Get a plane ticket, go to Ireland, piss on like, some kind of Buddhist statue, see what happens. This is ridiculous.
Published by Jared A.
Get a plane ticket, go to Ireland, piss on like, some kind of Buddhist statue, see what happens. This is ridiculous.
Published by Jared A.
Since 1963, AMERICAN ATHEISTS has been the premier organization laboring for the civil liberties of Atheists, and the total, absolute separation of government and religion.
Copyright 2012. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of American Atheists.
Try being an atheist and living here with this nonsense going on.
However a few of the atheist and humanist types here are planning a huge violation of all the terms of this blasphemy law in print. Could be interesting.
UNBELIEVABLE!
I read about this the other day, and it simply incomprehensible. Being an American who was raised on the concept of free speech, this just boggles my mind. Tell me, if they do charge a person under this malicious statute, and you refuse to pay the fine, do they send you to jail?
They could. In other theocratic nations a person will face capital law.
The AA blog, with David Silverman at the helm, routinely avoids criticism of jews. It has also sometimes censored such criticism on this blog as well. If you don’t like censorship then don’t do it.
Also this thread reeks of unprofessional behavior. The title is just childish and there is one cryptic sentence alone that follows. To those of us regulars the meaning of title and the following terse sentence is clear but to others it would not be and would not cast atheists in a good light. Leave the blasphemy to the rest of us and act more professionally.
Thankfully, I have not avoided pointing out KKK wannabes. I have never failed (unless I was busy) to expose you, Whutthole as a bigot. But, never once have you thanked me for pointing out the flaws in your retarded thought process. But, it’s okay, the reward is in the act.
I know you are a loser, that will never get the point, but I am your guardian angel, and I will never give up until you get a clue.
NeoWolfe
Brilliant rebuttal you Zionist Nazi.
Ah, not to interrupt you boys & your ongoing pissing contest, but that’s a self-contradicting phrase.
Depends what one means by Nazi.
You’re joking, right?
Oh that’s classic! That’s right up there with nobody here is using logic to justify the use of logic so we don’t need a way out of the circle!
Uh, no, that’s correct – it’s known as a singular circular definition, which is okay in itself.
I know you think that was some sort of intellectual victory, but it was just a trick of the light. Or of the words, if you prefer.
Gosh, this just completely turns me off to the idea of drinking Jameson Irish Whiskey and Guinness Draught. Oh wait a second, no it doesn’t, I’ll just never do it in Ireland!
Hey, I’m involved heavily in the campaign against this law. Please don’t think we are a theocracy. We have a lot of problems with faith – state involvement and have a fair amount of superstitious nonsense over here, but it’s not a theocracy and we aren’t as heavily influnced as the US by anti-scientific, anti-rational thinking. The govt. claim they had to put the blasphemy clauses into the wider Defamation Bill as it is mentioned inthe Constitution. We disagree of course but the church doesn’t run out state the way it did fifty years ago. There won’t be mass seizure of materials nor mass arrests as the law has been written to be almost unworkable in an amazingly lazy attempt to avaoid a church-state referendum to get god out of the Constitution. In fact our campaign (blasphemy.ie & atheist.ie) is having trouble figuring out how to test the law and get an actual prosecution.
Atheists are offended by religion telling them that they can’t be good without gods- well one specific God. The three major religions blaspheme one another almost by definition. Anyone who says Jesus is the only way to heaven, or that their God is the only one is blasphemous to everyone who disagrees. The way I see it, anyone who mentions anything about religion should be receiving a nice little fine in the mail. The police ought to be raiding churches every Sunday morning. This has to be some sort of plot for the government to rake in billions.
Good point, sounds like free-thinking groups in Ireland could use this little recipe for some civil disobedience. Report every church and bookstore which carries a copy of just about any kind of bible. There’s no way the police would act on such complaints, but when they try to round up the “blasphemy peddlers”, they’d have to explain (in court I presume) why they chose to enforce the law in some cases and not in others.
Sadly the law is missing its balls. WE’d love to challenge it and get arrested but the police would take a caomplaint of blasphemy and either file it under “Meh” or send it on the the Director of Public Prosecutions who would file it under “Meh”. The law is damn near unworkable and is an attack on the idea of free speech more than the practicalities of speaking freely. So why bother fight it at all? Well, there IS a creeping jesus effect over here right now; massive recession & dire unemployment has sent a lot of the more hysterical faith-heads back to the middle ages and thus the church. (google our lady of the tree-stump for the kind of jesus in a grilled-cheese sandwich US/Mexiacan style weirdness not seen here since we we one of the poorest nations in Europe)It is for this reason blasphemy.ie is fighting the cause.
