Blasphemy Laws

Oh, yes, please! The fallout would be hilarious 😂 take our minds off our daily woes for sure 😁

Rather than criticising these practices (which is offensive), we should be respectful and open-minded if we want to encourage cohesive community relations. Many of those shouting about Islam or other religions being oppressive haven’t the first idea of what they actually entail.

Many of the people discussing the oppression of Islam, Christianity, and other faiths are people who were raised in them, experienced abuse, left and speak out against the abuses & have faced threats and violence for speaking out. Why should we not be protected in being able to speak out against the beliefs that actively harmed us? Why should we be dismissed as not having 'the first idea of what they actually entail' when it was our lives? Why are our beliefs and experiences less worth protecting or expressing than theirs?

You are aware that's what abusive religious members do, right, there is a whole thing about 'true believers' never leave and that speaking out proves we were not one of them and deserve their wrath? That these practices include violence?

You have devotees take pictures outside of where you study, telling you how the 'fruit of your womb' rightfully should be theirs, and see how open minded and compliant you want to be to them. Them deciding the 'redress' of the insult of my leaving and speaking out against corruption in the church would be them having my kids, like 're-educating' me. I will not be respectful to the religious group that stalked me and threatened to kidnap my kids because they viewed them as their property because I was baptised into it as a child and dared to leave. I will not be silenced by people who think if we don't speak out, don't ruffle feathers, that it encourages community relations - it doesn't, it only encourages them to push further. What is needed for peace is the cultural ideal we already have if we still fall short - that we are all equal as people, that no one can use their beliefs in any faith to silence another. None of us have the right not to be offended.

You should also be aware that some blasphemy laws prevent both victims of abuse from speaking and academics from discussing their work - things like evidence of the texts being edited over time or the archaeological and textual evidence of monolarty rather than monotheism or debates in translation. It's not really about respect or open-minded if we can't let those who have direct experience of harm or even most basic academic discussions on it.

whereas criticising Norse gods isn’t so serious.

Surely, to be open-minded and respectful, that should be up to those that follow Heathenry.

Why? Why is it ok to criticise one religion and not another?

Yep, maybe a Lucifarian could “re-educate” the Archbishop of Canterbury (well the new one who will replace Justin now he’s off after the er less than Christian behaviour) about how Lucifer isn’t evil and make sure all the priests clearly state how lucifer has been wrongly cast as the bad guy.

Maybe a Christian could ask for their local Iman to be “educated” for his blasphemy that Jesus isn’t the son of God and part of the Trinity? Henceforth Trinitarianism will be taught in every mosque.

mmmm- starting to see a problem here

I'm a Christian. I have to put up with people writing JFC constantly on here. Is that okay? I mean, He's not a Norse god or anything. Heaven forbid other religions would like things to be equal.

whereas criticising Norse gods isn’t so serious.
Who are you to say that?! According to your views followers of the Norse Gods are now absolutely entitled to decide what they deem to be appropriate punishment for your blasphemy. Whether 'reeducation' or something stronger... up to them to decide.... happy?

How is it offensive to criticise mutilation, oppression and discrimination? The perpetuation of these things under the guise of religious practice is the offensive thing. Common human decency trumps brutal beliefs every time, and if you think otherwise, your moral compass is lacking.

Why don't we have Sikhophobia? Or Buddhistophobia? Or Paganophobia? Why is it always this particular religion that's raising its head time and time again.

Quite often, if you have a problem with everyone around you, it's you that's the problem. If Christians were making this much fuss about things there'd be ructions on. God can deal with plenty of bad words, attitudes, actions against Him. Shrug. Turn the other cheek perhaps 😉

I don't agree with you. You are actually placing some religions on a pedestal. You are saying that other beliefs are not equal. Can you not see where that would lead? We don't live in the middle ages, we don't want heresy laws or blasphemy laws, I don't want to see people being flogged or having a hole bored in their tongue for believing something or for not believing? Because that is what happened before we had religious toleration. And as for allowing sharia law? Have you actually thought about that? You really see no issues with sharia law in the UK? Asking people who are offended to fix the punishment will really go well, won't it?

Absolutely mental. A panel of unelected religious people deciding to punish anyone who doesn’t believe in their chosen fairy stories by educating (trying to indoctrinate) them

This is 2024 not the middle ages ffs.

Re educate me all you like, I’ll still never believe in a sky fairy

We should look at the offence and harm. But it shouldn't be illegal.

