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A MAJORITY OF people believe that there should be a referendum on the issue of removing the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution.
And, according to the poll carried out by Amarách Research for Claire Byrne Live, 62% of Irish people said they would vote to remove the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution.
While 52% of people said there should be a referendum on the issue, 33% disagreed while 15% didn’t know.
When asked how they’d vote on the matter, 14% said they would keep it in the Constitution while 24% said they didn’t know.
The Defamation Act 2009 prohibits the utterance or publication of “blasphemous matter”. As for what constitutes blasphemy, the legislation defines a person as saying or publicising “blasphemous matter” if:
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, or
He or she intends, by the publication or utterance of the matter concerns, to cause such outrage.
This topic hit the news again just this week, after it emerged that a complaint had been made to An Garda Síochana about comments made by TV presenter and writer Stephen Fry on an RTÉ show.
During the show, Fry told host Gay Byrne that he believed God is “quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish”.
Speaking on the matter, Health Minister Simon Harris called Ireland’s blasphemy law “silly” and said he’d like a referendum on the issue in the near future.
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There was a lot of talk about adding removing a referendum on the blasphemy laws to the referendum on marriage equality. The government chickened out though and probably bowed to religious pressure groups. If it had been added it would have been a slam dunk. All those people who came home to vote would have voted it out of the constitution!!!! It should have been done then !!!
@Catherine Sims: sorry typing too fast . Talk of ADDING the Blasphemy laws to the marriage equality referendum. That’s what it should have said.
@Catherine Sims: Exactly – and the talk of “oh we can’t do it because it’s too expensive” is BS precisely for this reason – the govt. had an opportunity to run in in 2015 alongside other referenda and didn’t.
It’s not an issue of cost, it’s political dodgery. The cost of a referendum would be low considering we get to improve the constitution that underlines the rights of Irish citizens – which should include the right to unrestricted critique of any and all ideas/ideologies without fear of prosecution.
@Catherine Sims:
A country run by fly by nights.
Appalling notion.
@Jack Cassady: I can think of a worse one :)
@Jack Cassady: What’s your stance on the victimless crime of blasphemy
I’m astonished only 62% would remove it.
I’m sure the others must be decent god-fearing people.
@Simon: a lot of dont knows, lets hope they were just ppl caught on the hop or in need of a toilet.
@Simon: agreed, but in fairness only 14% would keep it.
@Mick Tobin: Why would an omnipotent and omniscient god need humans to defend it, if it gets insulted?
I have not heard any sensible argument for the retention of the statutory offence of Blasphemy. I see no benefit in having a prohibition of Blasphemy in the Constitution.
It is a bad idea to mix religion and religious dogma with law, politics and social policy.
Get rid of it immediately , when Ahern introduced it it was applauded by Pakistan for gods sake
@Mike Cantwell: Ahern already explained he didn’t introduce it, it was written into our laws when our constitution was drawn up. He had to address it in 2009 and said 2 days ago he wrote it in such a way that it could never be enforced. He should have put it to a referendum to remove it in hindsight as that was an option.
Why would a God crave for people to believe in him…..and if you decide you don’t want to believe in him he decides to let you burn in a fiery pit of pish forever. That sounds like an entity that craves attention and has serious issues.
@Dead Mousche: he is a desperately insecure God who craves adulation. He is worried that he won’t exist if people don’t believe in him.
@Tony Daly….Sad isn’t it….a God that needs confirmation of its existence by demanding that we believe in him or we’ll be punished. Egotistical at best.
@Dead Mousche: Violent, psychopathic, narcissist. He had his child brutally tortured and murdered for his own self gratification.
Fry didn’t mention any religion and he was brought up Jewish. So we don’t know which God he was referring to. It may have been The Flying Spagetti Monster . Pastafraians revere this God in the church of The Flying Spagetti Monster. Perhaps these pastafarians were really offended and even removed the colanders from their heads in protest. They are always supposed to wear them so this would be pretty serious. This is an official church btw and some pastafarians have won the right to wear their colanders in officials photographs for drivers liscenses and such .
@Catherine Sims: All hail his noodly appendages
@Catherine Sims: This law refers to all ‘gods’.
@Ed Magnier: Even Apollo and Thor?
Whether it’s there or not won’t make any difference to idiots like Stephen Fry who crave the emotional satisfaction of gratuitously insulting high minded people of noble spirit.
@Jack Cassady: unlike yourself who would never gratuitously insult anyone by calling them idiots ???
@Jack Cassady: The ‘anyone who disagrees with my belief system is an idiot’ brigade are back in town it seems…
@Jack Cassady: Calling an intellectual juggernaut and polymath like Stephen Fry an idiot speaks more to your own I.Q. than his.
@Jack Cassady: You must be trolling…..which high minded people are you referring to…and of noble spirit.
Fry’s argument on this particular occasion regards God and the Divine Creation belied such an ignorance of the subject that they would be embarrassing if set forth by a 6 year old learning the Catechism for the first time.
