h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Blasphemy in New Jersey: Robert Ingersoll and the Atheist Tent Revival - A87836647
Author: Dmitri Gheorgheni - U1590784

Ahem. Blasphemy trials are serious business. You are not allowed to laugh.

Not like those hyenas in New York City...

This is an excellent entry well done

This is very good, amusing and informative.

One question- where did the date of 1967 come from, where you say the Blasphemy Act 'hung around, in one form or another, until 1967,'?
I thought the Blasphemy Act was only abolished in 2008, after the introduction of an offence of inciting religious hatred.

I read 1967 online, MVP. Thanks - I'll check it out, and change if necessary.

Okay, as far as I can sort it out:

William's Act was repealed in 1967 under the Criminal Law Act.

However, your laws are complex. There appear to have been other anti-blasphemy statutes that were repealed in 2008.

I hope that makes sense.

If not, jurists, enlighten me. I have enough trouble sorting out New Jersey.

This is very entertaining; well researched and written. I think 1697 should read 1097, apart from that excellent.

Thanks.

No, the blasphemy law was 1697. William III,

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46921

Ah, that William! Sorry I was somewhat misled by the bit about it not being called England at the time...

No it says not called UK yet. I should use my reading glasses more often!

Same problem here.

I was just trying to make sure I didn't say 'UK' before the Union with Scotland.

Hi Dmitri. Interesting entry.

You say "In the West, we tend to associate blasphemy issues with times gone by".

I would have thought blasphemy is very much an issue of our times. Look at the religious death sentence on Salman Rushdie, the fuss about the Danish cartoonist publishing pictures of the Prophet Muhammad, and the introduction in Ireland in the last 10 years or so of a law against blasphemy. Blasphemy is an issue wherever there are Muslim people, which certainly includes every country in Europe, a lot of Africa and a lot of Asia.

I would have thought there are Muslims in the US too. Are their protestations of blasphemy ignored?

Good point. What I meant to say - as tactfully as possible - is that in most Western countries, blasphemy was not as acute an issue these days among Christians.

By and large, yes, in the US, Muslim protestations of blasphemy get ignored - or turn into arguments about the First Amendment.

The issue crops up from time to time. For example, in 1989, when 'The Last Temptation' was in theatres, I tried to borrow Kazanzakis' book from the public library. The only copy had been stolen by some zealot. To see the film with some students, I had to make them promise not to tell my colleague, an otherwise broad-minded Benedictine priest.

Let me see if I can reword that to everyone's satisfaction.

Tell you what, I thought about it, and just changed that claim from 'in the West' to 'in the United States'.

Will that work for you?

Yes, that works well.

Thanks for taking a look.

The rest of the entry is fine, by the way.

I find it odd that a blasphemy law would single out Christian concepts.

The Irish blasphemy law is equally ridiculous, in that it outlaws anything that insults anybody else's religion, without stating what that religion might be. So if I believe in the Great Green Arkleseizure, you're not allowed insult him.

That could make for interesting court cases.

I love your writing, Dmitri, you send me off on cerebral table tennis, bouncing between incredulity and laughing out loud as I look up the protagonists. Robert G. Ingersoll surely deserves an Entry all of his own. I was amused by your header "Enlightening the Simple in New Jersey" (I recall your mentioning in one of my PR threads that American folks cannot use the word "dumb") - I'm reminded of the quote in Forrest Gump...

We have h2g2 Entries on The Bible A272675 and Ben Hur A7440437 - the Charlton Heston one that is - it just happens to be one of my all time favourite films even though I am not religious, it moves me to tears every time. One of these days I will tell you the story of how I was banned from Sunday School for pointing out to the teacher that the Bible was wrong (I was about 8) my mother was mortified (she is religious and used to attend church regularly) but my father would not hear of me being punished because he agreed with me

GB

I'm glad you enjoyed this one, GB.

How many kids have had that experience in Sunday School? I'm reminded of my sister when she was a wise-cracking teenager.

Lady in Methodist Sunday School: 'But how do you FEEL about premarital sex?'

My sister (who was a guest, and should have known better): 'I'm sure it FEELS fine.'

My other sister, as a ten-year-old.

Our mom, teaching Sunday School: 'What was Joseph like?' (Expecting 'virtuous, helpful, visionary, etc')

Sis: 'Joseph was a crumb.'

Mom: 'Why was he a crumb?'

Sis: 'He ratted on his brothers. You don't do that.'

The Bible: productive source of subject matter for ethical reflection...

And you're right: Robert Ingersoll deserves his own entry someday. He's a fascinating character. You can hear him speak here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLLapwIoEVI

You'll notice that Ingersoll was not the spoilsport kind of agnostic who merely enjoys knocking down other people's sand castles. He was a very hopeful kind of man, who wanted to make people happier. I like him a lot, and I enjoy reading him.