Think about it this way. In your world, people want to burn the books and insult the people, but they are prevented on fear of prosecution. They eventually get so angry they do it anyway. In my world, it's not illegal but we have social and ethical constraints and talk about the issues openly, surfacing any points of disagreement.

Would you rather have my world or yours?

Not everything that's wrong should be illegal.

And sorry - you're seriously saying non-Muslims should be subject to Sharia law?

You are deranged. You are talking about a book. A collection of paper. We don't need self-appointed 'community leaders' (again, largely unemployed men) changing laws so people are imprisoned for offending their personal interests and hobbies. Why are these Community Leaders' whims so much more important than those people who worship Norse gods?

@NewGreenDuck

I think we should look at the offence and harm caused to the affected community. Clearly, burning the Quran or depicting the Prophet Muhammad is distressing for the Muslim community, whereas criticising Norse gods isn’t so serious.

I would also involve members of the relevant community in deciding what redress is appropriate. So, a panel of Muslim or Christian community leaders could make a judgement on the harm caused and a suitable remedy. Principles from their own religion could be used to do this, such as sharia.

For minor offences, the offender could go through a process of education and learning could be, whereas stronger sentences may be necessary in other cases.

But many people believe any religion is man made and therefore any so called holy books are a work of fiction. And that is their absolute right to believe as such.

To me the Bible , Quran or any other religious equivalent is as much a work of fiction as Harry Potter and it’s absolutely ridiculous to think we should have laws to stop people believing the same. I have zero respect for religion and no law will ever change that.

I respect others right to believe, and they should respect my right not to.

I burned a book once. Not a religious book. I finished it while camping, it was a misogynist piece of crap. So we used it for fire lighting. Now if I think the Bible is a misogynistic piece of crap, why can't I burn that? It has the same amount of meaning for me as the book I burned.

I have to consider the religious person, and I wouldn't burn a text in front of a person of that religion. But the book itself, the belief itself, is NOT a human and therefore not worthy of respect. And I'm allowed my own beliefs.

There's a huge wide open sea between considering and respecting other people and having to pretend a belief system is worthy in some way or pretending to believe.

I don't climb Uluru, or burn the Bible. Because I'm not an arsehole. But being an arsehole shouldn't be illegal.

Why? Can I damage a Bible without fear of being attacked?
What about the Hindu holy books?
Or the Buddhist equivalent?
Suppose I believe in the Norse gods? Are those books similarly sacred?
If we really are going down the road of saying that damaging a book is going to result in prosecutions then surely it would have to be any religious work?

Would you include the Book of Mormon in that? Dianetics?

No. I exclusively use my ire on Christianity. Muslims haven't told me what to do at all. But Christians have. In schools, parliament, many ways. And the wholesale, worldwide abuse of children (mostly deprived and indigenous children) was stunningly terrible.

I should be allowed to say that. I should not be allowed to decide not to hire a Christian simply because they are a Christian. But disagreeing with their beliefs should be completely OK.

And @ParkBench5 you don't get social cohesion by shutting people up at the end of a gun, even if they are saying awful things. Calling in, not calling out and prosecuting.

@OswaldCobblepot

Deliberately damaging the Quran or any other religious text or calling it ‘fiction’ in my view is deliberately provocative and offensive and should be covered by any new law aimed at preventing racial hatred.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable that those who defile the Quran or its contents (or any other religious text) are held to account in order to prevent community tensions.

Fortunately the majority of people in this country feel differently. If I want to drop kick a copy of the quran (or any other piece of fiction) I will do. A blasphemy law would make me less respectful towards religion, not more.

Let's be quite blunt, Islam is a violent, intolerant religion. Misogynistic, homophobic which considers it ok to kill apostates and atheists. Religion should be tolerated, not respected. A secular society is the best guarantee of freedom for both the religious and non religious.

I wish I had your faith in this government but quite frankly when it comes to my rights aa a woman and my free speech I don't trust them as far as I could throw them

I disagree. Every religion has unique tenets and practices that some may disagree with, but ultimately are important aspects of that religion and provide a guiding philosophy for millions of people.

Rather than criticising these practices (which is offensive), we should be respectful and open-minded if we want to encourage cohesive community relations. Many of those shouting about Islam or other religions being oppressive haven’t the first idea of what they actually entail.

I disagree. People have more legitimate reasons to criticise religions and especially organised religion than I can count. Nearly all major faiths oppress women. Nearly all are opposed to equal rights for gay people, especially regarding marriage. Several support genital mutilation of infants and young children. All these things should be criticised and challenged robustly. Tgat is not about division, it is about protecting human beings.