Blasphemy

Blasphemy is irreverence toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs. The Abrahamic religions condemn blasphemy vehemently. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy. Those laws may discourage blasphemy as a matter of blasphemous libel , vilification of religion , religious insult , or hate speech . The idea of blasphemy makes the word amenable to colloquial usage. CDL-AD(2008)026 See Blasphemy law and Hate speech .

Sufi teacher Mansur Al-Hallaj was executed in Baghdad for blasphemy in 10th century CE. Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God , to religious or holy persons or things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider blasphemy as a religious crime. As of 2012, anti-blasphemy laws existed in 32 countries, while 87 nations had hate speech laws that covered defamation of religion and public expression of hate against a religious group. Anti-blasphemy laws are particularly common in Muslim-majority nations, such as those in the Middle East and North Africa. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God. Blasphemy Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy 2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable Blasphemies , in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed, 1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine. 2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful Blasphemy Divide: Insults to Religion Remain a Capital Crime in Muslim Lands The Wall Street Journal (January 8, 2015) Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread Pew Research (November 21, 2012)

Insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for a religious deity or sacred person or thing Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity , or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable . Some religions consider blasphemy to be a religious crime. As of 2012, anti-blasphemy laws existed in 32 countries, while 87 nations had hate speech laws that covered defamation of religion and public expression of hate against a religious group. Anti-blasphemy laws are particularly common in Muslim-majority nations, such as those in the Middle East and North Africa, although they are also present in some Asian and European countries. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God. Blasphemy Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy 2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable Blasphemies , in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed, 1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine. 2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful Blasphemy Divide: Insults to Religion Remain a Capital Crime in Muslim Lands The Wall Street Journal (8 January 2015) Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread Pew Research (21 November 2012)

Act of insulting of religion Not to be confused with Heresy . Blasphemy , as defined in some religions or religion-based laws, is an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning a deity , an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable . Some religions regard blasphemy as a religious crime, especially the Islam including insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, speaking the " sacred name " in Judaism, and the " eternal sin " in Christianity. In the early history of the Church, blasphemy "was considered to show active disrespect to God and to involve the use of profane cursing or mockery of his powers". In the medieval world, those who committed blasphemy were seen as needing discipline. By the 17th century, several historically Christian countries had legislation against blasphemy. Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008, and in Ireland in 2020. Scotland repealed its blasphemy laws in 2021. Many other countries have abolished blasphemy laws including Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland, Norway and New Zealand. As of 2019 , 40 percent of the world's countries still had blasphemy laws on the books, including 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa , or 90% of countries in that region. Dharmic religions , such as Hinduism , Buddhism and Jainism , have no concept of blasphemy and hence prescribe no punishment. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God. Blasphemy Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy 2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable Blasphemies , in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed, 1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine. 2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful Karesh, Sara; Hurvitz, Mitchell (2006). It is considered blasphemy to utter God's personal names...Interestingly, this prohibition has crept into the practice of writing God's name in English. Many Jews will choose to write "G-d" instead of "God" to avoid blasphemy. The Didache cites Mark 3:28-29 and implicitly defines blaspheming the holy spirit as testing or examining a prophet who is speaking in the spirit (11:7). This is the sin that cannot be forgiven, though other sins can be resolved through repentance. Epiphanius, in his discussion of the heretics he calls the Alogi, says they have committed the unforgivable sin. Because they reject the Gospel of John, which was inspired by the holy spirit, their teaching is therefore contrary to what the spirit has said and liable to the penalty imposed by Jesus' saying. Blasphemy in the Christian World .

Act of insulting of religion Not to be confused with Heresy . Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning a deity , an object considered sacred , or something considered inviolable . Some religions, especially Abrahamic ones, regard blasphemy as a crime, including insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, speaking the sacred name in Judaism, and blasphemy of God's Holy Spirit is an eternal sin in Christianity. It was also a crime under English common law , and it is still a crime under Italian law (Art. 724 del Codice Penale). In the early history of the Church, blasphemy "was considered to show active disrespect to God and to involve the use of profane cursing or mockery of his powers". In the medieval world, those who committed blasphemy were seen as needing discipline. By the 17th century, several historically Christian countries had legislation against blasphemy . Blasphemy was proscribed speech in the U.S. until well into the 20th century. Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008, and in Ireland in 2020 . Scotland repealed its blasphemy laws in 2021. Many other countries have abolished blasphemy laws including Denmark , the Netherlands , Iceland , Norway and New Zealand . As of 2019 , 40 percent of the world's countries still had blasphemy laws on the books, including 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa , or 90% of countries in that region. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God. Blasphemy Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy 2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable Blasphemies , in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed, 1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine. 2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful Karesh, Sara; Hurvitz, Mitchell (2006). It is considered blasphemy to utter God's personal names...Interestingly, this prohibition has crept into the practice of writing God's name in English. Many Jews will choose to write "G-d" instead of "God" to avoid blasphemy. The Didache cites Mark 3:28-29 and implicitly defines blaspheming the holy spirit as testing or examining a prophet who is speaking in the spirit (11:7). This is the sin that cannot be forgiven, though other sins can be resolved through repentance. Epiphanius, in his discussion of the heretics he calls the Alogi, says they have committed the unforgivable sin. Because they reject the Gospel of John, which was inspired by the holy spirit, their teaching is therefore contrary to what the spirit has said and liable to the penalty imposed by Jesus' saying. Until well into the twentieth century, American law recognized blasphemy as proscribable speech. The blackletter rule was clear. Constitutional liberty entailed a right to articulate views on religion, but not a right to commit blasphemy — the offense of "maliciously reviling God", which encompassed "profane ridicule of Christ". The English common law had punished blasphemy as a crime, while excluding "disputes between learned men upon particular controverted points" from the scope of criminal blasphemy. Looking to this precedent, nineteenth-century American appellate courts consistently upheld proscriptions on blasphemy, drawing a line between punishable blasphemy and protected religious speech. Blasphemy in the Christian World .