Blasphemy is now a crime in Ireland
Offline As reported here.
36. Publication or utterance of blasphemous matter.
(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.
(3) It shall be a defence to proceedings for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that a reasonable person would find genuine literary, artistic, political, scientific, or academic value in the matter to which the offence relates.
I don't see the Irish police having much fun or want to prosecute this law, but I can see it being easily abused by the easily offended.
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So does this mean theists can't insult atheists? They can't say our 'immorality' is ruining society and leading everyone to hell? Is atheism on a religion when it's convenient?
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A link would help.
In any case, if true, THIS is why I go off on well intended believers and atheists. THIS is not how you end bigotry.
Like the OP said, this could be easly abused by the easly offended.
FUCK blasphemy laws! They are not good for anyone and do not protect anyone. They merely coddle the insecurities of the insecure.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
As a citizen of the at times dumb-ass state of Florida we have done many stupid ass things, but leave it to the Irish and the Catholics to best us.
IMHO-
Whichever god that is offended or insulted by my blasphemy would have to haul their ass to court to so testify that I have so done an offense to them. Failing to show their ass in court constitutes validation that said god is mythical, fanciful, or the delusion of mass stupidity. Sending stand-ins such as priests, ministers, witch-doctors, or the tribal wise man shall not in any way substitute for the imaginary offended god's ass. In other words, blow me!
I stand on my position that blasphemy is a victimless crime until one such god shows the fuck up to be questioned in person.
The Irish law is an insult to free speech in general and though they may be intending to limit insults to others they have in fact managed to create a monstrous mess where even the liturgy of the Catholic Church is in fact offensive to the Jews and Muslims because of statements ascribing Jesus as the Son of God. This insults the Muslims that hold him to be a prophet and the Jews who say he's not and of course vice-versa. Even Catholic web sites would in fact be blasphemy under this dumb ass law not to mention every Televangelist broadcast in the USA.
Does this now mean Ireland intends to take the next step logically which would be to ban every single book that could constitute an insult and block Internet access to blasphemy sites such as the Vatican and PTL? Even KJV Bibles and the Quran are insulting and blasphemy to someone. Talk about stupidity.
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"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.
www.independent.ie/national-news/libel-and-blasphemy-bill-passed-by-the-dail-1813479.html
'And there was 'link', and it was good.
In recent months, the stalled legislation was the subject of major debate when JM Dermot Ahern announced the introduction of a new crime of blasphemous libel. He argued that a new definition was required by the Constitution.
Under the changes, the maximum fine for blasphemy will be cut from €100,000 to €25,000.
Idiocy.
How can not believing in something that is backed up with no empirical evidence be less scientific than believing in something that not only has no empirical evidence but actually goes against the laws of the universe and in many cases actually contradicts itself? - Ricky Gervais
Blasphemy is a crime.....again ? Where's Tomas de Torquemada when you need him ?
Auto de fe anyone ? ( ie, burning at the stake )
I could be wrong about this but I think blasphemy was already a crime in Ireland. It's in their constitution. This is being referred to as a reduction in the penalty.
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H.P. Lovecraft
Okay. I stand corrected.
I would love to see this law tested in the European Bill of Rights (as I would have loved to see the now defunct British blasphemy law tested) which guarantees free speech etc
That is scary.
In any case, when are humans going to realize that the best we can get is that a middle finger is better than death?
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Fuck. Talk about a victimless crime.
No way I'm going to Ireland. Ever. I would be guaranteed jail time. If I got as drunk as Irish law requires, there's no way I'd be able to keep from being openly blasphemous! It's a catch-22!
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fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence