I am so disgusted that humans use their minds and their creativity (for lack of better word) to devise more and more ways to torture people. People always say that it is because of fear that they persecute people, and maybe that could be said about the witch hunts and persecution, but what are they afraid of? I don't think it's just fear. I think it's ignorance, and I hesitate to say this, but maybe even outright stupidity? Seriously.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 05:43 PM
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I think that the part that saddens me the most is that those that knew him also testified against him. I could not imagine the heartache that people felt having to do such a thing, especially knowing that he was innocent.

Many, even those that knew their fates still testified against one another, knowing that they themselves would suffer the same fate. Reading this is hard as many of us think we know what we would do in this situation, but in reality we dont have a clue.

Peace, NRE.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 07:20 PM
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reply to post by Ellie Sagan
 

research the dark history of the catholic church and you will find the answer why this happened,and still does.
the church wants to control the people with suppression of knowledge and truth.
gallileo was excommunicated be cause he said the earth revolves around the sun,not visa versa!
asa(asprin) comes from the pith of the white willow tree,it was called witches herb or tree.
medicine woman/men new of its pain releiving abilities,along with many other plants.
the church wanted you to go to god to alieve yor ailment. so they called these people witches using magick to cure you! this is where 'witchdoctor comes from so in comes the inquisition to 'remove' these undesireables in gods name. (witches,cathors,templars......too many to name!) 'follow our faith,or die!'
i just read a post on here earlier about an indian skeptic proved that a statue of jesus,that was leaking water out its feet was not a miricle,but was caused by a drain that was leaking into the statue and seeping through the statue.
now he is being charged with blasphomy by the church and the police are going to arrest him!!!
the witch hunt continues today!



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 07:34 PM
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These are the kind of stories I love. They give a glimpse into the truth of history, not the edited / biased version that they teach our children. The truth of our past is hidden in little pieces like this.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 07:51 PM
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reply to post by NoRegretsEver
[mo

It really puzzles me, how intolerably cruel the churches are that supposedly follow Jesus Christ's teachings. With so many variations of the bible and holy scriptures, to take a few verses out so literally as to justify Murdering your fellow human being is so unconscionable to me.....it seems downright satanic what they've done, in what book and in what authority does it say that it's okay to murder anyone who is not a "christian" or a roman catholic fundamentalist? Where the # does it justify their sickness, THEIR satanic "witchcraft"?! I'm sorry, this letter just made me so sad. I am so grateful that i have never been, and probably will never be subjected to this kind of insanity.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 07:52 PM
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reply to post by reficul
 


That thing about the statue is horrible! Amazing..... Don't know what else to say about that.

I am actually quite interested in herbalism and natural healing. I use white willow for headaches and inflammation. I make and use a lot of herbal remedies and tonics.

Actually some churches still do that sort of thing that you were saying about the church in the old days. Wanting people to come to god for healing and not depend on medicine.
edit on 13-4-2012 by Ellie Sagan because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 07:56 PM
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Thank you for this story. So sad for this gentleman but at least he was able to write the letter to his child and say his goodbyes and clear his name to her.

It amazes me how people allowed this type of superstition to exist in the past and how it is still allowed to flourish even today. All of this done in the name of God because he commanded that "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live".

Even the torturer seemed to have more compassion than the clergy who were looking for a reason to get their jollies off and increasing their coffers by causing someone embarassmemt. torture and death.

S&F for a good read.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 08:03 PM
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Originally posted by Advantage
Thanks for posting that. Id never knew it existed. Such a horrible period in our history.. Americans torturing and murdering Americans in the name of religion.


This is one reason that I do not have any use for any religion. More people have been killed in the name of one religion or another than all the natural distastes and disease and accidents put together. In fact religion could be our unding.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 10:23 PM
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Wow, we're really made no progress in all this time. Only instead of witches we have terrorists. That letter could have come from anyone at Guantanamo bay.



posted on Apr, 13 2012 @ 11:39 PM
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That is a sad story. But it also shows how hope can exist in times like that as the power of words can bring the emotions to the surface and make us see things for what they are.

Now, if only that power were strong enough to where those emotions could effect some positive and tangible change, we'd be getting somewhere. But as it stands.....the more things change the more they stay the same.

Here's to a brighter future To where people like the man who wrote that letter can REALLY be heard.







posted on Apr, 14 2012 @ 12:39 AM
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Originally posted by Advantage
Thanks for posting that. Id never knew it existed. Such a horrible period in our history.. Americans torturing and murdering Americans in the name of religion.


Your sheer level of hatred has clouded your already ill equiped mind. If you took the time to read the article, it would become self evident* that the witch-hunt took place in Germany.

And to the Christian haters I say this: Witch Hunting has it's origins in Pagan Rome(where witches where burned at the stake). The type of witchcraft talked about in the Bible would be Canaanite Religion. To those ignorant of History, the Canaanites believed in human sacrafice(hence why God told the Israelite's to slaughter them all, but the Israelite's did spare the Canaanites; within 20 years the Canaanites began human sacrificing again.+ The Death Penalty was public stoning and it required witnesses, not a confession like the RomanPagan method of witch-hunting).

Also, Witch-Hunting has more in common with Domestic Violence in America then it does with religious intolerance. As most of the people who accused others of witch-craft(women), did so for revenge(similar to the cases of women in Nazi occupied Europe using the SS to get rid of people they didn't like via false testimony).

As such a majority of the victims where other women, but a quarter or so of the victims were men.

This is why I associate more with right wingers, because you lefties are intellectual light weights who just preform constant circle jerks, instead of actually READING BOOKS! You know they have in libraries, heck even some malls sell them, and you can even download them onto computers and these fancy new devices called Tablet computers.

*It may not be self evident to lesser minds
edit on 14-4-2012 by korathin because: (no reason given)




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