Christianity
Christian theology condemns blasphemy. It is spoken of in Mark 3:29, where blaspheming the Holy Spirit is spoken of as unforgivable—an eternal sin. However, there is dispute over what form this blasphemy may take and whether it qualifies as blasphemy in the conventional sense; and over the meaning of "unforgivable". In 2 Kings 18, the Rabshakeh gave the word from the king of Assyria, [clarification needed]
dissuading trust in the Lord, asserting that God is no more able to deliver than all the gods of the land.
In Matthew 9:2–3 , Jesus told a paralytic "your sins are forgiven" and was accused of blasphemy.
Blasphemy has been condemned as a serious sin by the major creeds and Church theologians (apostasy and infidelity [unbelief] were generally considered to be the gravest sins, with heresy a greater sin than blasphemy, cf. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae). [26]
Thomas Aquinas says that “[if] we compare murder and blasphemy as regards the objects of those sins, it is clear that blasphemy, which is a sin committed directly against God, is more grave than murder, which is a sin against one's neighbor. On the other hand, if we compare them in respect of the harm wrought by them, murder is the graver sin, for murder does more harm to one's neighbor, than blasphemy does to God.” [27]
The Book of Concord calls blasphemy “the greatest sin that can be outwardly committed”. [28]
The Baptist Confession of Faith says: “Therefore, to swear vainly or rashly by the glorious and awesome name of God…is sinful, and to be regarded with disgust and detestation. …For by rash, false, and vain oaths, the Lord is provoked and because of them this land mourns.” [29]
The Heidelberg Catechism answers question 100 about blasphemy by stating that “no sin is greater or provokes God's wrath more than the blaspheming of His Name”. [30]
The Westminster Larger Catechism explains that “The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane...mentioning...by blasphemy...to profane jests, ...vain janglings, ...to charms or sinful lusts and practices.” [31]
Calvin found it intolerable “when a person is accused of blasphemy, to lay the blame on the ebullition of passion, as if God were to endure the penalty whenever we are provoked.” [32]
Catholic prayers and reparations for blasphemy
In the Catholic Church, there are specific prayers and devotions as Acts of Reparation for blasphemy. [33] For instance, The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844 is recited "in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy". This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. [34] The Raccoltabook includes a number of such prayers. [35] The Five First Saturdays devotions are done with the intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.
The Holy See has specific "Pontifical organizations" for the purpose of the reparation of blasphemy through Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ, e.g. the Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face. [36]
Punishment
The most common punishment for blasphemers was capital punishment through hanging or stoning, justified by the words of Leviticus 24:13–16 .
The last person hanged for blasphemy in Great Britain was Thomas Aikenhead aged 20, in Scotland in 1697. He was prosecuted for denying the veracity of the Old Testament and the legitimacy of Christ's miracles. [37]
In England, under common law, blasphemy came to be punishable by fine, imprisonment or corporal punishment. Blackstone, in his commentaries, described the offence as,
Blasphemy (and blasphemous libel) remained a criminal offence in England & Wales until 2008. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this meant that promoting atheism could be a crime and was vigorously prosecuted. [39] It was last successfully prosecuted in the case of Whitehouse v Lemon (1977), where the defendant was fined £500 and given a nine-month suspended prison sentence (the publisher was also fined £1,000). It ended with the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 which abolished the common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel.
