Ireland

So Ireland has passed a new "blasphemy law".

What does it say exactly?

Section 36

(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.

Section 37

(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.

This is an extremely stupid and arrogant law that makes it illegal to criticize religion in written form or even verbally.

...And don't think there aren't thousands (millions?) of loons here in the USA that wouldn't love to have such a law on the books. There are.

Luckily they are all too busy molesting children, cheating on their spouses, and protecting the 'sanctity of marriage' to put the energy into getting such a law passed.

Richard Dawkins stepped up and blasted the new law in Ireland...

“It is a wretched, backward, uncivilised regression to the middle ages. Who was the bright spark who thought to besmirch the revered name of Ireland by proposing anything so stupid?”

More here......