I came across this quote from the “confession” of William Barker, Sr. from the Salem Witch trial. (Forgive the poor spelling. They were more ‘creative’ than us back then.)

Satans design was to set up his own worship, abolish all the churches in the land, to fall next upon Salem and soe goe through the countrey, He sayth the devil promeised that all his people should live bravely that all persones should be equall; that their should be no day of resurection or of judgement, and neither punishment nor shame for sin.

It’s a suprisingly accurate description of modern times, isn’t it? I’m not even sure all of it sounds that bad to me. (What’s wrong with everyone being brave and equal?)

But here’s a thought for you. I assume most of you, like me, don’t believe any of these people were actual Satanists in contact with some supernatural power. So that means this William person is laying out what the good God-fearing people of that time feared the most: Becoming us!

And while you are chewing on that, consider this: doesn’t this quote mean that the 17th century people were already well aware of what a ‘modern progressive’ society might look like? Doesn’t that make it not modern? And doesn’t it sound like they were fighting against such a society on moral grounds?

Discuss.