Nice to see that we're all taking a step back in terms of human rights. At least they won't be burning us at the stake. Yet.

Paris, 'cause of the blasphemous things she does so well.

BURN THE NON BELIEVER!

No-one expect the Irish Inquisition.

Jesus H Christ!

Can't Governments stay out of religion for Gods sake?

You insulted my light sabre, you bastard.

it'll be the end of us all religeon godsdammit

Unfortunately the majority of the population are small minded half wits, (Ireland has this in common with every other democracy however, as Churchill put it "democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried"). Ahern's party (Fianna Fail) are about as popular as a flatulent pit-bull with swine flu in a lift at the moment and so he resorts to this blatant attempt to shore up FF's core vote. He's also positioning himself for a leadership challenge within FF. This legislation won't pass as FF's coalition partners (Green Party) would never support it.

Expect it to quietly disappear after European and local elections.

They'd rather do this rather than face any questions about the economy.

......oh, and by the way, how's the Redress Board going?

http://www.rirb.ie/

The most obvious problem with this is if I was to say "There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet" in a newsletter and post it to every house in a neighbourhood.

That would be "grossly abusive and insulting" to matters held sacred by Christians, Mormons etc. It would also probably cause "outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion". I might not "intend" to cause outrage but I would have to know that it was going to happen and since I take no steps to prevent this, I would be responsible for knowlingly causing outrage! A big hefty fine.

Most religious types believe that their religon is self-evident and that no others are real.

Let's just pretend that I worship a god. Let's call him Cthulu. Anyone who put any God-bothering nonsense through my front door would quickly end up in court. I would claim that since I worship Great Cthulu and know all other gods to be false, any attempt to persuade me otherwise must be an action which is calculated to cause outrage. I mean it's self evident that Cthulu exists and denial of him is blasphemous.

Idiots. How can anything like this become law?

If it was up to me I would change the law to say. "Religon is a private matter. Don't tell anyone else your stupid beliefs unless they ask or they have voluntarily turned up at a religous gathering".

Ireland bang upto date.

The economy is falling apart and people are losing their jobs left and centre, but never fear there will be no taking our Lords name in vain as we drown in America's debt.

Nice show.

Abair ach beagan agus abair gu math e

Can I have a icon which says that I'm from Ireland and I still don't know what they are going on about.

Jeho...

JEHOVA!!!!

bonk

ow!!!!

Surely this goes against free speech and/or human rights?

I respect religions and understand that they place structure to today's world but discriminating a minority who have an opinion is just wrong.

I guess this had to come from the Irish, who else would be so stupid???

Is it that, or perhaps a substantial proportion? Hopefully the latter as then everyone can set up their own one-person church and be offended by anything. Particularly politicians. That would show the law for the ass it seems to be becoming in this instance.

If its the former then it will be interesting to see at what level a substantial number is set, presumably as a result of case law. It could be seen as rather discriminatory against religions with very small numbers of followers, at present. Should a currently established church fall below that number, it could be very upsetting, although despite current trends I think someone could work the numbers so as not to upset the status quo. (There's a religion in itself. Rock on.)

It's been said before, but I'll say it again.

You don't have to right to NOT be offended. If you are going to fine me a silly amount of money for saying something derogatory about your beliefs then I demand it be transfered directly to your chosen deity (and I don't mean its bank account on Earth).

There seems to be some crazy ideas of what being offended or insulted is worth at the moment. If i'm found caught downloading a song then i could be sued for 4000% of what it's worth and if i say something you don't agree with you're going to fine me 100,000!

We need to stop making concessions to idiots not giving them more power.

I'm all for sensible laws that try to prevent voiolent or hateful act against someone based on their beliefs (even if those beliefs are stupid), what the wear, their hair colour. I don't see why those who worship a deity get more protection than someone who wears some eyeliner and has pink hair. The former is the one who needs the least protection. If god's on your side why worry?

http://despair.com/idiocy.html

It seems to me that stupidity is by far the most profitable part of human nature. Or it may be a desire for love and companionship. Or the search for answers to the Big Unanswerable Questions.

Organised religion is adept at harnessing all three.

Obviously Ahern is taking it literally. Let's face it, their god is so impotent he needs legislation to defend him now. Maybe they need the money to buy their god a new hearing aid, wheel chair and an eternity's supply of incontinent pads.

So as a satanist can i have catholic priests arrested for insulting my god ? (the Devil)

Being from Ireland myself I find it hilarious how easily government ministers make all those irish jokes completely true.

Run for the hills, ALOT of people will be in court for a LONG time if this one passes.

At least on the Register I can still say screw Jesus and all his little minions.

Absolutely correct.

Except if the short kid has ginger hair in which case the shortarsed bastard deserves everything he gets (and he probably started it as well, the little thug.)

The anti-thinking other-people's-lives-dictating creationist fuckwittery is NOT mainstream Christianity, it just looks that way at the moment because of the noise it's making. (See previous post)

Now... Imagine the Armed Pursuit of the International Standards Organisation. Put on a .com on the end, and ask: "did darwin kill god". Enjoy 746.79 MB of a Christian chap who *doesn't* have his head up his arse.

Surely most religions are blasphemous against most others? :D

Hearing folks bang on about God is Blasphemy against my braincells.

I feel your hate, brothers. You must know that Ireland has the highest Virgin Mary consumption in the world? With that strongly inculcated national background of chronic idolatry, blasphemy is a terrible danger, especially from the young, and must be fought from the cradle to the grave.

Benny the Bull, St Peter Gypsum Co., VC, Rome.

.. Britannia Rule again, my friend?

All you have to do is follow the Worms.

Would you like to send our colored cousins

Home again, my friend?

All you have to do is follow the Worms.

Would you like to see non-right wing Christians

being jailed, my friend?

All you need to do is follow the Worms.

...

Stop! I want to go home!

Take off this uniform and leave the planet!

I'm sitting here on El Reg cause

I have to know (have to know)

What the fuck is going on... (going on)

...

(Of course, when the politicians get home at night, their fat and psychopathic wives would thrash them within inches of their lives...)

It's not just for Taliban anymore!

...That would be an ecumenical matter.

ARGGHH, NUNS!!!

I too am an athiest. And every morning I wake up and thank God I'm an athiest.

Considering that the one charge against Jesus at his trial that stuck, (i.e. of blasphemy in declaring Himself to be God), isn't it time to get rid of these laws ? I'm all in favour of freedom of speech and minority rights which mainly originated within Christian societies and scarcely elsewhere, so have no problem with laws against incitement of hatred if sensibly discussed and carefully drafted based upon these objectives. But this central premise of my own Christian faith was blasphemy to those who didn't accept this then as it is to those who don't accept it now.

Thankfully it is possible to discuss these matters with those of other belief systems respectfully of the views of others, but the idea of blasphemy was discredited when God became man and was crucified for it.

Would that now be illegal to view "Life of Brian? or even discuss it openly, to be sure?

Given the massive popularity of that film, you could reasonably guarantee to upset a "substantial number" of anything.

This comes from the same Government that outlawed all mobile communications devices only to realise that emergency services could no longer operate their radios and had to change the law.

At las.! A means by which us true believers and followers of vi can at last get our own back against the heretical bunch of latter-day cultist Emacs-users!

[Mac-users beware as well: your apostasy and worshipping of false-idols puts you next in the crosshairs of the Windows Inquisition.]