What is Blasphemy?
{{Wiktionary|blasphemy}} [[File:BlasphemyDurer.jpg|thumb|150px|Of Blasphemy, from the ''[[Narrenschiff]]'' (The Ship of Fools); [[woodcut]] attributed to [[Albrecht Dürer]]]] [[File:Félicien_Rops_-_La_tentation_de_Saint_Antoine.jpg|thumb|''The Temptation of St. Antonius'' is a painting by [[Félicien Rops]].]] '''Blasphemy''' is a word that means ''speaking badly about a [[religion]]'', or ''[[insult]]ing a [[god]]''. Some religions see blasphemy as a religious crime. Many countries witha [[state religion]] have [[laws]] that make blasphemy a [[crime]]. For example, blasphemy can be punished with the [[death penalty]] in [[Saudi Arabia]] or [[Pakistan]]. In other countries, the punishment for the crime is a [[fine]], or [[prison|imprisonment]]. Some countries do not have laws against blasphemy. For example, after the [[French Revolution]], [[France]] made blasphemy legal to make sure people would have [[freedom of religion]] and the [[freedom of the press]]. The [[United States]], [[Canada]], and many [[Europe]]an countries, have laws to protect people who speak badly about religion. Sometimes people do this in a [[satirical]] way, like with a [[movie]] that makes fun of a religion. In these countries, [[profanity]] is often protected by [[freedom of speech]] as well. ==Related pages== *[[Heresy]] *[[Profanity]] *[[Sacrilege]] == References == {{reflist}} *''Maledicta: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression'' (ISSN US 0363-3659) *Levy, L. ''Blasphemy''. Chapel Hill, 1993. *Dartevelle, P., S Borg, Denis, Ph., Robyn, J. (eds.). ''Blasphèmes et libertés.'' Paris: CERF, 1993 *Plate, S. Brent ''Blasphemy: Art that Offends'' (London: Black Dog Publishing, 2006) [{{ISBN|1904772536}}] ==Other websites== *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02595a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Blasphemy] *[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1119&letter=B&search=Blasphemy Jewish Encyclopedia: Blasphemy] * [http://www.brentonpriestley.com/writing/blasphemy.htm Comprehensive academic study comparing global legal approaches t