Blasphemy is a crime not only in Pakistan, but Europe too

[MineralMan]

Blasphemy a crime? Really? I thought that died off centuries ago. Apparently not. It's in the news right now, because a woman was acquitted of it in Pakistan, which caused riots. But, did you know this?

https://www.france24.com/en/20181031-blasphemy-middle-east-asia-bibi-europe-law-religion-ireland

Blasphemy is a crime not only in Pakistan, but Europe too

Blasphemy is broadly defined as the act of speaking in a way that shows irreverence for God or something sacred. Some religions consider blasphemy to be a religious crime. Blasphemy laws are most common in majority Muslim countries of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as some parts of Southeast Asia.

Blasphemy legislation tends to escape the spotlight in many Western countries until specific, high-profile cases spark news headlines or international rights campaigns. It still carries the death penalty in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. However, blasphemy does exist as a punishable crime in many other countries around the world, including a dozen countries in Europe. Punishment ranges from fines to prison sentences.



France outlawed blasphemy at the time of the French revolution in the late 18th century, according to articles 10 and 11 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Following the 1814 Bourbon Restoration, notions of “religious insult” were reintroduced until it was definitely removed in the 1881 Press Freedom Law. Blasphemy has never been reinstated since. However blasphemy remained a statute law in the eastern region of Alsace-Moselle. The little-used provision made the news in 2014, when a French Islamist group attempted to use it to sue the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. This legal loophole was only repealed by the French Senate in October 2016.

In Greece, a blogger who created a Facebook page poking fun at a revered Greek Orthodox monk was sentenced to 10 months in prison in 2012 after being found guilty of blasphemy. Thousands of Greeks took to social media sites to protest the arrest of Filippos Loizos, 28, who used a play on words to portray Father Paisios as a traditional pasta-based dish. Loizos’s sentence was later overthrown on appeal.

More at the link...

[MineralMan]

1. The Last Criminal Blasphemy Conviction in the United States

The last U.S. conviction for blasphemy was of atheist activist Charles Lee Smith. In 1928 he rented a storefront in Little Rock, Arkansas, and gave out free atheist literature there. The sign in the window read: "Evolution Is True. The Bible's a Lie. God's a Ghost." For this he was charged with violating the city ordinance against blasphemy. Because he was an atheist and therefore could not swear the court's religious oath to tell the truth, he was not permitted to testify in his own defense. The judge then dismissed the original charge, replacing it with one of distributing obscene, slanderous, or scurrilous literature. Smith was convicted, fined $25, and served most of a twenty-six-day jail sentence. His high-profile fast while behind bars drew national media attention. Upon his release, he immediately resumed his atheist activities, was again charged with blasphemy, and this time the charge held. In his trial he was again denied the right to testify and was sentenced to ninety days in jail and a fine of $100. Released on $1,000 bail, Smith appealed the verdict. The case then dragged on for several years until it was finally dismissed.[12]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law_in_the_United_States

Are we about to see a renewing of laws against blasphemy? Perhaps, if the Dominionists get their way...

[dewsgirl]

2. I had no idea. Some of these are kind of surprising, others not so much.

Sidenote: I thought Russia wasn't very religious. Of course half of my Russian knowledge is from watching "The Americans". (IMO the best tv series ever.)

[MineralMan]

3. Actually, Russia has hooked back up with the

Russian Orthodox Church in recent times. Putin likes the church, apparently.

[dewsgirl]

4. I didn't know that. I've learned quite a bit in this thread. Thank you Mineralman.

[MineralMan]

5. You're more than welcome.

[The Genealogist]

6. Amazing the lengths countries will go to, to protect a supposed all-powerful deity

Makes no sense to me why an all-powerful deity needs to be protected.

[MineralMan]

7. Excellent point. Let the deity enforce its own rules if it can.

You'd think it could do some smiting and solve the problem.

[gtar100]

9. Hints at doubt in the believers heart.

Why else would anyone feel the need to defend one who is all powerful and capable of smiting the offenders with forces beyond the capabilities of any human. Or should I say... mere human.

[gtar100]

8. I would note that these blasphemy laws only apply to the dominant religion.

Christians and Muslims in practice have disrespected indigenous people and their religious practices with disastrous consequences. Lives and cultures have been destroyed for centuries on end at the hands of these dominant religions. And then they create these blasphemy laws... apparently because they can't take the criticism.

[MineralMan]

10. That is very typically true.

Probably we could find exceptions, but what you wrote is normally the rule. Isn't it interesting that dominant religious are so frightened of alternative ideas that they make holding and promoting them a criminal act.

You'd think the deity could simply smite blasphemers, but apparently not.