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Ireland's Blasphemy Law Goes Into Effect
stereoroid writes "As of January 1, it is a crime in Ireland to commit Blasphemy. The law was changed in July 2009 to fill a gap in the Irish Constitution, which states that it is a crime but does not define what it is, an omission highlighted in a Supreme Court decision in 1999. To mark the occasion, Atheist Ireland published a list of 25 blasphemous quotations on the blasphemy.ie website, from such controversial figures as Bjork, Frank Zappa, Richard Dawkins, Randy Newman, and Pope Benedict XVI. (The last-mentioned was quoting a 14th Century Byzantine Emperor, but that's no excuse.)"
Actually, it does matter what the attacked party believes. If I arguing or chastising you and threaten to shoot you with a redeemer or bioriffle, no one would ever take the threat seriously regardless of what I thought about their real life existence.
Here is the problem with insults as you minimized the situation to. Ever heard the old adage about sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me? There is truth in that because unless you believe in what is being said, you have to actually allow it to hurt you. It's like racial name calling, If someone calls me a cracker, I laugh because it's not a very good insult to me. It's actually kind of funny to tell you the truth. I know their intent was to insult me or something, but it only works if I let it. It's like the N-word, I find it ridiculous that anyone would let someone else have that much control over them by taking personal offense over word being spoken. In fact, most of the people who use the word would drop it if it didn't have the effect it has because the intent of using it is generally to be rude or insult someone.
Now it might be a different story if someone was calling me a cracker while attacking me, or calling a black man a nigger while attacking them, but just saying it requires nothing of you to participate in it unless you willingly fall down to their levels.
I mean fuck, we aren't in third grade anymore. Does someone attempting to insult you with things you do not believe in or subscribe to really effect a person? I mean if I tell you to go to imagination land, or if you don't do something you will be beaten with a wet noodle, are you somehow offended now? Adults should act like adults and not be concerned with idiots who believe in unprovable things you do not.
The problem exists when it goes beyond a lack of belief and into a positive assertion.
Evangelical Atheist will assert that there is no god, not that they do not believe in a god. You can see this documented quite well even here where self proclaimed atheists attempt to assert this to anyone showing the sign of a belief in a god. When it goes from a "I don't believe there is a god" to a "I believe there is no god", then it goes from the traditional lack of to an affirmative of something that is unprovable -either way- just like religion.
But we must also understand that a god isn't necessary for a religion. Buddhism is probably the most popular one that is considered a complete religion. Now don't get me wrong, Buddhism can have gods, and many Christians follow the core sets of Buddhism as a complement to their own religion. TO say Atheism is not a religion is probably proper but we can't ignore the people who intent to use it as a religion or substitute religion.