Modern Day Witch Hunt

I thought I’d bring you something of the more bizarre nature today, seeing as the bizarre and unexplained are one of my personal interests.  Now call me crazy, but I was fairly certain that we left behind the witch hunts in the 18th century, with the last executions taking place then.  Personally I think being that it is 2011 people would have enough sensibility to realise that all these ridiculous tales of witchcraft are in fact just that, tales.  It would seem this is not the case in South Africa where a community decided to take what they believed was evidence of witchcraft and the law into their own hands.

Twelve people stand accused of setting alight and burning a local Pastor, Albert Malwane, with their trial date to be set this coming Thursday.  Here people, is where it truly turns bizarre, when we discover why exactly these twelve felt it necessary to deliver such a punishment on their Pastor.  They believed that Albert Malwane had in fact an “invisible” penis that he was using to seduce the women of the local community.  His other crime was talking to animals.

I sit here in wonderment that in this day and age people can believe these crazy ideas in the first place.  They even went so far as to accuse his wife of turning into a snail to terrorise the community.  I think if you were going to turn into any thing in order to terrorise a community, that a snail would be rather far down on the list of potential creatures.  Also I’m fairly certain he had himself a perfectly fine “real” penis with which to seduce women.  I’m puzzled as to why in fact it would have to be invisible.  And if talking to animals is reason enough to suspect someone is up to no good, then I’d suggest my local community come and fire up the barbeque, as I talk to my animals daily.

This story remains amusing and yet slightly scary to think that there are people out there that have no sense of logic available to them.  Much like those who have chosen to follow the words of Harold Camping.  It seems in the evolution of mankind some of us really haven't come far at all.  For those wishing to read the full story it can be found Here.