# Witches

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witches/131966>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [October 12, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witches/131966 "2002-10-12T15:52:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Faye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/13edae/32.png) [@Faye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faye)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witches/131966/1 "2002-10-12T15:52:18Z")

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Witches do not worship the devil or transform things. Just letting you know.

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witches/131966/2 "2002-10-12T16:21:36Z")

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Welcome to the SDMB, Faye! It is a good idea to post a link to the particular column you are referring to, so we are all on the same page. What column would that be in this case?

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**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witches/131966/3 "2002-10-13T05:06:07Z")

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Well, I see 2 possibilities:  
[What is the historical basis of the Wicca religion (modern witchcraft)?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/991029.html) which says nothing about worshipping the devil or transforming things.  
[What’s the deal with witches and broomsticks?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990903.html) which mentions “Not, I hasten to say, people who were genuinely in league with the devil, flew on broomsticks, turned into beasts, etc., but rather people who believed they were or did.”

If that’s the column that Faye is talking about, I’ll point out that Cecil is not talking about modern Witches (aka Wiccans) but about the so-called witches of historical times who were likely not witches in either the religious sense or the magic-spell-casting, evil-eye-cursing sense.

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edited to fix links – CK Dexter Haven

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**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witches/131966/4 "2002-10-13T05:07:33Z")

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Well, I see 2 possibilities:  
[What is the historical basis of the Wicca religion (modern witchcraft)?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/991029.html)  
[What’s the deal with witches and broomsticks?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990903.html)