Is a law prohibiting blasphemy, blasphemous? [Spirituality & Religion]

@kayoshin The UK media doesn't attack christianity but criticism of other religions, particularly Islam, and their followers isn't uncommon. The UK blasphemy law only refers to christianity. It's legal to say whatever you like about any other god. There are some restrictions on religious discrimination against their followers but not not even as much as there are on sex discrimination.

Attacks on certain radical followers and the perceived actions of some extremists but it doesn't attack their god or belief core to be called blasphemy.

@kayoshin Attacking other gods and their followers isn't blasphemy in UK law. There were moves to change that some years ago but christians rallied against it.

Rallies mean nothing in politics without numbers. If you doubt that get your friends together and rally in an islamic country for the rights of christians. If the Christian rally worked then it's a Christian majority country. You can't modify the law to include all religions on the simple basis of there being so many anything you do will offend someone, however it's easy to avoid offending most of your country and if there are other religious groups with sufficient numbers they can influence the government if they so wish to. If they don't then the possibilities are 2: 1. it's not a real issue because there are not enough people to be offended 2. it's not a real issue because there isn't actually that much blasphemy going on towards other religions. Remember that slander or harassment of a religious group and blasphemy towards their gods are not the same thing.

@kayoshin The UK is a christian country not because the majority of the population are practising christians (they aren't) but because the head of the christian church here is the Head of State. The church also has its own appointed representatives in Parliament so can exercise considerable influence over any legislation there.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/23/no-religion-outnumber-christians-england-wales-study

If we are to believe this (and maybe the numbers are fudged a little but I doubt they fudged to a huge degree?) then the Christian religions sum up to 43.8% of the population and only 7.7 % have another religion, you can't talk about blasphemy to the 48.5% that state they have no religion, no religion-no blasphemy.
The majoritary religion is by far Christian with almost half the population and the other half doesn't care but is likely to offend the ones that do so it makes sense to have laws that prevent setting half the population against the other half.
About the influence of the church: if the people wished for a laic state they could get it since the numbers are in their favor assuming that issue would be so important that it would have the main weight when people decided who to vote for but really this is a non-issue for most people and I doubt the jails are full of people for taking the lord's name in vain in the pub :)

@kayoshin I doubt the numbers are fudged but a lot of older people will say they're christian (CoE) simply because they can't think of anything else. I've even been told that, being white and English, I must be a christian. Even then, christians are no longer the majority of the population.

There are a lot of disused churches and most of those that are used struggles to fill even a single row of seats. Despite that, the church still wields enormous power in the UK, far disproportionate to its practising, fully paid up members.

@suzie1960 i say this out of love. you don't have to like chritians but you don't have to hate them either. what happened to you years ago was wrong, very wrong, but it was in the past and you are allowing it to color the futre and fill it with hate. isn't it time you used your passion for more then hating chrstiands becase they were unkind to you when you wanted to leave the CoE. find your joy elsewhere and be happy and at peace.

@ladycae I am happy and at peace now I've broken away from christianity. I just don't want to see others get caught in the same trap I was. I do what I do out of concern for my fellow man.

@suzie1960 your fellow man can make and deserve the right to make their own decisions in peace. i have seen you refuse to let an issue die ad continualy push people that state they are christians, most recently the man who was prayed over and healed. these are not the actions of concern, these are the actions of someone with undealt with issues and an axe to grind. they say actionns speak louder then words.

@ladycae I think you're being a little hypocritical there. Don't you think I also deserve the right to make my own decisions in peace? You said "I say this out of love", that's what I'm doing when I try to warn others of the hidden dangers of getting involved with christianity. It's like any other trap, it looks harmless at first but by the time you realise the danger it's often too late. People should be free to make informed choice, I just provide some information, they're free to accept or reject it as they wish.

A christian woman was prayed for yet not healed. When she finally accepted a Wiccan's offer to cast a healing spell for her, she was miraculously cured. Do you accept the the Wiccan deities helped but the christian god didn't? That how it looks to me.

@suzie1960 then why did you get enraged when i said i pray for people here. if its not an issue why the rage. you may make your own choice i have never said you couldn't. i have always treated you with a lot more respect than you have ever given me. certianly state your opinion, but leave it there, stop berating people and telling them they are wrong. i am very hapy the woman was healed regardless of how it happened. that is always a great thing.

@ladycae What did I say that gave you the impression I was enraged simply because you pray for others? I think I made it clear that I only object to that when it's done in spite of being asked by the subject not to. The Wiccan in the story I linked to [b]offered[/b] to cast a healing spell. Although the author doesn't explicitly say so, it appears the Wiccan respected the woman's request not to cast the spell. That's the difference.

I get plenty of flak from christians, telling me I'm wrong and stupid for turning my back on "god". I've been told by people who have never met me that I couldn't have been a real christian and that I never accepted Jesus as my saviour. Why is it OK for them to do that but wrong for me to respond in kind?

So you are saying that you as a wiccan are no better than the christians you hate? doesn't that type of behavior go againsst the wiccan faith?

and how i knew you were enraged is because you blasted me for it. you were not just a tad put out, you were furious at the fact i might have prayed for you even though you never asked me not to. the subject had never come until i told another person i was praying for them. you literally became unhinged.

i disagree with chritians who act as you descrie but given how you treat them i can understand it. that doesn't make it right. we are called to be witnesses not to make people change their minds.

but if you had no issues and were totally happy and serene as you said you would not react the way you do. you would slough it off your back like water but instead you get pissed. that is undealt with agression coming out not at the people who hurt you but at everyone else.

@ladycae What gives you the idea I'm a Wiccan just because I show them the same respect they show others? I treat people, including christians, they way they treat me.

I became unhinged? LOL!!!! Whatever gave you that idea? I admit I was annoyed at the way you ignored another person's feeling by praying for them when it was clear it would offend them. As an Atheist I do find it somewhat offensive for a christian to pray for me. Do you think most christians would be happy for a Satanist to pray to Satan to help lead them away from their god? As all non-christians are supposed to be in league with "the Devil", why is it any different when christians pray for non-christians to be led to the christian god?

You seem to be getting a bit upset now. Maybe you're not as much at peace as you profess to be.

@suzie1960 that is not what i pray. you are making an assumption, i pray for their health and well beinng as an act of charity. hahahaha i am not a all anoyed i just think you need to be a bit more honest and not chage your words to suit your narative.

apologies for thinking you were wiccan, you just talk about them a lot and use them in examples and i happen to findmany things about them pretty great.

and any satanist can pray that al he wants. satan can't sway me, i've seen too much and been through to much and my faith is solid as a rock.