Blasphemy ? What is it ? How is it Done?

Hi, Chas, to me, blasphemy is an internal (to that particular religion) disciplinary device. Trouble is, believers get so carried away with their delusion that they think it will work on outsiders, whether religious or secular. As to whether one should respect other`s beliefs, case of the pot calling the kettle black. I see little respect afforded non-believers here, even to the extent of quoting their scriptures like we should be impressed. True consideration is a two-way street. Afford me courtesy and I`ll reciprocate.Edited for boldThis message has been edited by Nighttrain, 08-06-2005 02:43 AMThis message has been edited by Nighttrain, 08-06-2005 02:43 AM

My word for it would be arrogance. Whether it`s a knock on the door, tracts shoved in your face on the street, or people offering to `save` me, I find no excuse for bad manners. And if I reject the offer and point out why, the discussion descends into the laying of a curse (You`ll go to hell). Hardly the offering of a supposedly-enlightened person. While I applaud the actions of many religionists, the majority appear to pay lip-service to the principles I supposedly lack. Clean out your nest first, bud, I say

Wasn`t it Jack Chick who put out cartoons denigrating atheists? Now, that`s blasphemy. Jack will go straight to atheist hell!(a room full of bibles------in Bantu).

And which God would that be, RR? Allah? Yahweh? Zeus? Seth? Deities across the world? Dictionaries are supposed to be for the edification of the human race, not a particular religion.

And just which translation is the true one? Which interpretation did the authors mean?

Wiki`s summary gets a little closer to scary. Blasphemy is still on the lawbooks in several U.S. States, as well as in U.K. Wonder where the cross-over point into racial vilification lies? Oz is big on R.V. at present, but I`m not sure if we still have blasphemy laws.Blasphemy - WikipediaLikewise the link there to the Catholic Encyclopedia definition shows those guys never mucked around in centuries past. Would they enforce it in the 21st century?CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Blasphemy

If you ever want to see ham-handedness in full flight, you can`t go past laws drafted by lawyers.I think it was stated recently that our Parliament was passing 70-80 new laws a DAY. The mind boggles at the care shown in that mass-production plant. No sooner does someone cry 'offended', than they seek a law to cover it.
After denying citizens a crack at John Irving and his Holocaust-Denial Tour by refusing a visa, now we have to bite tongues at any extremist trend. Thus if you question billions wasted on aboriginal welfare without any change to conditions on the ground, you`re a racist. Query Israel`s stance on the Palestinian problem, and you`re anti-Semitic. Ask about the refugees held for years in detention camps and you`re supporting terrorism. What`s a bit of blasphemy compared to these?

Funny how the Israelis have hijacked the term 'anti-Semitic'. As I understand it the term Semitic embraces the Arab race, too, so you could say every time Israelis bad-mouth the Palestinians or Arabs in general, they are 'anti-Semitic'.