Wu Wei
ursus senum severiorum and ex-Bisy Backson
I don't often post topics in this section, and it is possible this is the first time I have. Came accross this on the FaceBook page of the Universal Life Church
A Polish heavy metal singer has been convicted of blasphemy after posting a photo of himself stepping on an image of the Virgin Mary on Facebook.
The questions
What do you think of the Virgin Mary photo?
Should we take more care to respect religious sensibilities?
Or is the freedom to offend an important right?
A Polish heavy metal singer has been convicted of blasphemy after posting a photo of himself stepping on an image of the Virgin Mary on Facebook.
A Polish heavy metal singer has been convicted of blasphemy after posting a photo of himself stepping on an image of the Virgin Mary on Facebook.
Complaints soon came in, and a religious studies expert told prosecutors that "treading with a shoe on the image of the Mother of God is an offense against religious feelings."
That seems to be all it took – the musician, Adam Darski, was charged under Poland’s blasphemy laws for offending religious sentiment with the photo.
He now faces a potential prison sentence of up to two years.
Blasphemy laws were once commonplace in most of the world, but have gradually been taken off the books in many countries.
Even without legal repercussions, doing something deemed blasphemous can still have huge consequences in the Western world. Many probably remember that singer Sinead O’Connor faced death threats and found her commercial career essentially kneecapped after an infamous 1992 performance on SNL when she ripped a photo of Pope John Paul II on live television.
What do you think of the Virgin Mary photo? Should we take more care to respect religious sensibilities? Or is the freedom to offend an important right?
The questions
What do you think of the Virgin Mary photo?
Should we take more care to respect religious sensibilities?
Or is the freedom to offend an important right?