Im only half Irish but fully ashamed….
suck it stupid religion, especially irish catholics
Actually, not even the Catholics asked for this law. It’s a right wing govt. move and all the religions have formally backed away from it as they are covered (with every other citizen) by incitement to hatred laws. Only Atheist Ireland has stood up to fight it though. It’s a horrific step backwards but as the law is unworkable even the campaigners (me included) are having trouble figuring out how to have it tested without breaking other laws against violence & destruction of property.
here’s some great read….its possible even Richard Dawkins commented a few posts down:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/07/ireland_has_a_blasphemy_law.php
Did any of you read the text of that law? (It was available awhile back, but I don’t have it rite now.)
People in other countries are accustomed to having less freedom of speech than we enjoy in America, and this law doesn’t seem much worse than par for the course. It doesn’t require anybody to sew their lips shut. You have to deliberately intend to offend religious people. Some religious nut just taking offense at your expression of your opinion about their religion, is not enuff to get you in trouble.
Basically, it’s just an attempt to mandate good manners and peaceful discourse.
If the Irish have a problem with it, we should let the Irish deal with it on their own terms. “Ugly Americans” rushing in to impoze our values on another country wouldn’t be rite, or effective.
Us Ugly Americans should criticise this backward law as loudly as we can! any limits on free speech (other than for safety) are unacceptable.
In Ireland, I’d say criticizing religion is dangerous.
shouldnt religious institutions stand on thier own merit shedding ridicule without the need of a biased authority snuffing critique for them….
this is not trivial….its a piece of the credibility puzzle that these dumb ideas are trying to hang on to….
I can only pray to jesus that all of a sudden islam becomes the dominate dumb idea in Ireland so the stupid catholics have to wear a burka on thier shamrock…
I deny the holy ghost and my Irish heritage….
In Ireland critisising religion isn’t at all dangerous, though be ready for them to fight back with words. I critisize openly all the time. I recently sat in the Archbishops house to discuss formal defection from the catholic church and it was a polite discussion of someting that they would be freaked out by if (when… countmeout.ie) it happens en masse. And Charlie, seriously you don’t have to deny your Irish heritage. Why not do something constructive like emailing the irish govt and telling them they are making the Irish people look like idiots. A massively larger percentage of the irish people accept evolution when compared to the the US and our leaders NEVER use god or the devil as an excuse the way American leaders do. Ireland is not Iran, not the US. We do have a long way to go though, that I accept.
Im so glad that we fled the Orwellian nightmare of the UK for the promise of free speech offered here in the USA because its not just Ireland that limits free speech.
I think Ill go blashpheme right now just because I can.
Hey “what” (really, what?), I posted this and I didn’t mean to be unprofessional. The post title is a South Park reference, and the one-line that follows is really all it deserved – the story tells itself. I think blogs often find themselves here – with posts that need no comment – and then comment anyway – not my style. Anyway, I’VE never censored blasphemy against, say, Moses or whoever, but I would have if it were puerile or dull – I have no patience for the abecedarian. If the hallmark of true belief in freedom of speech, though, is a willingness to test its boundaries, I’m all for it. If we did do that, I’m really offended by it, too. I don’t think we have a bias towards anything but reason – but would be glad to reflect upon and correct it if we do.
Jared
Dave has both censored my comments and threatened to block my posts entirely. Maybe you don’t know Dave’s history here?
Uh…when & when?
KA
As you know I think Dave harbors a strong bias that prevents him from treating jews in the same manner that he treats all other religions. This is unacceptable behavior on the part of an AA official. I have given multiple examples of this bias. Less than a year ago while giving such an example I remarked that it looked like Dave is turning AA into an arm of the Anti-Defamation League. The post was deleted by Dave shortly after I made it. Also in an email, which I still possess, Dave threatened censorship of my posts. The email’s subject line read “NGB suspension”.
Well, he has bypassed the Madoff scandal entirely.
Email me a copy. reluctantatheist@yahoo.com
I’ll post it right here. As you can see for yourself Dave has misrepresented my position.
I too think that the bias against criticism of jews is evident. Its not relegated to here though as the zionists have manipulated the label “anti semite” and invoke the holocaust in order to encourage people to self censor their views and thoughts on israel, zionism, and judaism. NO other faith is as off limits to legitimate critcism as that followed by gods chosen people.
What:
See, now actually you DO derail threads in your vitriol about Israel. I’ve not complained about you, even though we battle it out constantly. There was once upon a time where EVERYONE made the same kind of commentary you do (prior to your arrival).
& see, you’ve almost derailed this thread. I am of course, to blame in part as well, as I tend to feed the fire somewhat.
There may have been older posts that were anti-Israel, but am unsure.
Whenever you have a ‘legitimate criticism’, I’ll be happy to acknowledge it, Alex. Thus far though, you spew a bunch of crap.
What – here’s a thought: why don’t you give it a rest for a few weeks? Is that possible, or are you too obsessed to do so?
I believe there’s at least one Atheist group in Ireland. They just need to organize some mass blaphemy day or something, and that should be a good test of the ban.
Whenever a governing body creates and passes a blasphemy law, I think we should jump to violate it, in order to test it. If no one gets prosecuted, we should demand that that law be repealed on the grounds that it isn’t and won’t be enforced. That’s if enough people blaspheme as a protest.
