MFE bi a atwam no, na Europefoɔ suro abayifoɔ paa enti na wɔhwehwɛ wɔn kum wɔn. Aman a na wɔagye agyinam paa ne France, Germany, Italy atifi fam, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, ne Netherlands. Nwoma bi kae sɛ: “Nnipa mpempem pii wuu wɔ Europe ne aman a na ɛhyɛ Europe ase no mu” na “mpempem pii nso, wɔyɛɛ wɔn aniɛyaadeɛ, wɔkyekyee wɔn, wɔbisabisaa wɔn nsɛm pii, wɔtan wɔn buu wɔn fɔ anaa wɔhunahunaa wɔn.” (Witch Hunts in the Western World) * Ɛyɛɛ dɛn na weinom nyinaa bae? Na dɛn na ɛsosoo gya guu mu?

Asɔre no kɔɔto na ɛgyee asɛm yi gyinaa mu paa. Roma Katolek Asɔre no na ɛtee saa kɔɔto no bɛyɛ afe 1201 kosi 1300 mu hɔ baabi. Sɛnea nwoma bi kyerɛ no, adwene a wɔde tee ne sɛ “wɔbɛma awaefoɔ asan aba asɔre no mu na wɔahwɛ sɛ obiara nso mfiri mu.” Enti saa kɔɔto no bɛyɛɛ sɛ asɔre no polisi.—Der Hexenwahn (Abayikyere).

December 5, afe 1484 na Pope Innocent a ɔtɔ so 8 de krataa bi too dwa de baraa abayisɛm. Afei nso ɔmaa Jakob Sprenger ne Heinrich Kramer (ne Latin din ne Henricus Institoris) tumi sɛ wɔnhwɛ ntu asɛe. Mmarima mmienu no kaa wɔn ntoma bɔɔ ano kyerɛw nwoma, na edin a wɔde too so ne Malleus Maleficarum. Ne Borɔfo ne The Hammer of Witches (Abayifoɔ Abaa). Katolekfoɔ ne Protestantfoɔ faa nwoma sɛ biribi a wɔde bɛtwe abayifoɔ aso. Abayifoɔ ho anansesɛm na na ɛwɔ nwoma no mu. Nwoma de too dwa sɛ, wohwɛ mmara mu ne Bible mu a, ne nyinaa kasa tia abayisɛm, na ɛkyerɛɛ nea wɔde  behu abayifoɔ ayi wɔn afi hɔ. The Hammer of Witches no, wɔka ho asɛm sɛ, “nwoma a ɛwɔ wiase nyinaa, . . .  ɛno ne nwoma bɔne a edi awu sen nwoma biara.”

Ná wɔbɔ nkurɔfo bayie kɛkɛ. Nwoma bi kae sɛ, “sɛ wɔnya sɔ obi mu a, wɔtumi dɛfɛdɛfɛ no anaasɛ wɔhyɛ no ma ɔka n’anom asɛm.” Wɔteetee nnipa kɛkɛ.—Hexen und Hexenprozesse (Abayifoɔ ne Abayifoɔ Asɛnni).

The Hammer of Witches nwoma no ne krataa a Pope Innocent a ɔtɔ so 8 de too dwa no nti, nkurɔfo kyin hwehwɛɛ abayifoɔ wɔ Europe. Nea ɛsɛee asɛm no koraa ne mfidie a wɔde tintim nwoma a ɛbaa so. Mfidie no boaa wɔn maa abayifoɔ kyere no kɔɔ akyiri kɔfaa Atlantic kɔɔ Amerika nyinaa.

Wɔn a wɔbɔɔ wɔn bayie no dodow no ara yɛ mmaa, ɛnkanka akunafoɔ a wɔnni kamafoɔ biara. Wɔn a wɔtuu wɔn ani sii wɔn so paa ne ahiafoɔ, nkwakoraa ne mmerewa, ne mmaa a wɔyɛ abibiduro; sɛ aduro no anyɛ yiye a, ɛnneɛ na asɛm no aseɛ koraa. Asikafoɔ ne ahiafoɔ, mmaa ne mmarima, anuonyamfo ne awiɛmfoɔ nyinaa, wɔbɔɔ wɔn bayie.

