In 1766, Bavaria launched a debate that lasted roughly five years. Its participants came from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Switzerland, and northern Italy.
After years of groundwork, Protestants linked the Black Death to witchcraft, while John Joseph Gassner, the exorcist at the center of the controversy, linked all illnesses to witchcraft as well.
Of course, he was riddled with errors, because the vast majority of illnesses were caused by bacteria and viruses.
Not every fever meant demonic possession. It might simply be a cold or an infected wound. Patients needed penicillin more than an exorcist. His methods not only made him a laughingstock, but also turned everyone who still believed in witchcraft into a "class of lunatics," leading many Europeans to regard the end of witch trials as a great victory of light over darkness.
Catholicism and Protestantism, meanwhile, debated whether demons existed.
Ghosts had not been scientifically proven to exist, so they did not exist.
There was a story about Job in the Old Testament. Job had originally been a happy man, with seven sons and three daughters. His household was prosperous, his herds numerous, and his home filled with servants. Yet he did not worship material things or rely on wealth. He was kind and charitable, generously helping those in need and often giving clothes to those who lacked them. Everyone respected him.
At the time, the Israelites had begun worshipping foreign idols such as the sun, moon, and stars, while Job remained faithful to Jehovah. So Satan made a wager with Jehovah. Satan said to Jehovah, "Job fears you because you have blessed him. No one on earth lives a more fortunate life than he does. If you destroy everything he has, he will surely betray you."
Jehovah said, "Very well. I place everything he has in your