About the only way a prosecution will probably take place is if some haters push a lot of hate onto a religious group. That’s not us. But the law doesn’t specify on that issue, does it? It’s not about hate crime legislation, is it?
Atheist Ireland (atheist.ie). I’m the Dublin regional chair. Have a look at my posts above to see our difficulties in testing the law. We simply can’t get arrested as far as I can see.
Dave,
I’m tired of Whutthole’s antisemitic bullshit, too. Freethought doesn’t need to relive Nazism.
NeoWolfe
Support your ridiculous claim or admit you are a hate monger.
I actually admire Jews, even though the US abandoned them during the Suez annexation, they turn the tables and kick some serious ass. As I understand, Egyptian rifles got rather cheap on the market, since all of them dropped them and went home. They would have been more expensive if you could get ammo.
I only need two words to expose you, Whutthole. “Bernie Madoff”. You may think you are secretly buffering a movement, but everyone here knows you are a dyed in the wool asshole bigot. Seig Heil!!!
NeoWolfe
And that amounts to an argument on planet “free thinker”? Light weight.
And that amounts to a confession.
NeoWolfe
neowolfe,
Please speak only for yourself you presumptuous bag of puss.
My apologies obeah,
I should have been more specific. I was speaking for the animal kingdom. Not mushrooms. My bad.
NeoWolfe
okely dokely
Muhammad was a pedophile. He was a discrace to humankind, and I would willingly urinate in his face for the crime of raping a 9-year-old girl.
Jesus was a liar. He said he was the son of god and he was not, and as a result of his lies and deceit he has cost this world millions of lives. I would willingly smear dog feces on the face of Jesus for the pain he has caused the world.
Yahweh, the Hebrew god, is worst of all. He placed the Tree of Knowledge right where is perfect future-knowledge told him that Eve would eat the fruit. She had no choice — it was a perfect trap set with perfect knowledge of the future, so it could not fail. Then he blamed her and threw mankind out of the garden of Eden, causing every death and every bit of suffering since then. He did all this with 100% knowledge that she would eat the fruit, and 100% knowledge of all it would cause. Yahweh is true evil– I spit in his face.
Come arrest me.
Yahweh touches that darkside that resides in all of us.So yes david Yahweh is evil but know this when we look in the mirror we see Yahweh.I think the jews of the torah knew alot about humanity more than we give them credit for.Yes jesus was a liar as we all are.Muhammad a degenerate so is all of humanity.
Humanity itself is the ultimate blasphemy.
Well said, Dave. Jehovah is the most hideous monster ever worshipped. He makes the Aztec gods look like Mr. Rogers. You can spit in his beheaded face, while I shit down the throat of his lifeless torso.
NeoWolfe
we are jehovah.
Reason,
No, we are the victims of jehovah. Or more accurately we are victims of moses and his bullshit stories. Victims of the idiots who believe mythology. Victims of fanatics who have no common sense.
NeoWolfe
Moses? You antisemite!
As I have stated before, Whutthole, I admire the Israellis and what they have accomplished against all odds. What I hate is their orthodox god figure. Since Israel is a secular state, one has nothing to do with the other.
NeoWolfe
Sorry you have it wrong, Jehovah is just a figment of mans imagination, so he never could have done anything wrong. It was man who did all the evil things in the name of a twisted belief. How can you be charged with a crime criticizing a belief that causes suffering in the world. The law should lock up all believers, send them to counselling to cure them of their misguided dangerous false beliefs and then once cured only allow them back into public life.
If we are unable to stem the tide of religious fundamentals who are actively entering offices of our government with the intent of taking this country backwards to religious domination we will face these laws as well. Unable to defend their religious principles with reasoned arguments they will use the fist of government to defend them.
http://www.atheistnation.net/video/?video/00118/atheist/jesus-camp/
Damn straight dw! I think your politicsl instict is spot on for this new blarneystone. I mean, this is the home of the Irish Republican Army and the land of the Troubles.
About time someone spoke up on the true heart of the matter! This is what we need to be focused on, not this silly Madoff/Kosher crap.
We do have a problem: within congress, the military, the courts, and possibly the executive wing (although Obama has given up more lip service than any of his predecessors), theocracy is creeping in upon us.
And the xians want it. They know it’s the only way they can maintain control of the levers of society. They know if they do everything on the up and up, they’re done. Over. 86′d and in the dustbin of history.
Push comes to shove, they’ll use violence, and we all know it.
As the saying goes, “By any means neccessary”.
I think they just want to silence the reporters and journalists who expose the atrocities of the church, like trying to keep the recent report of orphan abuse covered up. Now news network owners are going to be more reluctant reporting the news for fear of government interferance. People will only hear about the “good” things about religious organizations, and never hear of the wrongdoings for fear of being “blasphemous”.
Well, salty, I guess we’ll have to take care of that job for them.
NeoWolfe