Christians, why do you not still use the Malleus Maleficarum today?

Question

Even though it's one of the most blood-soaked books in human history, why isn't it still a part of your culture? Is witchcraft still not against your faith? And many of you still believe Satan is out there messing with people's minds, so why aren't you still out there putting people on trial for witchcraft? What's changed in your faith that this book is no longer used and why do you think it changed?

Do you think it might be because the church was telling lies to it's subjects in order to keep them faithful?

They wouldn't do that, would they?

What, no one knows their own faith's history?

MNL - that's partially my point ;)

Maya - nice try cupcake. Catholicism is a christian denomination. At the time in history. the vast majority of christians were catholics. The divide became more clear much later on. It's a valid question to christians. Your snotty response speaks to your own ignorance dear....glass houses and all that.

Read this to educate yourself...

http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/

Answer 1

Do you want us to use the Malleus Maleficarum today?

I took a quick glance at Wikipedia's article on the subject. It sounds as if some Christians were as obsessed with stamping out witches centuries ago as some Christians are obsessed with stamping out homosexuality today. Both were condemnable by death in the OT, and condemnable by hell in the epistles and Revelation in the NT. But guess what? During his earthly life, Jesus wasn't obsessed with either one of them!

The Salem Witch Trials in 1960s Massachusetts, and the trial and execution of Joan of Arc centuries before, probably turned the majority of modern Christians against literal witch hunts forever. We've seen the abuse of power, and many of us realize now how sexist was much of this witch-hunting.

We Christians still frown upon actual witchcraft, and some of us (not me) want to stamp out Halloween and Harry Potter. However, most of us Christians have better things to do with our time, like trying to love our neighbor, raise our families, and help the unfortunate--y'know, the things Jesus really cared about!

Answer 2

The Orthodox Church never accepted such a book. I'm part of the Eastern Church, a lot of the Western issues never affected us. There was still the whatever went on under the rule of Constantine, I understand, but our Church maintains it's doctrine, the people in it arent necessarily perfect. Things get ugly anytime the Church has political power.

Actually, for this reason, I don't know much about the Malleus Maleficarum. It was basically a latin Church thing I think.

Answer 3

I believe it was of Catholic origin and of course it has long since been rescinded as binding on Catholics; as to the other elements of Christianity - of which you seem unaware - the book was either never used by them or before the Reformation,in other words before Protestantism existed.
I'm sure you imagine yourself to be a most extraordinarily intelligent individual; I never met an "atheist" who didn't. But you really should read a book or two on the history of Christianity before making a fool of yourself online.

Answer 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum

While I don't propose that Christians ought to put witches on trial, it appears from the article above that part of the purpose of the book was to refute the truth of witchcraft; and, that's an interesting and fair question.

As a non-theist, I'm just as curious to hear your responses as the author of this question... Please have at it.

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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Answer 5

*crickets* ftw!