Disputation of Paris
During the Middle Ages a series of debates on Judaism were staged by the Roman Catholic – including the Disputation of Paris (1240), the Disputation of Barcelona (1263), and Disputation of Tortosa (1413–14)- and during those disputations, Jewish converts to Christianity, such as Nicholas Donin (in Paris) and Pablo Christiani (in Barcelona) claimed the Talmud contained insulting references to Jesus. [40][41][42]
The Disputation of Paris, also known as the Trial of the Talmud, took place in 1240 at the court of the reigning king of France, Louis IX (St. Louis). It followed the work of Nicholas Donin, a Jewish convert to Christianity, who translated the Talmud and pressed 35 charges against it to Pope Gregory IX by quoting a series of alleged blasphemous passages about Jesus, Mary or Christianity. [43] Four rabbis defended the Talmud against Donin's accusations. A commission of Christian theologians condemned the Talmud to be burned and on June 17, 1244, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were set on fire in the streets of Paris. [44][45] The translation of the Talmud from Hebrew to non-Jewish languages stripped Jewish discourse from its covering, something that was resented by Jews as a profound violation. [46]
Between 1239 and 1775 the Roman Catholic Church at various times either forced the censoring of parts of the Talmud that were theologically problematic or the destruction of copies of the Talmud. [47]
Hinduism
In Manusmriti 11.56, if a Hindu forgets, rejects or criticizes his/her Dharma (duty) or Veda that they believe in, it is a sin according to Hinduism. It is said to be equivalent to committing one of the five grave sins or the Maha Patkas in Hinduism [48] If a person commits any of the Maha Patkas, the sin shall never leave them until their death, ultimately leading them to temporary hell but in the end Moksha. [49]
Islam
Sufi teacher Mansur Al-Hallaj was executed in Baghdad amid political intrigue and charges of blasphemy in 922. [50]
Main article: Islam and blasphemy
Blasphemy in Islam is impious utterance or action concerning God, Muhammad or anything considered sacred in Islam. [51][52] The Quran admonishes blasphemy, but does not specify any worldly punishment for blasphemy. [53] The hadiths, which are another source of Sharia, suggest various punishments for blasphemy, which may include death. [53][54]
However, it has been argued that the death penalty applies only to cases where there is treason involved that may seriously harm the Muslim community, especially during times of war. [55] Different traditional schools of jurisprudence prescribe different punishment for blasphemy, depending on whether the blasphemer is Muslim or non-Muslim, a man or a woman. [53] In the modern Muslim world, the laws pertaining to blasphemy vary by county, and some countries prescribe punishments consisting of fines, imprisonment, flogging, hanging, or beheading. [56] Blasphemy laws were rarely enforced in pre-modern Islamic societies, but in the modern era some states and radical groups have used charges of blasphemy in an effort to burnish their religious credentials and gain popular support at the expense of liberal Muslim intellectuals and religious minorities. [57] In recent years, accusations of blasphemy against Islam have sparked international controversies and played part in incidents of mob violence and assassinations of prominent figures.
Judaism
See also: List of capital crimes in the Torah
Nathan confronts David over his sex scandal with Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite, saying "by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme" (2 Samuel 12:14)
In Leviticus 24:16 the punishment for blasphemy is death. In Jewish law the only form of blasphemy which is punishable by death is blaspheming the name of the Lord. [58]
The Seven Laws of Noah, which Judaism sees as applicable to all people, prohibit blasphemy. [59]
In one of the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, called the Damascus Document, violence against non-Jews (also called Gentiles) is prohibited, except in cases where it is sanctioned by a Jewish governing authority “so that they will not blaspheme.” [60]
Sikhism
Sikhism's holy scripture does not provide ordinations and canonical punishments but is written in the form of poetic aphorisms. [61]
According to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib 1st (832/5/2708), [62]
In the Guru Granth Sahib, Page 1381-70-71, [63]
In the Guru Granth Sahib, page 89-2, [64]
Further In the Guru Granth Sahib page 719, [65]
It would be erroneous to deduce prescriptions for blasphemy in a strict canonical sense from the Guru Granth Sahib as it is written in Shabad of 2, 6, 8, 16 sections/parts called Padas, Slokas which are short compositions of two or more verses, and Pauri which are a rung of a ladder or steps and hence the essence behind must be constructed from the preceding and following verses. [66] Blasphemy is considered as the submission to the vanity of the Five inner thieves and especially excessive egoistical pride. [67]
The United Nations
Main article: Blasphemy and the United Nations
In the early 21st century, blasphemy became an issue in the United Nations. The United Nations passed several resolutions which called upon the world to take action against the "defamation of religions". [68]
The campaign for worldwide criminal penalties for the "defamation of religions" had been spearheaded by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on behalf of the United Nations' large Muslim bloc. The campaign ended in 2011 when the proposal was withdrawn in Geneva, in the Human Rights Council because of lack of support, marking an end to the effort to establish worldwide blasphemy strictures along the lines of those in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. This resolution had passed every year since 1999, in the United Nations, with declining number of "yes" votes with each successive year. [69]
In July, 2011, the UN Human Rights Committee released a 52-paragraph statement, General Comment 34 on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1976, concerning freedoms of opinion and expression. [70] Paragraph 48 states:
Colloquial usage
Blasphemy has been used to mean "irreverence" in a non-religious context. Sir Francis Bacon uses "blasphemy" in this way in Advancement of Learning, where he speaks of "blasphemy against teaching".
