"Blasphemous" redirects here. For the video game, see Blasphemous (video game). For other uses, see Blasphemy (disambiguation).
Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered inviolable.[1][2][3][4] Some religions regard blasphemy as a crime, including insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, speaking the "sacred name" in Judaism,[5] and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is "eternal sin" in Christianity.[6] It was also a crime under English common law.[7]
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".[8] In the medieval world, those who committed blasphemy were seen as needing discipline.[8] By the 17th century, several historically Christian countries had legislation against blasphemy.[8] Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008, and in Ireland in 2020. Scotland repealed its blasphemy laws in 2021. Many other countries have abolished blasphemy laws including Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland, Norway and New Zealand.[9] As of 2019[update], 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.[10][11][12] Dharmic religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, have no concept of blasphemy and hence prescribe no punishment.[13][dubious – discuss]
^Miriam Díez Bosch and Jordi Sànchez Torrents (2015). On blasphemy. Barcelona: Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture. ISBN 978-84-941193-3-0.
^"Blasphemy". Random House Dictionary. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.
^Blasphemy Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy 2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
^Blasphemies, in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed, 1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine. 2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful
^Karesh, Sara; Hurvitz, Mitchell (2006). Encyclopedia of Judaism. United States: Facts on File. p. 180. 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.
^Concannon, Cavan W. (2017). Assembling Early Christianity: Trade, Networks, and the Letters of Dionysios of Corinth. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. 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.
^"Blasphemy and the Original Meaning of the First Amendment". Harvard Law Review. 10 December 2021. 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.
^ abcNash, David (2007). Blasphemy in the Christian World. Oxford University Press. pp. 3–5.
^"Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill Information Note: Blasphemy" (PDF). gov.scot.
^countries and territories worldwide had blasphemy laws in 2019, Pew Research (25 January 2022)
^Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread Pew Research (21 November 2012)
^Blasphemy Divide: Insults to Religion Remain a Capital Crime in Muslim Lands The Wall Street Journal (8 January 2015)
^Why Hinduism never developed a concept of blasphemy, Rediff.com, 4 February 2015.
Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered...
In Islam, blasphemy is impious utterance or action concerning God, but is broader than in normal English usage, including not only the mocking or vilifying...
A blasphemy law is a law prohibiting blasphemy, which is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or...
sin which will not be forgiven by God. One eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), also known as the sin unto death, is specified...
The Pakistan Penal Code outlaws blasphemy (Urdu: قانون ناموس رسالت) against any recognized religion, with punishments ranging from a fine to the death...
Overtures of Blasphemy is the twelfth studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It was released on September 14, 2018, through Century Media...
Blasphemy Day, also known as International Blasphemy Day or International Blasphemy Rights Day, educates individuals and groups about blasphemy laws and...
Digital Blasphemy is a commercial website for computer wallpapers, designed and created by independent Computer-generated imagery artist Ryan Bliss, an...
Cuts Both Ways. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-06012-6. 2007: Blasphemy: How the Religious Right is Hijacking the Declaration of Independence...
religion is the doctrine of the Twelver Jaafari School. Iran's law against blasphemy derives from Sharia. Blasphemers are usually charged with "spreading corruption...
the 20th century, the United States began to invalidate laws against blasphemy which had been on the books since before the founding of the nation [citation...
Christians is affirmed in all three Synoptic Gospels, which proclaim that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin. The participation of...
stories) "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" (2003), published in The New Yorker Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories (2012) "Because My Father Always Said He Was...
Blasphemy Made Flesh is the debut album by Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy. The album was released in 1994, re-released in 1997 by Displeased Records...
Republic of Nigeria operates two court systems. Both systems can punish blasphemy (an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning...
Kuwait follows the "civil law system" modeled after the French legal system, Kuwait's legal system is largely secular. Sharia law governs only family law...
accused of blasphemy in October 2016. He then lost the election to former Education Minister Anies Baswedan and was imprisoned for blasphemy. Basuki Tjahaja...
Laws prohibiting blasphemy and blasphemous libel in the United Kingdom date back to the medieval times as common law and in some special cases as enacted...
organization founded in 2015, known to protest against any change to Pakistan's blasphemy law. Fluent in Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic and Persian, he was known for his...
television in October 2019 after she was arrested on charges including blasphemy and illegally obtaining money. It was reported that Tabar was sentenced...
According to human rights groups, blasphemy laws in Pakistan are often exploited, even against Muslims, to settle personal rivalries or to persecute minorities...
commonly known as Asia Bibi (آسیہ بی بی) or Aasia Bibi, was convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death by hanging. In October...
Blasphemy is not a criminal offence under Australian federal law, but the de jure situation varies at state and territory level; it is currently not enforced...
to blasphemy vary by country, and some countries prescribe punishments consisting of fines, imprisonment, flogging, hanging, or beheading. Blasphemy laws...
Retrieved May 5, 2024. Blasphemy book profile on the publisher's website An Interview with Douglas Preston about Blasphemy on YouTube Impact Book profile...