If there is one haunting line from literature that may encapsulate the American and Christian spirit regarding Salem, Massachusetts, it may be Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous line from The House of Seven Gables: “Shall we never get rid of this Past? … It lies upon the Present like a giant’s dead body.”[1]
Indeed, every October, tourists flock to Salem, Massachusetts, to try and catch a glimpse of some frightful apparition or another. Today, Salem is even called the “Witch Capital” of the world. The history of this town is fascinating and is deeply intertwined with both the first English settlers and the Puritans. But how should Christians approach Salem, the Puritans, and the Witch Trials?
A Brief Description of the Salem Witch Trials
In 1692, one of America’s earliest and most haunting tragedies occurred. Before the United States had a Constitution, or had even declared its independence, Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony found themselves face to face with the greatest evil they could have imagined: Residents of Salem had evidently made a pact with the devil himself. Witches were casting spells and divinations, attacking young girls with spectral projections, and flying on broom sticks through the night skies.
It all began in January of 1692, when the Reverend Samuel Parris noted that his daughter, Betty, was acting rather strangely. These strange behaviors even spilled into her apparent cousin, Abigail Williams (though the term used to describe Abigail was “niece,” the term was used a bit differently in the late seventeenth century than it is today, and it is not totally clear how Abigail was related to the family). Soon, the young girls, ages nine and eleven, were showing signs of some sort of possession. Their arms, necks, and backs appeared to be pinched by unseen forces, and their bodies contorted in the most unnatural of ways. The girls complained of feeling as thought they were being pricked in the skin, and would sometimes writhe in agony, and other times fall silent, their tongues stopped, and their throats choked by some invisible agents.
Physicians were called, but soon the verdict was made: The girls were bewitched. Eventually, one of the slaves in the Parris household, Tituba, would confess that she had indeed signed a pact with the devil and had, through much torment, obliged to attack the girls. But this confession would simply be the first of many to come.
During the height of the witch frenzy, as the Salem Witch Trials were being conducted, it appeared as though one couldn’t turn a corner or flip a rock without finding a witch hiding. When all was said and done, twenty-five residents of Salem were dead because of the trials. Nineteen were hanged on Gallows Hill, having been tried and found guilty of witchcraft. Five died while in prison, though some have suggested the number ought to be considered even higher than this. And at least one man—Giles Corey—was brutally crushed to death as examiners attempted to get a confession regarding his apparent practicing of witchcraft.
To be fair, writing about these things in the 21st century seems laughable. At the very least—and assuming the best of those who conducted the witch trials—these supposedly supernatural occurrences appear to have been the machinations of scared imaginations running wild. The Puritans who were involved with the trials appear to have been overtaken with hysteria, brought on by an obsession with morbid introspections and devilish fears. Surely, no one today could honestly believe that witches were in Salem… Right?
The Modern Day Understanding of the Salem Witch Trials
Perhaps unsurprisingly, over the course of the past several decades, various studies have been conducted on the Salem Witch Trials. Many of these studies have been completed by those with degrees in gender and race studies, which has preemptively prepared these historians to view the involvement of the Puritans with a lens of distrust and even disgust. It is often assumed that the “witchcraft hysteria” was just that: hysteria.
It is further assumed by these historians that those executed were both innocent and victims of hate crimes. The Puritans, it is often believed, were hateful, racist, misogynistic, hypocritical, false believers, and politicians willing to condemn others to death if it meant they could get ahead in society. In fact, some modern historians have pointed to the Salem Witch Trials as the downfall and inevitable death of Puritanism in America.
A main question that modern day Christians ought to ask then is simply this: Was Puritanism to blame for an American tragedy? Or, perhaps, were there deeper elements at play?
Looking to the Puritan Cotton Mather, who had his own role to play in the Witch Trials, we discover that his writings from the time depict a man who was convinced that devilry was at play in Salem. In his The Wonders of the Invisible world, he revealed a frightening reality for the settlers of the New World:
Wherefore The devil is now making one Attempt more upon us; an Attempt more Difficult, more Surprizing, more snarl’d with unintelligible Circumstances than any that we have hitherto Encountered; an Attempt so Critical, that if we get well through, we shall soon Enjoy Halcyon Days, with all the Vultures of Hell Trodden under our Feet. He has wanted his Incarnate Legions to Persecute us, as the People of God have in the other Hemisphere been Persecuted: he has therefore drawn forth his more spiritual ones to make an attacque upon us. We have been advised by some Credible Christians yet alive, that a Malefactor, accused of Witchcraft as well as Murder, and Executed in this place more than Forty Years ago, did then give Notice of, An Horrible PLOT & against the Country by WITCHCRAFT, and a Foundation of WITCHCRAFT then laid, which if it were not seasonably discovered, would probably Blow up, and pull down all the Churches in the Country. And we have now with Horror seen the Discovery of such a WITCHCRAFT![2]
The Puritans who came to America believed that their duty was to take dominion of God’s creation for God’s glory (Gen. 1:28). They saw themselves settling and cultivating land that had formerly been the devil’s territory, but just as Jesus was the Strong Man who entered Satan’s domain to bind him and plunder his goods, so now they were being sent forth to do the very same thing (Mark 3:27). Of course, they recognized that Satan is a prowling lion, seeking to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), but the gates of hell will never prevail against the advancement of the Church and Christ’s Kingdom (Matt. 16:17-19).