The word "blasphemy" may be used as a substitute for "profanity" or "cursing" as it is used in this sentence: "With much hammering and blasphemy, the locomotive's replacement spring was finally fitted."
In contemporary language, the notion of blasphemy is often used hyperbolically. This usage has garnered some interest among linguists recently, and the word 'blasphemy' is a common case used for illustrative purposes. [71]
Blasphemy Day
International Blasphemy Day encourages individuals and groups to openly express criticism of religion and blasphemy laws. It was founded in 2009 by the Center for Inquiry. [72] A student contacted the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York to present the idea, which CFI then supported. Ronald Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, said, regarding Blasphemy Day, "[W]e think religious beliefs should be subject to examination and criticism just as political beliefs are, but we have a taboo on religion", in an interview with CNN. [73]
Events worldwide on the first annual Blasphemy Day in 2009 included an art exhibit in Washington, D.C. and a free speech festival in Los Angeles. [74]
See also
Apostasy
Blasphemy law
Blasphemous libel
Heresy
Impiety
Irreligion
Minced oath
Profanity
Gerard Reve
Sacrilege
Category
😛eople executed for blasphemy References
1. ^ Miriam Díez Bosch and Jordi Sànchez Torrents (2015). On blasphemy. Barcelona: Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture. ISBN 978-84-941193-3-0.
2. ^ "Blasphemy" . Random House Dictionary. Retrieved 12 January 2015. "Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God."
3. ^ Blasphemy Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy 2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Blasphemy Divide: Insults to Religion Remain a Capital Crime in Muslim Lands The Wall Street Journal (January 8, 2015)
6. ^ a b c d Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread Pew Research (November 21, 2012)
7. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary –Blasphemy" . Etymonline.com. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
8. ^ (from Easton's Bible Dictionary) Romans.2:24 – Revelation.13:1, 6; Rev.16:9, 11, 21 – 1Kings.21:10; Acts.13:45; Acts.18:6
9. ^ a b "Denmark still largely in support of 'blasphemy' law" . IceNews. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2016. "A recent survey has shown that Danish citizens still largely back the country's 'blasphemy' law. The law, which makes it illegal to "mock legal religions and faiths in Denmark", is supported by around 66 per cent of Danish voters, according to a recent survey conducted by the liberal group CEPOS. Speaking about the report, religious expert Tim Jensen from the University of Southern Denmark said, "Danes may see the blasphemy law as helping integration because it promotes the acceptance of a multicultural and multi-faith society. But it can also be problematic if it reflects a belief that the feelings of religious people have a special status and require special protection," the Berlingske news agency reports."
10. ^ Scolnicov, Anat (18 October 2010). The Right to Religious Freedom in International Law: Between Group Rights and Individual Rights. Routledge. p. 261. ISBN 9781136907050. "A different argument for the retention of the offence of blasphemy (and for its extension to the protection of all religions in the UK [the offence protected only the majority religion]) has been offered by Parekh: a majority religion does not need the protection offered by an offence of blasphemy, but minority religions do because of their vulnerability in the face of the majority."
11. ^ a b "Danes overwhelmingly support their own blasphemy law" . The Copenhagen Post. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2016. "Denmark's own blasphemy law makes it an offence to "mock legal religions and faiths in Denmark", and according to a study carried out on behalf of the liberal think-tank CEPOS, 66 per cent of the 1,000 Danes questioned answered that the law should not be repealed."
12. ^ Bad-mouthing: Pakistan’s blasphemy laws legitimise intolerance The Economist (November 29, 2014)
13. ^ Sources of claims: World of Intolerance Archived 19 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine Religious Watch. Retrieved 5 October 2011
United Nations will violate Human Rights International Humanist and Ethical Union. Retrieved 5 October 2011
"Muslim scholar says Scrap blasphemy laws" . Herald Malaysia Online. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom May 2009 (Pakistan, etc.). Retrieved 5 October 2011
A call upon states to work toward abolishing the juvenile death penalty U.N. January 1999. Retrieved 5 October 2011
Indonesia – Amnesty International Report 2009 Archived 21 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine Amnesty International. Retrieved 5 October 2011
14. ^ a b Denmark scraps 334-year-old blasphemy law 2 June 2017 the Guardian
15. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (27 October 2018). "Ireland votes to oust 'medieval' blasphemy law" . The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
16. ^ "Spain country profile" . End Blasphemy Laws. International Humanist and Ethical Union. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
17. ^ See Blasphemy law
18. ^ Kerr, ine (9 July 2009). "Libel and blasphemy bill passed by the Dail" . The Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
19. ^ "Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 –Sect 124A: Vilification on grounds of race, religion, sexuality or gender identity unlawful" . Austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
20. ^ "Victoria Police – Racial and religious vilification" . Police.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
21. ^ "European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), Report on the relationship between freedom of expression and freedom of religion: the issue of regulation and prosecution of blasphemy, religious insult and incitement to religious hatred, 17–18 October 2008, Doc. No. CDL-AD(2008)026" . Merlin.obs.coe.int. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
22. ^ See Blasphemy law and Hate speech.
23. ^ "IHEU 'frustrated', as European Court fails to overturn 'blasphemy' conviction in Austria" . International Humanist and Ethical Union. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
24. ^ "European Court of Human Rights rules that Austria can keep its blasphemy law" . Humanists UK. 29 October 2018.
25. ^ Cottee, Simon (31 October 2018). "A Flawed European Ruling on Free Speech" . The Atlantic. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
26. ^ ST II-II q10a3, q11a3, q12. Q11A3: "With regard to heretics two points must be observed: one, on their own side; the other, on the side of the Church. On their own side there is the sin, whereby they deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death. For it is a much graver matter to corrupt the faith which quickens the soul, than to forge money, which supports temporal life. Wherefore if forgers of money and other evil-doers are forthwith condemned to death by the secular authority, much more reason is there for heretics, as soon as they are convicted of heresy, to be not only excommunicated but even put to death."
27. ^ Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica 2:2, q. 13.
28. ^ The Book of Concord The Large Catechism, §55.
29. ^ The Baptist Confession of Faith Archived 7 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine Ch. 23, §2–3.
30. ^ The Heidelberg Catechism Archived 13 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine Q. 100.
31. ^ Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 113.
32. ^ Jean Calvin: Harmony of the Law vol. 4. Lev. 24:10.
33. ^ Act of Reparation for Blasphemies Uttered Against the Holy Name, Righting Wrongs Through Prayer By Scott P. Richert, About.com
34. ^ * Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2
35. ^ Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 The Raccolta, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9
36. ^ Letter for 50th anniversary of the Benedictine Sisters of Reparation of the Holy Face, 2000 Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Vatican archives
37. ^ "Thomas Aikenhead" . 5.uua.org. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
38. ^ The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol III, (1847), London, Charles Knight, p.412.
39. ^ Owen Chadwick, The Victorian Church: Vol 1 1829-1859 (1966) pp 487-89.
40. ^ Carroll, James, Constantine's sword: the church and the Jews : a history, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002
41. ^ Seidman, Naomi, Faithful renderings: Jewish-Christian difference and the politics of translation, University of Chicago Press, 2006 p 137
42. ^ Cohn-Sherbok, Dan, Judaism and other faiths, Palgrave Macmillan, 1994, p 48
43. ^ Naomi Seidman, Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation, pp. 136–138
44. ^ Rodkinson, Michael Levi (1918). The history of the Talmud, from the time of its formation, about 200 B. C. Talmud Society. pp. 66–75.
