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Summary: The Devil's Dominion
Review: Godbeer argues that although Puritan clergy were vocally against the belief in magic and use of magical techniques, Puritan theology was ambiguous enough to allow even people who were considered to be "godly" church members to believe in and practice magical rituals without feeling as if they were going against their Puritan beliefs. Puritan theology blamed all human suffering on God's judgment of the people and taught that humans could do nothing to effect His plans. Folk magic, which was a strong part of English culture, however gave people the ability to try to alleviate their suffering, especially if they blamed the suffering on a witch or other "cunning person."Puritan ministers encouraged people to believe that suffering was the result of outside forces, but they wanted people to believe the "outside force" was God punishing them for sins. Many lay people agreed that suffering was the result of an outside force, but preferred to believe it was the result of magic, which could be neutralized by using counter-magic. The belief in magic was widespread, but not universal in Puritan New England. Although some "godly" church members practiced magic, others did not. Some people were so opposed to magic that they would take down horseshoes that had been put over doors. Even some ministers believed in magic, as evidenced by the ducking, or trial by water, conducted during the witchcraft trials.
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