DANGER WITH BLASPHEMY LAWS IS THAT THE OFFENDED MAY BE FAKING THEIR OFFENDED STATE

Blasphemy is usually defined as speaking disparagingly against the sacred. Sometimes it is defined as insulting the religious beliefs of others. Sometimes both. Jesus said we must love God with all our powers and this is the most important commandment. Loving neighbour is only second runner up. Clearly religion has to accept the definition that blasphemy is speaking disparagingly against the sacred. Insulting the believers by insulting their beliefs is not as important. To accept the definition indicates that blasphemy law should only protect one religion and not the rest. That is because what is blasphemy to one faith is sacred to another and the law will soon become unworkable if all religions start to initiate legal campaigns against blasphemers.

The onus of proof is on the offended believer to prove that they really believe. You can't accuse someone of offending your belief unless you show that you really believe first. That will require a lot of evidence and require you to be able to defend your faith eloquently and reasonably. And the problem is that if you persecute or punish somebody for insulting your faith, you are acting like somebody that is insecure in her convictions. So proving the offended person who wants to put you in jail for offending them is sincere or sincere enough is not easy. It is not workable. And when religious people get some beliefs protected by civil law they soon add more beliefs in that they want protected.

Blasphemy laws are about protecting religious belief from criticism. That is a dangerous course for any nation to take. Belief by itself does not deserve protection and should be able to stand up for itself. And once you do away with freedom of inquiry, you end up doing away with belief. Only free inquiry and thinking for yourself helps you see what you should accept to be true. If faith needs protecting from free thinkers, that means that if it commands that they be murdered then we have no way of thinking clearly for ourselves to see that that would be wrong. Religions trying to get the law to punish those who question their beliefs or who laugh at them will only encourage blasphemy. People who are told not to blaspheme will do it quicker for the sake of free speech.