The term 'Burning Times' is historically given to the period from the early 15th century to the late part of 18th century. During this period Western history is filled with the bloody witch hunts, when witches were murdered by various methods such as hanging and burning at the stake. Confessions mainly being the result of extensive torture, and females being mainly the victims of the witch courts, although there were some male victims and sometimes even children. Somewhere in the region of half a million people died during this period, facing the most horrifically brutal and sadistic torture before death, making this one of the foulest periods of the Western Civilisation.

To be accused of being a witch one merely only had to be different, and indeed while many pagans view this period as an attack upon paganism, it is probable that just as many Christians found themselves facing trial for being a witch.

Not all witches were burned at the stake, different countries had their own preferred methods of execution. In Scotland, France and Germany witches were normally strangled first before burning. In England and the American colonies witches were normally hung. It is still true that many witches were burned alive. The idea for the cruel act of burning witches alive is generally attributed to Saint Augustion (354-430) who said that pagans, Jews and heretics would burn forever in the eternal fire with the devil unless saved by the Catholic Church. Of course witches were classed as heretics and many were also accused of being servants of the Devil.

Witch lynching and burning did in fact continued into the late 19th century in England, Latin America and the rest of Europe. although there are no reliable accounts of the exact numbers.