Blasphemy

Blasphemy is the defamation of the name of God or the gods, and by extension any display of gross irreverence towards any person or thing deemed worthy of exalted esteem. In this broader sense the term is used by Sir Francis Bacon in the Advancement of Learning, when he speaks of "blasphemy against learning". Many cultures disapprove of speech or writing which defames the God or gods of their established religions, and these restrictions have the force of law in some countries.

Related Topics:
Defamation - God - Francis Bacon - Advancement of Learning - Religion - Law

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Christian theology explicitly legislates against blasphemy, as in the Luke 12:10, where blaspheming the Holy Spirit is decreed as unforgivable.

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The public domain 1913 Webster's Unabridged Dictionary defines blasphemy as:

Related Topics:
1913 - Webster

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: Blasphemy (Blas"phe*my) n.

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:*An indignity offered to God in words, writing, or signs; impiously irreverent words or signs addressed to, or used in reference to, God; speaking evil of God; also, the act of claiming the attributes or prerogatives of deity. When used generally in statutes or at common law, blasphemy is the use of irreverent words or signs in reference to the Supreme Being in such a way as to produce scandal or provoke violence.

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:*Figuratively, of things held in high honor: Calumny; abuse; vilification.

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The Catholic Encyclopedia has a more extensive article on Blasphemy.

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Sometimes blasphemous words are spoken under stress and not by deliberate act.

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Some include here cases when sacred names are used as stress expletives without intention to pray or speak of sacred matters.

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Sometimes the word "blasphemy" is used loosely to mean any profane language, for example in "With much hammering and blasphemy, the locomotive's replacement spring was finally fitted.".

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