@Jack Cassady: Actually he posed the question on suffering which is actually one that’s levied at most religions. Suffering for christians for example makes you more like Jesus Christ who suffered for us. But the questions are asked on why a 3 month old baby suffering a terrible illness who would not even be aware of Christ and pure from recent baptism could rationalise their suffering to be more like Christ ??? It’s an academic question often asked and I’m not sure I’ve heard a proper answer to it. I’ve read some pretty good theologians like Migliore and haven’t found a satisfactory reply yet.
@Jack Cassady: Nonsense, if any particular religion’s god is going to claim to have created the universe out of nothing well they are always going to be questioned. As an Irish person this law is extremely embarrassing.
@Jack Cassady:
The difference between Fry and yourself is that he has the intellectual capacity to think for himself and question the teachings of the church, whilst you apparently don’t.
@Jack Cassady: good one, very funny.
@Jack Cassady: another good one, can you tell me how you do sarcasm so well?
@Jack; that you use capitals for divine creation just marks you out as complete loonybin fuel. Or a passable troll. Either way you’re peddling fiction.
@The Risen: an intellectual juggernaut.
That’s a bit OTT don’t you think?
He’s bright but is he wise?
@Jack Cassady:
He was asked his opinion of what he would say in a hypothetical scenario. Did you actually watch the interview?
Who exactly is he insulting? A diety which probably doesn’t exist. If he does exist it is strange that he takes such an interest in what you eat or who you sleep with, and has the insecurity to worry that you may worship a different god. Yet he doesn’t have a huge problem with genocide or rape or human suffering in general. He creates us sick but commands us to be well.
Your God is the most vile character in all of fiction.
The high minded noble people you refer to are exactly the type who would have had people burned at the stake in the middle ages for challenging religious Dogma. In other words they are very very christian.
@Roibeard O Beachain:
No.
I have no interest in the incoherent complex ramblings of Stephen Fry’s mind.
38 % would either vote to keep it or dont know!. This should be on the card next time there is a referendum on another matter, other than the Iona institute and possibly some islamic grouping I cant see there being much opposition to the abolition of the act
This item is hardly about Fry is it. He’s a comedian. Making that sort of satirical comment is his job, and fair play to that.
No-one would’ve been aware of that show anymore if it hadn’t been for the chap who reported him, who is the main character in this story.
And fair play to him too for reporting it, as that might go a long way to ditching that sort of legislation. Blasphemy in indeed not a matter for men but for the gods.
@Mick Tobin: Well his comments caused a stir at the time of the broadcast. He was pretty forceful and heartfelt and wasnt speaking as a comedian at all. Stephen Fry and the guy who did the reporting did the country a favour alright
@Catherine Sims: True, the word comedian isn’t an entirely appropriate choice here. He was indeed not acting, but he was speaking with a satirical twist which is also his own personal perspective.
@Mick Tobin: it needs to go.
Even the word “blasphemy” sounds so archaic, archaic law, archaic word, do away with it already!!!
Watch a couple of hours of Christopher Hitchens and read his book , , thank you Hitch for opening my eyes
@Donal O Cofaigh: I would give anything to have Hitch back and hear him comment on trump. Great man, truly missed.
It might have been amusing for this to go to court though! Kinda reminds me of the movie “Miracle on 34th street” . Was just watching V.B. & seemingly this was the debate going on in the dail back in 2009 while this country was on its knees due to the bailout ( think it was Brendan Howlin) he now thinks it was always a non starter! You see they make up distractions to take our attention away from whats going on, , beware there IS a boogeyman!! wolf in sheep’s clothing disguised as government!
Is hate speech laws the modern equivalent of blasphemy. law…..Would Stephen Fry be allowed to show Mohamed cartoon on TV….Is it incitement to hatred….
@John003: why even compare it to showing a Mohammad cartoon? ALL religions are, or at least should be open to ridicule.
@John003: Draw Mohammed day – 20th of May.
Not to be missed! A fun filled event for all the family, in support of artistic expression and in opposition to violent religious fundamentalist responses to blasphemy.
@John003: Stephen Fry showing a muhammad cartoon is incitement of violence towards himself unfortunately.
Would the court not need to prove that God exists, otherwise Fry might have been referring to an imaginary entity which shouldn’t really upset any intelligent person!
Ladies and gentlemen in 2017 14% of people in Ireland proactively wanted to keep a piece of legislation that says you can’t say anything negative even when rational about a spaceship religions with sky fairies.
This is a real thing. Who are the 14% lol!
D’oh
@Michael Hayden:
Shocking that as many as 38% of those polled DIDN’T say they wanted it removed!
Imagine if he gave out about the other guy you know the Muslim guy
Which God was his blasphemous rant about? If it was Tom Cruise and Travolta s I like to ask Mr Fly way planet he was on?
Well I can set out the actual position, he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death… bit harsh perhaps but we Christians never shirk in our duty to keep the Godless in check.
I would support this provided what replaced it wasnt the same thing under another name.
Hard to believe a chat between two gays would cause such a fuss.
Who gives a Fcuk??
Sitting on the bus and laughing reading this… Would of love to hear what Fry thinks
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