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Blasphemy is the act of disrespecting a religion or its beliefs. Many religions have laws against blasphemy, and some countries have blasphemy laws that punish acts of impiety. Blasphemy can also refer to irreverence towards prevailing social norms and can be expressed through satire or politically incorrect statements.
Blasphemy is the act of paying no heed to the reverence of a religion or not holding high regard for the tenants, practices, or objects that are central to or relevant to that religion. All major religions in history have had some form of ban on overt blasphemy. The term itself appears in the Bible’s Gospel of Mark, verse 3:29 and literally means “lies told about the truth of God.” While nearly all major religions have been adversaries of acts of heresy, impiety, and apostasy, the Judeo-Christian tradition has historically been the predominant force in combating such acts. However, blasphemy in contemporary terms is no longer confined to a religious context, as it is now a term that refers to any irreverence that goes against prevailing conventional wisdom.
Throughout human history, numerous religions have instituted laws against blasphemous acts to combat the threat posed by the erosion of public faith. Today, there are a number of countries that have blasphemy laws that explicitly punish acts of apostasy, heresy, and impiety against a specific religion or religion in general. These types of blasphemy laws are most prominent in nations that have official state-sponsored religions or in nations that are administered by theocratic governments. Some countries allow victims of blasphemy to recover damages – both compensatory and punitive – by labeling some forms of blasphemous acts as “hate speech”.
A number of religious orders and sects have made public acts of apostasy, heresy and capital sacrilege punishable by execution. In Leviticus in the Bible, such acts against Judaism are considered punishable by death – often without trial – and are among the highest possible offenses against the Jewish faith. Similarly, blasphemy against some aspect of the Christian faith was punished by death, torture and, in milder cases, ostracism of the offender. In the Bible, any act of blasphemy against God or the Holy Spirit is considered “eternal sin” and is beyond redemption or absolution. In some Catholic interpretations, however, acts of apostasy and impiety are pardonable as long as the offender follows the prescribed penance and acts of contrition for forgiveness.
Despite its traditional use in matters of religious apostasy or heresy, the term blasphemy is also quite widespread in secular matters. The term is used in many colloquial forms to present intellectual or spiritual irreverence against the prevailing social, political or cultural mores of a given society. Many cultural pundits and observers make use of contrarian positions that rub against the mainstream of the societies in which they live. Often this irreverence is expressed in satire or politically incorrect missives on any number of topics and can ironically be a source of popularity and success.
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