United Nations Affirms the Human Right to Blaspheme | Politics | Religion Dispatches.
Spanish artist Javier Krahe was found not guilty of the crime of “offending religious feelings” . Who would have thought that in our times, those kinds of laws exist in countries like the ones that are part of the European Union?
They have even adopted it into their constitution:
1. The dignity of the person, the inviolable rights which are inherent, the free development of the personality, the respect for the law and for the rights of others are the foundation of political order and social peace.
2. Provisions relating to the fundamental rights and liberties recognized by the Constitution shall be construed in conformity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international treaties and agreements thereon ratified by Spain.
This is the year 2012 CE, the 21st century, and yet now, some people have not come to the conclusion that ideas do not have rights. Only persons have human rights.
When we express something we are putting forth and idea, and ideas are subject to scrutiny. Upon examination, one can agree or disagree with an idea, adopt it or dismiss it, support it or fight it, all this is within our basic rights.
Many times one finds that heated debate of ideas can be very fun, even when in the end you do not agree and think that your intellectual adversary is a complete idiot (she/he surely thinks the same of you), if only this can be done in a civilized fashion.
I can understand a blasphemy law in a theocracy. How else can they maintain control? But how can it be explained in the Western world’s so-called modern democracies? You will be surprised to see how many democracies have this sort of laws. I would think that maybe we are faced with what Isabel Turrent calls “moral autism”.
This sort of law should be challenged and overturned as soon as possible.
See you next time.
Related articles
- Spanish Artist Faces Prison For Insulting The Catholic Faith (jonathanturley.org)
- Sacrilege: an excerpt from Austin Dacey’s The Future of Blasphemy (therevealer.org)
- Whose Blasphemy? The Atheist Case for ‘Religious Freedom’ (chasdarwin.com)
- Singer songwriter Javier Krahe not guilty for cooking Christ (typicallyspanish.com)
I do agree that freedom of speech must and should always reign, where-ever the possibility of it doing so may be. I thank God that we have this freedom here in the USA. I celebrate this freedom even when what I believe in is castigated and put down.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.