An Irish atheist group has published a series of quotations on religion in an attempt to challenge a blasphemy law that went into effect on New Year’s Day.
The 25 “blasphemous” quotations include the words of Jesus, Mohammed, Mark Twain, Salman Rushdie and Bjork.
Atheist Ireland published the list on its Web site Friday. It says it aims to challenge the law, which makes blasphemy a crime punishable by a €25,000-($35,800) fine.
I tried this when there was an anti-blasphemy law proposed in NJ. Sadly, it never became law, and I never went to prison. This is, however, a good reminder on what is coming unless we fight.
That is why I wish the atheists would take the threat seriously they do not want to offend the theists and yet the theists want to destroy those who appose them. As much as I respect and honor Michael Newdow he wishes to fight within the confines of secular law. But to fight the zealots you must fight them on their foundation of authority and power.
we all have to be as versed as Hitchens and Harris…..I lean towards Hitchens due to his vigorous disdain and unapologetic candor….
break the ridiculous law Irish Atheist….let blasphemy ring…
maybe the irish atheists can focus their blasphemy towards the child abuse scandal that is going on….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQGczIx6Sg
So the all powerful all knowing God needs a manmade law to protect his feelings,its good name.Seems to me a blasphemy law is blasphemy.
I consider it rather humorous that at the point in my life where I realized there was no “spiritual” solution to the human condition, that my favorite citations of examples of how religion is destroying civilization was 1) the crusades, and 2) Northern Ireland. The catholics and the protestants at each others throats, killing men, women, and children. To this day they are still telling stories of the Irish Republican Army, of the ruthlessness, their clever clandestine activities. It rivals anything Al Qaeda has done, both in absolute random bloodshed and religious fanaticism.
What is even more humorous, though, is that when shit brained elected officials come together to hammer out long term solutions, they decide that no one can say anything to piss off the other side of the religious divide. Not for one second did any of them consider that the core of the problem is not blasphemy, but religion itself. It’s much like treating cancer with aspirin. But, worse than that they seek to silence the only voice of reason that exposes the real source of violence, religion.
This why I often doubt that humanity can survive. We have the inteligence to ask the questions, but, when the answers are not readily available, we make up myths to explain the unexplainable, and create gods to give our life purpose. And in the mix we create pseudomorals that prevent us from dealing with the real issues such as over population, the intervention of medical science into natural selection, and the greed of the few at the expense of the many. We think we are smart, but we are on the razor’s edge of smarting ourselves into extinction. And the few voices of reason ringing out in the darkness are labeled as blasphemy.
NeoWolfe
In Massachusetts there is still a law against blasheme on the books. It reads:
PART IV. CRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGSIN CRIMINAL CASES
TITLE I. CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER
Chapter 272: Section 36. Blasphemy
Section 36. Whoever wilfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.
Moreover, I recently read an Executive Order issued by our Governor. A little research shows that all executive orders in MA have, at the bottom, the following:
“God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts”
god damn fascinating Larry…..shouldnt the supreme court being ruling on the constitutionality of this obviously ridiculous law …
it seems the only way to challenge this law is to break it…..publicize it….and show how ridiculous the law is….
wow….check out the rest of CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/gl-272-toc.htm
theres no fornicating in section 18