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"As Americans, we really didn't get the current stick up our collective butts until the Victorian era."

I don't know, Cotton Mather, who vowed to "never use but one grain of patience with any man that shall go to impose upon me a Denial of Devils, or of Witches," was hanging witches in the 17th century.

I think Puritanism is deep within American roots. "Political correctness" is, IMO, the leftist manifestation of Puritanism.

Well, technically, the Puritans were not Americans yet.

I never did like the Puritans.

They only came here because they couldn't get along with anyone else, and after having tried to force their brand of religion down the throats of their neighbors.

I had an ancestor on my dad's side who was involved in the whole witchcraft mess.

She was accused of witchery because she could make an apple-dumpling while leaving the apple whole inside.

( I suspect someone really wanted to confiscate her family's property)

She got off by inviting the "Questioners" into her home, and making a batch of dumplings for them..

Sadly, there were 19 other people who were not so fortunate as my ancestor.

18 people were hanged, and one man was pressed to death under a pile of rock for bogus witchery by fanatics on the hearsay of a pack of teenage girls with not enough to do.

Religion was used to justify it.

ANY religious fanatic is potentially dangerous.

Even the Christian ones.