Stephen Fry falls foul of crazy Irish blasphemy law
I wasn't planning on posting today but this kind of thing really astounds me. It seems Stephen Fry is facing an investigation following some comments he made in an interview.
According to a BBC article:
Officers are understood to be examining whether the British comedian committed a criminal offence under the Defamation Act when he appeared on RTE in 2015.....
Appearing on The Meaning of Life, hosted by Gay Byrne, in February 2015, Fry had been asked what he might say to God at the gates of heaven.
Fry said: "How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It's not our fault? It's not right. It's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?"
He went on to say that Greek gods "didn't present themselves as being all seeing, all wise, all beneficent", adding "the god who created this universe, if it was created by god, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish".
The article notes that he is unlikely to be prosecuted but could receive a 25K Euro fine!
I find it insane that in the 21st century we still have blasphemy laws in what is a modern and supposedly free country.
Ireland is not some ISIS-run mediaeval kingdom where they behead people in the street - it is a part of western europe.
That said it would be interesting to know what other European countries have such crazy laws. I think we still have some blasphemy laws in the UK - the last time they were used was for Monty Python's "The Life of Brian" movie.
I think it is high time that any country that claims to be part of the free world removes these kinds of crazy laws which restrict free speech and the open debate of religion.
What do you think? Have your say below.
Thank you for reading
They said it would never happen in practice. Would love to see what the people who argued it wasn't a real issue have to say now.
The problem is that our constitution requires we have a penalty for blasphemy. A few years ago instead of removing it from the constitution, our government put in a law for it, despite themselves saying that Ireland should not have blasphemy laws. The only group in favour of the blasphemy law were fringe religious groups.
These kind of laws are crazy but I think we still have them in the UK - all it takes is for someone to be offended and they might get used again!
Totally agree, my friend. We do not have to judge people as they think. Each one is free to say what he wants, as long as it is with respect. I partly agree with what Fry said. If someone created this world with a purpose, certainly this is not being fulfilled. The human race has many successes, but many serious errors that must be reversed immediately. However I believe in energy and science, as much as I am Catholic, I do not practice.
Yes exactly! People should be able to say what they think. I think it is inherently problematic if they are forced to stay silent out of fear.
That is the purpose of centralized power. Thank god ned created this! It is a possible solution to the mass domain that these concentrated groups try. Have a great saturday my friend!
You too!
I'm not really sure what to even say about this. It's just too crazy for words to be honest. Though I recently did hear how, in Sweden, as soon as you're born, you're signed up with a church. No choice, it just happens for everyone. If you want to leave later on in life, you have to pay for that. It is part of 'tradition', but to me, it just seems like state and church are mixed. This just doesn't sound right in a modern world. I was really surprised to hear about these things.
Yes it is really shocking to be honest. Didn't know that about Sweden - that is pretty odd too.
This not quite true I think but common practice. The same in Finland (where I am calling from).
Most just sign up because you can't have a christening without being a member of the church and even in open secular societies, some like the traditions.
We got a letter the other day reminding us that we can still have our 8 month old child baptised. Yeah right, thanks... totally forgot....
There was a compulsory church tax at one point but now it is only compulsory for members. Non-members get an equal value tax that goes to something else I think. Probably to the secret police as funding to investigate the non-members ;)
OK thanks for the clarification.
same in Norway
What the..@thecryptofiend is this why I am seeing Stephen Fry all over the net..blasphemy laws and yet its all this about freedom of speech how ridiculous.
Hey buddy! Man, it's good to be back, lol!
I'm over the moon you're still posting your great articles and are still proving to be such an inspiration on this platform. In regards to your post, I just heard about this this morning and was shocked. What is happening to the system of our law. It's a disgrace and I totally agree with you.
Well, again, it's a pleasure to see you are still here, man. Take care and steem on, brother! :)
Nice to see you are back!
I saw that interview, flipping crazy.
Definitely. Thanks for commenting :)
Out of curiosity, why weren't you going to post tonight?
I like to take a couple of days to make my posts.
Fair enough :)
cool
We have soooooooooo many rules and laws in this crazy world.
Yes for sure. I actually like one of the things that Trump proposed in that to add a new law you have to remove another one or something like that. That is not an endorsement of him but I think it is a good idea.
I agree with you regarding Stephen Fry's right to say whatever he feels. I totally agree with free speech regardless of what anyone has to say on any particular issue but I have to say I don't agree with his assessment that God is responsible for all of the misery and suffering that is taking place in the world. I don't pretend to understand the reasons why some things happen but I also don't think it's fair to say that because we have been sold a God that is all powerful and all merciful whilst living in a world that seems to be filled with destruction and suffering that that necessarily means there can be no God. Scientists will argue that when humans do not understand something their natural response is to bestow upon it a supernatural explanation (God) but in actual fact it can be explained scientifically once we have the tools to do so. Atheists will make the case that if there is a God he must be a harsh and merciless God otherwise why would he allow these things to happen in the first place yet we know there are measurable scientific reasons for these natural disasters. They won't accept the answer that this is our home and we alone bare responsibility for it and that perhaps there is a God who simply got things started and lets us make of it what we will. Perhaps the centuries of mining for natural resources, deforestation and pillaging of animal and plant life have some bearing on the condition of our home and its instability. We have no idea what damage we are doing to the earth with our blase consumption of its natural life blood and in general we take no personal responsibility for it either. I reserve the right to be mistaken and always open to new information but I always look for other explanations other than the ones that are being presented to me .Good post! thank you!
Great answer. I used to have very similar view to you. I don't anymore but the great thing is that we can have the discussion.
thank you and perhaps given more time and more thought and more evidence you may decide that your initial view was correct after all and that you find yourself agreeing with me once more.:) And perhaps you then find that I have come across some new information which I have given some more thought over some more time and now you find that I am still at odds with your view. I also used to have a very similar view of the world as you present in your post i.e., an atheistic view so we both have the same experience in reverse. Perhaps the truth is we simply choose the belief system that makes us feel comfortable and may fit best with the personal choices we make for ourselves in our lives. Again. I reserve the right to be wrong and it is a great thing when two men or women are able to control their emotional responses long enough to disagree with each other in polite, respectful conversation, so thank you again.