Reader's Blog: Blasphemy vote is a slap in face for good will
To decriminalise blasphemy, by first removing it from the Constitution, is, in my view, a retrograde step that will lead us further down the slippery path to a decadent society. While the crime of blasphemy is one that is solely aimed at people with religious affiliations, all of our god-fearing citizens will be offended by another attempt to edit decent values from the Constitution and to further undermine the common good that every nations’ constitution tries to protect.
Lawyer.ie’s Guide to the Law in the Republic of Ireland contains an article regarding the Defamation Act 2009; Changes to ‘slander’ and ‘libel’ laws. There is a comment at the end of its treatise on defamation law: “The notorious blasphemy provision (section 36) however has tremendous potential for abuse.” This layman would like to know from some legal eagle, what it is about blasphemy that has the potential for abuse?
As recently as 2009 (less than a decade ago) our former taoiseach Bertie Ahern saw fit to enshrine the law of blasphemy in the Defamation Act 2009. What kind of traumatic events have happened during the short time since the Defamation Act was introduced that are causing such unrest in the corridors of Leinster House? What are people of faith to be left with if the protection of religious freedoms is to be threatened by widespread media outlets riding roughshod: Writing, speaking, and filming their way through matters held sacred by all religions?
The retention of blasphemy in our Constitution is paramount if we are to be honest and fair-minded in our dealings with our new multicultural society
The well-revered Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary definition of blasphemy is as follows: ‘Behaviour or bad language that insults or shows a lack of respect for God or religion.’
The removal of the word blasphemy from the Constitution may be a small step for our Government but it is a giant slap in the face of God and all citizens of good will who practise their beliefs in the security and hitherto protection of the (defamation) blasphemy law.
