[lol Ireland] Blasphemy Illegal...

[kaffein]

Well there goes any plans to ever visit...

http://www.palibandaily.com/2009/07/09/ ... y-illegal/

How does this impact free speech? Just don’t be rude.

* Atheists can be prosecuted for saying that God is imaginary. That causes outrage.
* Pagans can be prosecuted for saying they left Christianity because God is violent and bloodthirsty, promotes genocide, and permits slavery.
* Christians can be prosecuted for saying that Allah is a moon god, or for drawing a picture of Mohammed, or for saying that Islam is a violent religion which breeds terrorists.
* Jews can be prosecuted for saying Jesus isn’t the Messiah.

The text of the legislation:

36. Publication or utterance of blasphemous matter.

(1) A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000. [Amended to €25,000]

(2) For the purposes of this section, a person publishes or utters blasphemous matter if (a) he or she publishes or utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion, and (b) he or she intends, by the publication or utterance of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.

(3) It shall be a defence to proceedings for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that a reasonable person would find genuine literary, artistic, political, scientific, or academic value in the matter to which the offence relates.

37. Seizure of copies of blasphemous statements.

(1) Where a person is convicted of an offence under section 36, the court may issue a warrant (a) authorising any member of the Garda Siochana to enter (if necessary by the use of reasonable force) at all reasonable times any premises (including a dwelling) at which he or she has reasonable grounds for believing that copies of the statement to which the offence related are to be found, and to search those premises and seize and remove all copies of the statement found therein, (b) directing the seizure and removal by any member of the Garda Siochana of all copies of the statement to which the offence related that are in the possession of any person, © specifying the manner in which copies so seized and removed shall be detained and stored by the Garda Siochana.

(2) A member of the Garda Siochana may (a) enter and search any premises, (b) seize, remove and detain any copy of a statement to which an offence under section 36 relates found therein or in the possession of any person, in accordance with a warrant under subsection (1).

(3) Upon final judgment being given in proceedings for an offence under section 36, anything seized and removed under subsection (2) shall be disposed of in accordance with such directions as the court may give upon an application by a member of the Garda Siochana in that behalf.

[Android Bishop]

[Tone Deft]

goddamnit.

[Homebelly]

This is a joke, right?
please tell me this comes from the Onion?

[Illum]

well fuck mother mary with her own baby jesus...that seems kinda silly nilly.

[leedsquietman]

what's the big deal - this kind of thing has been the case for many years, but like the fact that contraception is not allowed, it doesn't stop 90% of the country using it because you cannot enforce rules like this, there aren't enough prisons to lock up even 5% of such occurances. So ignore, the Garda have much better things to do with their time.

[condra]

The majority of Irish people don't give a shit about religion anymore, half of us grew up, the other half we're raped by priests. A lot of people here, myself included, are very pissed off with the situation. That guy Noel Ahern is a fucking moron.

[Machinesworking]

what's the big deal - this kind of thing has been the case for many years, but like the fact that contraception is not allowed, it doesn't stop 90% of the country using it because you cannot enforce rules like this, there aren't enough prisons to lock up even 5% of such occurances. So ignore, the Garda have much better things to do with their time.

Right, so Black Metal musicians for instance will have no problem getting to play Ireland? I would bet they will, and so will any other deemed 'blasphemous' art. Worst thing about Ireland IMO is the stranglehold religion has on the society, and yet it's not a big deal.

[ethios4]

That law is blasphemous.

[leedsquietman]

http://www.tartareandesire.com/bands/Primordial/1300/

http://www.metalunderground.com/bands/d ... andid=7176

http://www.metalireland.com/2009/06/22/ ... crocosmos/


There are plenty of metal bands, including black metal bands, and other musicians from other genres who sing blasphemous words and bad language and I have not heard of any of these bands being prosecuted in any way, nor any of their fans. Laws and their application are two very different things in Ireland. I have Irish grandparents, am a Catholic myself and have visited the Emerald Isle many times. Although many people go to church on a Sunday, many of them certainly don't practise the 10 commandments or live by ancient fundamentalist rules, almost everyone uses birth control, many eat Meat on a Friday in Lent, etc, etc. Some confess and the re-offend, others just live their lives. There is no 'Inquisition' and people being put in the stocks for adultery, having babies out of wedlock or coveting one's sheep these days. The days of terrible institutions for not being able to recite the rosary etc, are long, long gone.

[Homebelly]

http://www.tartareandesire.com/bands/Primordial/1300/

http://www.metalunderground.com/bands/d ... andid=7176

http://www.metalireland.com/2009/06/22/ ... crocosmos/


There are plenty of metal bands, including black metal bands, and other musicians from other genres who sing blasphemous words and bad language and I have not heard of any of these bands being prosecuted in any way, nor any of their fans. Laws and their application are two very different things in Ireland. I have Irish grandparents, am a Catholic myself and have visited the Emerald Isle many times. Although many people go to church on a Sunday, many of them certainly don't practise the 10 commandments or live by ancient fundamentalist rules, almost everyone uses birth control, many eat Meat on a Friday in Lent, etc, etc. Some confess and the re-offend, others just live their lives. There is no 'Inquisition' and people being put in the stocks for adultery, having babies out of wedlock or coveting one's sheep these days. The days of terrible institutions for not being able to recite the rosary etc, are long, long gone.

All of this might well be true..
But none of it explains the agenda behind why this law needs to be passed.
Laws are not put there so they can be ignored.
Some times they are passed with language that might be interpreted in many ways, and this is the part that would worry me
if i where in Ireland right now.
Plus, after some hurried reading, I'm still not sure why this legislation has been put in place any way???
It all a bit to "if your not doing any thing wrong, you have nothing to fear" for my liking...