Today we do a deep dive on the history of witchcraft. What is witchcraft? How does it differ from organized religion? Why did burning witches ever become a thing, and do witch hunts still occur in the modern world? Why do so many of us have such a strong and irrational fear of people we just don't understand? Going back to some of the earliest written words of Western Civilization, we learn today that a belief in magic and a fear of those who practice it in ways different than we do has fascinated and frightened humans since the very beginning of civilization.  Fear of "the other" led not only to a fear of "witchcraft," but to massive witch hunts, torture, and thousands of people being burned alive. What "others" do we witch hunt today? All of this and more on what immediately became one of my favorite episodes.  Wet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camp tickets are ON SALE! BadMagicMerch.com Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv  Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch.com Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/Pv2A6MrsOBIDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :) For all merch related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste) Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits!