Blasphemy is verbal defamation against that which is held with the highest regard. I know it sounds really strange but a long time ago it used to be God that was held with the highest regard in society. And in such societies it was unbearable to hear God spoken of with such disdain. Many of them made laws against it because they believed it could quickly incite people to hatred and violence.
Of course in our society verbally defaming God is way down on the list of the worst things that can come out of people's mouths. And besides that we as western societies are too enlightened to limit people's free speech in the modern era... or are we?
The answer is we are not. We still believe in blasphemy laws. We still believe in laws that limit free speech against what people take to be of supreme value. But we just believe something else has replaced God as that which is supremely valuable. Instead of blasphemy, we call it hate speech.ˡ Speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits. You see, in a democracy the “demos” rules. It is the people themselves who are given the right to rule. And our values have been shaped around this in such a way that those held with the highest esteem are unequivocally “the people.” And in such a world, verbal defamation against the people themselves cannot be tolerated -especially minorities whose voices must not be suppressed when you strive for a healthy democracy. Thus, the active limitation of free speech and free expression as in every society continues on, just under a new name. But make no mistake. It is blasphemy; it is outlawing speech that defames that which is supreme. We're not more enlightened or tolerant than those wacky medieval folk. We just have a different supreme value.
This is interesting in its own right. But here's another little wrinkle that might be prophetic for the direction of western culture. What happens when God commits blasphemy? That is, what happens when God's purported speech offends “the demos?” The answer for now is the only space appropriate for such speech is the non-public arena. The answer for the future might be just the space between your ears.
( ˡ This connection was drawn from a lecture by Doug Wilson)
Of course in our society verbally defaming God is way down on the list of the worst things that can come out of people's mouths. And besides that we as western societies are too enlightened to limit people's free speech in the modern era... or are we?
The answer is we are not. We still believe in blasphemy laws. We still believe in laws that limit free speech against what people take to be of supreme value. But we just believe something else has replaced God as that which is supremely valuable. Instead of blasphemy, we call it hate speech.ˡ Speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits. You see, in a democracy the “demos” rules. It is the people themselves who are given the right to rule. And our values have been shaped around this in such a way that those held with the highest esteem are unequivocally “the people.” And in such a world, verbal defamation against the people themselves cannot be tolerated -especially minorities whose voices must not be suppressed when you strive for a healthy democracy. Thus, the active limitation of free speech and free expression as in every society continues on, just under a new name. But make no mistake. It is blasphemy; it is outlawing speech that defames that which is supreme. We're not more enlightened or tolerant than those wacky medieval folk. We just have a different supreme value.
This is interesting in its own right. But here's another little wrinkle that might be prophetic for the direction of western culture. What happens when God commits blasphemy? That is, what happens when God's purported speech offends “the demos?” The answer for now is the only space appropriate for such speech is the non-public arena. The answer for the future might be just the space between your ears.
( ˡ This connection was drawn from a lecture by Doug Wilson)
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