In "The Crucible", the theocracy present in Salem before the trials was a important part of the community. It was created to hold the community together, and to prevent it's destruction by material or ideological enemies. It did so by means of heavy handed regulation and a culture of minding others business. The play presents a situation in which these methods backfire; where citizens air personal grievances under the guise of witchcraft and the religious power of the government allows for righteously justified executions. It was the realization that the power given to protect the people also had the potential to destroy them that broke the theocracy.
Today, our government specifically provides for the separation of church and state. Whereas the theocracy in Salem had the power to condemn people to death on the basis of religious matters, modern American court rooms are kept completely separate from matters of the church. Satanic dealings or bewitched dolls are not considered evidence for their religious significance alone, for example.
I disagree that the modern justice system has a clear separation between church and state. Rather, I think, like Salem, we often blur the line between church and state, confusing what belongs in the court room and what does not.
I like how you worded "a culture of minding others business." I definitely found it interesting in the novel how everyone was concerned with the business of their neighbor, whether they attended church every single Sunday or whether they were caught plowing their fields on the Sabbath. It's such a contrast to our culture today where prying and nosiness are looked down upon.
In Salem, theocracy was not broken and functioned well for the community, until the trials began. The theocracy is broken by characters like Abigail who gain control and manipulation over many people of the town in the courts of the trials. The people of the court believe her stories and from that, send many people to death because of what she says. There is no order whatsoever once the trials begin. The judge makes decisions based off of what he is told and the certain points of evidence. Neither of these things were really justifiable for death.
The U.S. government is very different from the government presented in the play. Usually, religion does not play a significant role in court. For many years, there has been a distinct separation between courts and the church. The freedom to practice any religion complicates court cases, which is why there is a separation today. The court system in general is based off of way more evidence, witnesses, and other things to prove someone guilty. In the play, barely any evidence was used and witnesses were not present often. Also, today all persons are innocent until proven guilty. In the play, there was no guilty or innocent. It was basically admit to signing with the devil or die.
I agree that today there is a definite separation of church and state in the government. Also, I agree that now there has to be evidence for everything in the courtroom for it to be valid. In the Salem witch trials there was no proof and was a game of he said she said. The government today prevents things like the Salem witch trials from happening.
I like how you distinguished the difference between the United States government and the United States courts. I agree with The Artful Platypus above in her response to DisplayName that there are blurred lines between the church and state in the US government. I do believe that when it comes to the courts and our judicial systems there is a more defined line where religon does not iterfere in most cases, but I also realize that there will most likely never be a time where religon does not cross into government.
In "The Crucible", the theocracy present in Salem before the trials was a important part of the community. It was created to hold the community together, and to prevent it's destruction by material or ideological enemies. It did so by means of heavy handed regulation and a culture of minding others business. The play presents a situation in which these methods backfire; where citizens air personal grievances under the guise of witchcraft and the religious power of the government allows for righteously justified executions. It was the realization that the power given to protect the people also had the potential to destroy them that broke the theocracy.
ReplyDeleteToday, our government specifically provides for the separation of church and state. Whereas the theocracy in Salem had the power to condemn people to death on the basis of religious matters, modern American court rooms are kept completely separate from matters of the church. Satanic dealings or bewitched dolls are not considered evidence for their religious significance alone, for example.
I disagree that the modern justice system has a clear separation between church and state. Rather, I think, like Salem, we often blur the line between church and state, confusing what belongs in the court room and what does not.
DeleteI like how you worded "a culture of minding others business." I definitely found it interesting in the novel how everyone was concerned with the business of their neighbor, whether they attended church every single Sunday or whether they were caught plowing their fields on the Sabbath. It's such a contrast to our culture today where prying and nosiness are looked down upon.
DeleteIn Salem, theocracy was not broken and functioned well for the community, until the trials began. The theocracy is broken by characters like Abigail who gain control and manipulation over many people of the town in the courts of the trials. The people of the court believe her stories and from that, send many people to death because of what she says. There is no order whatsoever once the trials begin. The judge makes decisions based off of what he is told and the certain points of evidence. Neither of these things were really justifiable for death.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. government is very different from the government presented in the play. Usually, religion does not play a significant role in court. For many years, there has been a distinct separation between courts and the church. The freedom to practice any religion complicates court cases, which is why there is a separation today. The court system in general is based off of way more evidence, witnesses, and other things to prove someone guilty. In the play, barely any evidence was used and witnesses were not present often. Also, today all persons are innocent until proven guilty. In the play, there was no guilty or innocent. It was basically admit to signing with the devil or die.
I agree that today there is a definite separation of church and state in the government. Also, I agree that now there has to be evidence for everything in the courtroom for it to be valid. In the Salem witch trials there was no proof and was a game of he said she said. The government today prevents things like the Salem witch trials from happening.
DeleteI like how you distinguished the difference between the United States government and the United States courts. I agree with The Artful Platypus above in her response to DisplayName that there are blurred lines between the church and state in the US government. I do believe that when it comes to the courts and our judicial systems there is a more defined line where religon does not iterfere in most cases, but I also realize that there will most likely never be a time where religon does not cross into government.
Delete