Isn't "blasphemy" actually a victimless crime that should not be punished so harshly?
459083
God dammit!\n\nGet over it.  :)\n\nQuestions?  Comments?  Concerns?  Email me through the link in my profile, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
667875
Yes, it is.  My religion does not preach this, and it's one of the reasons that I chose to believe what I do.  Actions have consequences.  People should be made to deal with them, even if it's just a guilty conscience.
591997
that is ridiculous.\npeople can not condemn anyone to hell.\nGod is the judge not people.\nThis is why i don't like being called 'religious'... people like that give it a bad name.
780166
They don't see it as depravity......to them if you are not muslim you are worthy of death.
520179
Hardly ... it is not religion that is to blame ... but sick individuals that cause the problems. Anyone can use any excuse they want to do bad things, but that doesn't make them a legitamate representative of the religion, philosophy, social movement ... etc, etc, etc.
13610
God is not this vicious being that punishes people by casting them into Hell for their sins. That is a made up tale by religious that wanted to scare the crap out of people into submission. The only Hell that exists is in your concsious when you pass over. Every one of God's children are given the opportunity to go Heaven (or the Light, whatever you want to call it) as long as they can see the errors that they made while on Earth..yes, this even includes some really horrible people (Manson,Hitler). Everyone has a shot at redemption. If people choose not see acknowledge their misdeeds and refuse to go with God, then they are left wandering about in their own self made dillusions and bitterness until the time they are ready to be councelled.
72693
Why are you complaining here? You want someone to agree with you so you can rate it as best answer and feel you have actually accomplished something? I'm sorry there are tactless Christians out there. But being tactless does not necessarily mean they are not telling you the truth. However, you must understand that the Bible states clearly that NO believer has the authority or right to condemn to hell. But YOU have not the right to condemn THEM on this forum either.
887027
Wow - I didnt know this.\n\nIf its true then it would be an isolated incident and I think punishing the majority from having fun because of an idiotoc minority is not fair.\n\nAs long as this youth is convicted and given an appropriate punishment such that justice is done then fine, plus it will serve as an example to others of what will happen if you choose to harm others with fireworks or otherwise.
578362
Blasphemy is the defamation of the name of God. These may include using sacred names as stress expletives without intention to pray or speak of sacred matters\n\nLuke 12:10, where blaspheming the Holy Spirit is spoken of as unforgivable.\n\nLeviticus 24:16 states that those who speak blasphemy "shall surely be put to death".\n\nMark 3:29 "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin." \n\n"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (Book of Matthew 12:30-32)\n\nThe first one and the last two, in Christian terms, would be to reject the Holy Spirit, who is you comforter, and the middle man, so to speak, between you and Jesus' plan for salvation.
729074
People posting here have no conception of what real persecution is. If they did they wouldn't be throwing the term around like confetti.
965671
Because the only thing that is not being tolerated is intolerance of sin.  Go figure huh?
512927
Thats funny,Some of these responses r even funnier though.People just dont get it.If you break the law in this country you get punished for it.Saying that certain people should be immune to punishment because of "Fellings of the Heart"is just plain nonsense.If you do allow some to get away with breaking the law,when others are punished, We all might as well give up and have total Anarchy because this is how it starts.
1001276
YES!!! If the Under God part offends anyone, then they have the right NOT to say it.  I can remember being in class with kids who didn't say it for religious or personal reasons.  NO ONE said anything mean to them or made fun of them.  We asked them why & they gave us their reasons.  It was fine with everyone.
971044
More killing has been done in history in the name of religion than for any other reason.I believe in God without a doubt,but I wouldn't walk into a church if you paid me.It's funny that I find church goers to be the most intolerant folks I've come accross.The people in church may not be evil but yes ,religion is most definetly evil and you can bet satan is happy with the divisions that religion creates.All part of his evil plan.
352845
The fact is that you can't.  What I have seen from having been to a few of those countries is that they primarily run by culture, not law or religion.  Sure, they claim it's the law or part of religion, but careful examination of both will tell you the opposite.  She won't get justice because in those countries they just don't care.  The victim is the criminal in their eyes.  They criminal is rarely punished whereas the victim has a stigma attached to her permanently and may even be murdered to protect her family's "honor" if that's what you want to call it.
979726
first of all, there is no crime in Islam that is punishable by death. a person should be punished for the crime -- but the punishment should NOT be death. it is a very big misconception people have. if u read the Quran, Allah says, if someone does commit a crime then flog then -- 80 or 100 stripes and after that make the guilty give CHARITY and let the guilly FAST. in Islam, REPENTANCE IS GIVEN A LOT MORE IMPORTANCE RATHER THAN PUNISHMENT.\n\nhow did stoning -- which was Pre-Islamic Law -- come into Islam? it comes from here --The most accepted collection of Hadith Sahih al Bukhari has 4 entries under 3829, 8804, 8805 and 8824 which refer to stoning by death. The case under 4829 involved Jews who were stoned to death in accordance with the Law of the Torah. 8805 says: "A married man from the tribe of Bani Aslam who had committed illegal sexual intercourse and bore witnesses four times against himself was ordered by the Prophet (s.a.s.) to be stoned to death". \nhere u can clearly see that the people IN QUESTION WERE JEWS and it was aLAW OF TORAH TO BE STONED TO DEATH NOT OF ISLAM. when they asked prophet Muhammed-pbuh, he said FOLLOW THE LAW OF TORAH, but years later muslim men incorporated this as a rule in Islam. so who should be blamed? Islam, Allah, Qu'ran, Muhammed-pbuh or the half/no -knowledgable followers?\n\nsecond, Allah does say in the Quran that -- i have made a man and a woman and out of u built nations and tribes and languages. so being a homosexual means u move away from nature.  \n\nAllah says in the Quran -- i have given u the critereon of right and wrong and i have given u FREEWILL, now its ur choice, but one will have to answer on Day of Judgement.  but NO WHERE in Quran did Allah give any mortal the authority or power over th other. no man in Islam can judge another -- apart from the regular judiciary similar to that what our Govts hold. \n\nbut one should not forget that when an individual prefers to be a homosexual, then they are also His Creation, His people. and Allah says that -- At-Takwir | 29 verses | The Overthrowing \nSura #81 | Makkah \n28 Unto whomsoever of you willeth to walk straight. \n29 And ye will not, unless (it be) that Allah willeth, the Lord of Creation.
989738
I think true free speech is limitless, but if you say something false that incriminates or otherwise harms others, the fact that you harmed someone would be a violation of law.