For men like Cotton Mather, the inexplicable condition of Betty Parris and Abigail Williams was evidence enough that some foul play or another was afoot. (To be fair, even the most skeptical of historians have offered a variety of explanations for what happened to these two young girls, but almost all have been forced to confess that there is no definitive answer to offer.) When Tituba made her confession, it was only further proof: That gates of hell were holding ground and Satan was fighting back, but he could not permanently delay the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
Though some may find it surprising, men like Cotton Mather actually warned against some of the practices of the judges during the Witch Trials. While the judges were willing to entertain “spectral evidence,” Mather suggested that no such evidence ought to be considered in determining whether witchcraft was present in Salem or not.
Mather recognized that witchcraft is, in fact, real. Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 20:27, and Revelation 21:8 all warn that those who practice “magic” will be destroyed by the Lord. Again, it may seem antiquated to consider the “practice of magic” sinful in the 21st century, especially since many people doubt that witchcraft is real. Most doubt the spiritual realm. In fact, even many Christians doubt the existence of spiritual warfare. Yet what God’s Word makes clear to us is that there is a spiritual realm, and that “magic” and “witchcraft”—in whatever form they appear—are to be rejected. They are dangerous sins for the Christian to engage in.
The Christian and Salem Today
I began this essay by asking how Christians ought to approach Salem, the Puritans, and the Witch Trials today. I tried to give a very brief account of the tragedies that occurred, while also pointing out that the Puritan belief in the reality of witchcraft is not an antiquated view but is actually a biblical view that modern Christians ought to believe, too.
So, how do we respond? First, I think it would be a mistake to think that the Puritans were simply crazy, misguided, vengeful, or hateful politicians condemning people to death to simply get ahead. It must be noted that, at the height of the fervor, there was a great deal of disagreement about how the trials were to be conducted. There were some who were fearful, to be sure, but many others who believed they were in a spiritual battle against Satan and the forces of darkness. Some even later publicly repented of what happened, like Judge Samuel Sewall, who wrote an Apology regarding the Witch Trials. It would be both a mistake and a logical fallacy to suggest that because there may have been some bad actors, the whole lot of Puritans, and Puritanism as a whole, are to be blamed for whatever mistakes transpired and whatever sins were committed. Many of these men did act in good faith, even if their actual actions may be disputed.
Second, it is important that Christians remember that the Puritans were—in fact—our brothers and sisters in Christ. While it is possible that several directly involved in the affairs may have been false converts, and while we may disagree with the behaviors of several others, we must remember that they were living in a very different age than our own. We often imagine ourselves to be so very enlightened, but the encroachment of materialism upon our faith has made us blind to spiritual realities. The Puritans of Salem in 1692 may not have all the answers and may even act as a warning for us of how not to approach “witchcraft,” but they most certainly act as a reminder that the spiritual realm is very real.
Third, the celebration of “witches” is sinful. It is incredibly unfortunate that Salem has become known as the “witch capital,” especially since those who defend the accused also normally suggest that they were not witches at all. Their celebrations and tourism seem to suggest the opposite. However, Salem’s history is not just about witches. It is equally as much about the Puritans, and many of these men—like Cotton Mather—accomplished great things for the glory of God. It is the duty of faithful Christians to honor the legacies of brothers and sisters in the faith who came before us.
The best thing we can do is learn about what happened in Salem, learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, and honor those faithful Puritans who did serve Christ well. If we do so, perhaps there will come a day when Salem is not remembered as the “witch capital,” but the “Puritan capital” of America.
[1] Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of Seven Gables (New York: Dover Publications, 1999), 126.
[2] Cotton Mather, The Wonders of the Invisible world (London: 1693), https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/T-00264.pdf.