Biribi bɔne biara si a, na wɔde ahyɛ wɔn a wɔseɛ sɛ wɔyɛ abayifoɔ no. Germanfo nwoma bi kae sɛ, “sɛ ɛbɔ si na nwa ne osã sɛe nnɔbae ne nnuaba wɔ asase so” a, na wɔde ahyɛ abayifoɔ. (Damals) Sɛ asukɔtweaa sɛe obi afuo, sɛ nantwie annya nufusuo, sɛ ɔbarima ho nni hɔ anaa ɔbaa nwo a, nea wɔka ara ne sɛ, ɛfiri abayifoɔ!

Dɛn na na wɔde hu sɛ obi yɛ bayifoɔ? Sɛ wɔde wɔn ani bu sɛ obi yɛ bayifoɔ a, wɔkyekyere no de no to “nhyira” nsuo nwununwunu bi mu. Sɛ ɔkɔ aseɛ a, ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɔnyɛ bayifoɔ, enti wɔyi no ma ɔkɔ ne baabi. Sɛ ɔtɛ ani deɛ a, ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɔyɛ bayifoɔ, enti ɛhɔ ara na wɔaku no. Sɛ wɔanku no a, na wɔde no kɔ akodi n’asɛm. Ebinom nso wɔ hɔ a, wɔde wɔn to nsenia so kari wɔn, efisɛ na wɔwɔ gyidie bi sɛ abayifoɔ mu nyɛ duru.

Nwoma bi kae sɛ adeɛ baako nso a na wɔde kyere abayifoɔ ne “Ɔbonsam ahyɛnsode.” Wɔkyerɛ sɛ “ɛyɛ biribi a Ɔbonsam de hyɛ abayifoɔ nso.” Mpanimfoɔ bɛworɔ wo ho “ayi wo ho nwi nyinaa ahwehwɛ wo ho” apɛ saa ahyɛnsode no wɔ badwam! (Witch Hunts in the Western World). Afei, etwã anaa ɛfoa a wobehu biara no, wɔde paneɛ bɛwɔ mu. Sɛ anyɛ wo ya anaa mogya amma a, wɔbu no sɛ Satan ahyɛnsodeɛ.

Aman a na Katolek ne Protestantfo di so nyinaa gyee abayikyere no taa wɔn ani ase, na baabi mpo deɛ na Protestantfo no kyɛn Katolekfo no. Ɛyɛɛ kakra no, afei deɛ na wɔrete asɛm ase. Wohwɛ afe 1631 sei a, Jesuit sɔfo Friedrich Spee a na wɔatwe nkurɔfo pii kɔ sɛ wɔyɛ abayifoɔ nti wɔnkyekyere wɔn mfam dua ho nhye wɔn no, akyire yi ɔkyerɛwee sɛ ɔgye di sɛ na obiara nyɛ bayifoɔ. Enti ɔka kyerɛɛ ne nkurɔfo no sɛ, sɛ wɔanhwɛ annyae abayikyere no a, ɛrenka anomaa koraa wɔ ɔman no mu! Saa bere no nso, adɔkotafoɔ hui sɛ, etwirɛ yɛ yare paa, na ɛnyɛ abonsamyareɛ. Efi afe 1601 rekɔ no, na abayifoɔ a wɔdi wɔn asɛm no rekɔ fam; eduu afe 1700 deɛ na ɛho biribiara agyae.

Dɛn na yesua firi saa amumuyɛ bere no mu? Asuade baako paa nie: Wɔn a wɔseɛ sɛ wɔyɛ Kristofo no, sɛ wɔkyinkyim Yesu Kristo nkyerɛkyerɛ a ɛyɛ nokware no de nkyerɛkyerɛ a ɛnyɛ nokware si anan a, ɛma wɔdi bɔne bebree. Animguase a saa asɔre mpanimfoɔ no de aba Kristosom so nti, Bible ka too hɔ sɛ: “Wɔbɛka nokware kwan no ho asɛmmɔne.”—2 Petro 2:1, 2.