Blasphemy

Blasphemy is a word that means speaking badly about a religion, or insulting a god. Some religions see blasphemy as a religious crime. Many countries witha state religion have laws that make blasphemy a crime. For example, blasphemy can be punished with the death penalty in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan. In other countries, the punishment for the crime is a fine, or imprisonment.

Of Blasphemy, from the Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools); woodcut attributed to Albrecht Dürer

The Temptation of St. Antonius is a painting by Félicien Rops.

Some countries do not have laws against blasphemy. For example, after the French Revolution, France made blasphemy legal to make sure people would have freedom of religion and the freedom of the press.

The United States, Canada, and many European countries, have laws to protect people who speak badly about religion. Sometimes people do this in a satirical way, like with a movie that makes fun of a religion. In these countries, profanity is often protected by freedom of speech as well.

Related pages

• Heresy
• Profanity
• Sacrilege

References

• Maledicta: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression (ISSN US 0363-3659)
• Levy, L. Blasphemy. Chapel Hill, 1993.
• 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]

Other websites

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Blasphemy
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Blasphemy
• Comprehensive academic study comparing global legal approaches to blasphemy in light of the Jyllands-Posten controversy Archived 2013-01-02 at Archive.today
• 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.