Ireland Passes Blasphemy Law
Last week Ireland passed a blasphemy law — anyone who utters or publishes “blasphemy” is now guilty of a criminal offense. Here’s an excerpt from the law:
Section 36
(1) A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000. [Amended to €25,000]
(2) For the purposes of this section, a person publishes or utters blasphemous matter if (a) he or she publishes or utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion, and (b) he or she intends, by the publication or utterance of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.
Section 37
(1) Where a person is convicted of an offence under section 36, the court may issue a warrant (a) authorising any member of the Garda Siochana [police] to enter (if necessary by the use of reasonable force) at all reasonable times any premises (including a dwelling) at which he or she has reasonable grounds for believing that copies of the statement to which the offence related are to be found, and to search those premises and seize and remove all copies of the statement found therein, (b) directing the seizure and removal by any member of the Garda Siochana of all copies of the statement to which the offence related that are in the possession of any person, specifying the manner in which copies so seized and removed shall be detained and stored by the Garda Siochana.
You know what’s blasphemy in my religion? Not being able to blasphemy.
Which means that anyone who supports this law should be fined, because it causes outrage among others in my “religion.” (Yes, I realize atheism isn’t a religion, but I’m willing to mislabel it to show how absurd this is.
But who cares about atheists, right? So how about Protestants in Ireland? Are they allowed to say that Jesus isn’t actually in the communion crackers? That causes offense and outrage among Catholics. Or perhaps they could suggest that the Pope is just another misguided buffoon on his way to hell. Oops, outrage again. Can they publish theology books saying that Mary didn’t ascend into heaven, that purgatory doesn’t exist, that saints can’t hear prayers, that priests are not needed to meditate between God and man, that Jesus had brothers and sisters?
Can Muslims publish books claiming there is only one God and the trinity is a bunch of bullshit? That would cause outrage among both Protestants and Catholics.
Religion itself needs the freedom to blasphemy, as that is what religions are based on. One person’s theology and orthodoxy is another person’s blasphemy and heresy.
If you want freedom of speech for yourself, you have to be willing to give it to others.
The only thing this law deserves is offense and outrage.
Related posts:
- Ireland proposes a blasphemy law I need details of this law against blasphemy. If "Begorrah!"...
- Say, Ireland, you might want to pay more attention to this blasphemy law It looks like trouble, and some ministers are defending the...
- Pakistan Pushes Irish Blasphemy Law Language at the UN This July the Irish Parliament shocked the world by...
- Ireland has a blasphemy law And it's a strange thing. It's a law that slaps...
- The Importance of Blasphemy There are many historical myths with which we like...
I should think that this law would make all teaching of history of religion, and especially of theological history, completely impossible. Is this the intent? Covert atheist agenda? That would surprise me, coming from Ireland. Broadly interpreted, this law could prohibit publication of such standards as Luther’s Theses, Erasmus’ Praise of Folly, Barclay’s Apology — even Quakers didn’t have such high standards of verbal nonviolence in the 17th century!