It is apparent that the church was influential over Scottish citizens and their legitimacy originated and gained power through the National Covenant. This particular document was a unity between the monarch as well as the citizens and, most importantly, God in an attempt to uphold what was seen as right. The document cites many acts of parliament in an attempt to legitimize the ideas being presented and make them appear to be valid. Therefore, the National Covenant was imperative in aiding the church in leading the public believe that is was their duty to uphold God’s will even if this meant the prosecution and execution of innocent individuals. Likewise, the church’s status and power influenced individual communities to persecute witches.
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This was done in the northern kingdom by defining witchcraft as a religious and secular crime. Moreover, practicing witchcraft was a crime against what was considered divine law and the laws of Scotland. To further this point, the National Covenant publicly combined the norms of religion with the laws of Scotland stating: “It is declared and ordained, seeing the cause of Gods true Religion and his highnes Authority are so joyned, as the hurt of the one is common to both…” The National Covenant further goes on to list a plethora of acts of parliament stating that one must follow the rules and laws of the king. We can conclude that if one is to follow the rule of the king, and the king has declared his unity with the church and the will of God, then one must follow then ideologies of the church as well. Additionally, people are socially expected to follow the law especially when faced with severe consequences. The issue presents itself when the laws are based of off a skewed concept of witches in religion. Witch-hunting in Scotland had a legislative basis that came from the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563. Moreover, the attempts to rid the country of witches demonstrates a direct link between what religion defines as sin and what the law defines as a crime. Therefore we can conclude that these ‘godly legislations’ were imperative in what transpired for …show more content…
Furthermore, the national government and local officials both had a role to play in persecution of witches. However, it appears that all levels of the elite were involved in the intensive prosecution of witchcraft and were seen working together to eliminate anything that would disrupt the ideal godly society. The local authorities did not have full autonomy when pursuing witchcraft they often needed to seek the approval of the state in order to formulate a court hearing. As such, the state did not have complete authority either. The local authorities looked up to the state just as the state sought out the ideologies of the church concerning witches. Therefore, all levels are interconnected and played a crucial role, but ultimately the church had the most influence in shaping the opinions of the state and the local authorities which inevitably led to the execution of innocent men and
This was done in the northern kingdom by defining witchcraft as a religious and secular crime. Moreover, practicing witchcraft was a crime against what was considered divine law and the laws of Scotland. To further this point, the National Covenant publicly combined the norms of religion with the laws of Scotland stating: “It is declared and ordained, seeing the cause of Gods true Religion and his highnes Authority are so joyned, as the hurt of the one is common to both…” The National Covenant further goes on to list a plethora of acts of parliament stating that one must follow the rules and laws of the king. We can conclude that if one is to follow the rule of the king, and the king has declared his unity with the church and the will of God, then one must follow then ideologies of the church as well. Additionally, people are socially expected to follow the law especially when faced with severe consequences. The issue presents itself when the laws are based of off a skewed concept of witches in religion. Witch-hunting in Scotland had a legislative basis that came from the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563. Moreover, the attempts to rid the country of witches demonstrates a direct link between what religion defines as sin and what the law defines as a crime. Therefore we can conclude that these ‘godly legislations’ were imperative in what transpired for …show more content…
Furthermore, the national government and local officials both had a role to play in persecution of witches. However, it appears that all levels of the elite were involved in the intensive prosecution of witchcraft and were seen working together to eliminate anything that would disrupt the ideal godly society. The local authorities did not have full autonomy when pursuing witchcraft they often needed to seek the approval of the state in order to formulate a court hearing. As such, the state did not have complete authority either. The local authorities looked up to the state just as the state sought out the ideologies of the church concerning witches. Therefore, all levels are interconnected and played a crucial role, but ultimately the church had the most influence in shaping the opinions of the state and the local authorities which inevitably led to the execution of innocent men and