Editing Blasphemy (section)

{{Short description|Act of insulting of religion}}
{{distinguish|Heresy}}
{{Redirect|Blasphemous|the video game|Blasphemous (video game){{!}}Blasphemous (video game)|5=Blasphemy (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
'''Blasphemy''' refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of [[Reverence (emotion)|reverence]] concerning a [[deity]], an object considered [[sacred]], or something considered [[Sanctity of life|inviolable]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = On blasphemy|last = Miriam Díez Bosch and Jordi Sànchez Torrents|publisher = Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture|year = 2015|isbn = 978-84-941193-3-0|location = Barcelona}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blasphemy|title= Blasphemy|publisher= Random House Dictionary|access-date= 12 January 2015|quote= Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.}}</ref><ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blasphemy Blasphemy] Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy<br />2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable</ref><ref>''Blasphemies'', in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed,<br />1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine.<br />2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful</ref> Some religions, especially Abrahamic ones, regard blasphemy as a crime, including insulting the [[Islam]]ic prophet [[Muhammad]] in Islam, speaking the [[Names of God in Judaism|sacred name]] in Judaism,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Karesh |first1=Sara |last2=Hurvitz |first2=Mitchell |title=Encyclopedia of Judaism |date=2006 |publisher=Facts on File |location=United States  |quote=It is considered blasphemy to utter God's personal names...Interestingly, this prohibition has crept into the practice of writing God's name in English. Many Jews will choose to write "G-d" instead of "God" to avoid blasphemy. |page=180}}</ref> and blasphemy of God's [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] is an [[eternal sin]] in Christianity.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Concannon |first1=Cavan W. |title=Assembling Early Christianity: Trade, Networks, and the Letters of Dionysios of Corinth |date=2017 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=114 |quote=The ''Didache'' cites Mark 3:28-29 and implicitly defines blaspheming the holy spirit as testing or examining a prophet who is speaking in the spirit (11:7). This is the sin that cannot be forgiven, though other sins can be resolved through repentance. Epiphanius, in his discussion of the heretics he calls the Alogi, says they have committed the unforgivable sin. Because they reject the Gospel of John, which was inspired by the holy spirit, their teaching is therefore contrary to what the spirit has said and liable to the penalty imposed by Jesus' saying.}}</ref> It was also a crime under [[English law|English]] [[common law]], and it is still a crime under Italian law (Art. 724 del Codice Penale).<ref name="Harvard Law">{{cite web |title=Blasphemy and the Original Meaning of the First Amendment |date=December 10, 2021 |website=Harvard Law Review |url=https://harvardlawreview.org/2021/12/blasphemy-and-the-original-meaning-of-the-first-amendment/ |quote=Until well into the twentieth century, American law recognized blasphemy as proscribable speech. The blackletter rule was clear. Constitutional liberty entailed a right to articulate views on religion, but not a right to commit blasphemy — the offense of “maliciously reviling God”, which encompassed “profane ridicule of Christ”. The English common law had punished blasphemy as a crime, while excluding “disputes between learned men upon particular controverted points” from the scope of criminal blasphemy. Looking to this precedent, nineteenth-century American appellate courts consistently upheld proscriptions on blasphemy, drawing a line between punishable blasphemy and protected religious speech.}}</ref>

In the early history of the Church, blasphemy "was considered to show active disrespect to [[God]] and to involve the use of profane cursing or mockery of his powers". In the medieval world, those who committed blasphemy were seen as needing discipline.<ref name="Nash2007"/> By the 17th century, several historically [[Christianity|Christian]] countries had [[Blasphemy laws|legislation against blasphemy]].<ref name="Nash2007">{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=David |title=Blasphemy in the Christian World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=3–5}}</ref> Blasphemy was proscribed speech in the U.S. until well into the 20th century.<ref name="Harvard Law"/> Blasphemy laws were abolished in [[Freedom of religion in the United Kingdom|England and Wales]] in 2008, and in [[Freedom of religion in Ireland|Ireland in 2020]]. [[Scotland]] repealed its blasphemy laws in 2021. Many other countries have abolished blasphemy laws including [[Religion in Denmark|Denmark]], the [[Freedom of religion in the Netherlands|Netherlands]], [[Freedom of religion in Iceland|Iceland]], [[Freedom of religion in Norway|Norway]] and [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill Information Note: Blasphemy |website=gov.scot |url=https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/factsheet/2020/04/hate-crime-bill-what-it-will-do/documents/hate-crime-bill-information-note-blasphemy/hate-crime-bill-information-note-blasphemy/govscot%253Adocument/Hate%252BCrime%252Band%252BPublic%252BOrder%252B%252528Scotland%252529%252BBill%252B-%252BInformation%252BNote%252B%252B-%252BBlasphemy%252B-%252BApril%252B2020.pdf}}</ref>  {{As of |2019}}, 40 percent of the world's countries still had blasphemy laws on the books, including 18 countries in the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]], or 90% of countries in that region.<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/01/25/four-in-ten-countries-and-territories-worldwide-had-blasphemy-laws-in-2019-2/Four-in-ten countries and territories worldwide had blasphemy laws in 2019], Pew Research (25 January 2022)</ref><ref name=pewres>[http://www.pewforum.org/2012/11/21/laws-penalizing-blasphemy-apostasy-and-defamation-of-religion-are-widespread/ Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread] Pew Research (21 November 2012)</ref><ref name=wsj>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/blasphemy-divide-insults-to-religion-remain-a-capital-crime-in-muslim-lands-1420673864 Blasphemy Divide: Insults to Religion Remain a Capital Crime in Muslim Lands] ''The Wall Street Journal'' (8 January 2015)</ref>