People have always been intrigued about the unknown. To say intrigued is, perhaps, an understatement. It would be more fitting to say that people ‘fear’ the unknown. In fact, they fear it so much that they have tried to look for ways, both scientific and supernatural, to predict and determine what can happen what will happen.

This is the reason why psychics have flourished since time immemorial. Pagans believed in the existence of oracles – magical beings who know things ordinary people do not. They believe that these psychics possess certain powers endowed to them by gods and spirits. As such, only those who serve in the temples and altars are considered to be psychics.

Even with more civilized religions such as Christianity, belief in psychics is common. Christian psychics are thought to be very reliable since they are gifted by the real God. Of course, early Christians believed that only a few are endowed with such gifts, so they revere anyone with the power to see what the normal eyes can see.

Christian psychics were very useful, indeed, in the 15^th century until the 20^th century. The Holy Roman Empire, the bastion of Roman Catholicism, required their services for a variety of purposes. Among their most important of their uses is the judgment of the weaknesses of the enemies of the church. During the Crusades’ campaigns, Christian psychics assessed the well-being of the Turks, as well as their chances of defeat or victory.

However, Christian psychics were most used horrifically during the Inquisition. The Inquisition was a brief period where the Church hunted heretics and witches. These people, according to church authorities then, looked and behaved normal. But at night, when everybody else is off guard, they would transform physically to terrorize an entire community by bringing about unexpected deaths and strange and deadly diseases. Of course, not everyone can recognize a witch.

This is where Christian psychics come to work. Because of their inherent mental powers given to them by God, they were able to recognize accurately who among the populace ‘worked for the devil.’

The Church and its followers had so much faith in them that they instantly killed anybody who was recognized as a witch by the Christian psychics. And, because it was physically impossible to kill with devilish powers, they burned them to death.

Eventually, they started to have courts to make things more humane and more fair — supposedly. But still, the decisions were made by the psychics. The suspected witches were made to defend themselves. Of course, because of the Christian psychics, they weren’t really believed.

In the 18^th century, the witch hunts by the Church were finally considered as a big sham. The supposedly honest psychics took a hit, too, but people still looked up to them. Psychics were still consulted with things that were impossible to understand and puzzles that couldn’t be solved.

Science, however, remained sceptical of the psychics and their gifts. For them, it is a question that remains unanswered.