45. ^ Maccoby, Hyam (1982). Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages. Associated University Presses.
46. ^ Naomi Seidman, Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation, pp. 136–38
47. ^ Jonathon Green, Nicholas J. Karolides (2009). Encyclopedia of Censorship . Infobase Publishing. p. 110. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
48. ^
www.wisdomlib.org. "Manusmriti Verse 11.56" .
www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
49. ^ "The Concept of Sin in Hinduism -TemplePurohit - Your Spiritual Destination | Bhakti, Shraddha Aur Ashirwad" . TemplePurohit - Your Spiritual Destination | Bhakti, Shraddha Aur Ashirwad. 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
50. ^ Avery, Kenneth (2004). Psychology of Early Sufi Sama: Listening and Altered States. Routledge. p. 3. ISBN 978-0415311069.
51. ^ "Blasphemy " at dictionary.com
52. ^ Wiederhold, Lutz. "Blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad and his companions (sabb al-rasul, sabb al-sahabah): The introduction of the topic into shafi'i legal literature and its relevance for legal practice under Mamluk rule". Journal of semitic studies 42.1 (1997): 39–70.
53. ^ a b c Saeed, Abdullah; Saeed, Hassan (2004). Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam . Burlington VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. pp. 38–39. ISBN 978-0-7546-3083-8.
54. ^ Siraj Khan. Blasphemy against the Prophet, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture (ed: Coeli Fitzpatrick Ph.D., Adam Hani Walker). ISBN 978-1610691772, pp. 59–67.
55. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
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http://globalsikhstudies.net/r_link/articles.htm/ Concepts In Sikhism –Edited by Dr. Surinder Singh Sodhi
68. ^ U.N. Resolutions: A/RES/60/150
Vote on 16 December 2005 (A/60/PV.64)
69. ^ An Anti-Blasphemy Measure Laid to Rest Nina Shea, National Review (March 31, 2011)
70. ^ General Comment 34
71. ^ Recanati, F. (1995) The alleged priority of literal interpretation. Cognitive Science 19: 207–32.
Carston, R. (1997) Enrichment and loosening: complementary processes in deriving the proposition expressed? Linguistische Berichte 8: 103–27. Carston, R. (2000). Explicature and semantics. UCL Working Papers in Linguistics 12: 1–44. Revised version to appear in Davis & Gillon (forthcoming). Sperber, D. & D. Wilson (1998) The mapping between the mental and the public lexicon. In Carruthers & Boucher (1998: 184–200). Glucksberg, S. (2001) Understanding Figurative Language: From Metaphors to Idioms. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wilson, D. & D. Sperber (2002) Truthfulness and relevance. Mind 111: 583–632.
72. ^ "Penn Jillette Celebrates Blasphemy Day in "Penn Says" " . Center for Inquiry. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
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Further reading
Maledicta: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression (ISSN US 0363-3659)
Levy, L. Blasphemy. Chapel Hill, 1993.
Comprehensive academic study comparing global legal approaches to blasphemy in light of the Jyllands-Posten controversy
Dartevelle, P., S Borg, Denis, Ph., Robyn, J. (eds.). Blasphèmes et libertés. Paris: CERF, 1993
Plate, S. Brent Blasphemy: Art that Offends (London: Black Dog Publishing, 2006) ISBN 1904772536 External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blasphemy.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Blasphemy
The Rational Response Squad: The Blasphemy Challenge
A More4 news film report on how insulting the prophet Mohammed in Pakistan is a capital offence, and defiling the Koran carries life imprisonment .
review of laws relating to blasphemy and sacrilege in various jurisdictions
John Webster Melody (1913). "Blasphemy" . In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Jewish Encyclopedia – Blasphemy
"Blasphemy" . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
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Blasphemy
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.