Dear Foyle,

You are bursting into an open door:

<<When religions held power we atheists could be murdered for not believing.>>

Religion never held power, so it's a moot point.
Yes, at times some guys who falsely claimed to be 'religious' held power in Europe, but that has nothing to do with religion and besides, murder goes against the very foundation of religion.

Have a nice day and enjoy your God-given freedom!

Of course blasphemy should not be illegal. Certainly if that blasphemy incites violence against followers of a religion, that should be illegal - but because of the incitement to violence, not because of the blasphemy.

I say this as a practising Catholic (which, given some of the earlier comments here, might see me dismissed as an unintelligent and under-evolved anachronism in our society). I mention that to give some context, not because I pretend to speak for all Catholics.

I find it bothersome that religious people continue to call upon our secular legal system to impose religious restrictions on society. We see it with same-sex marriage, and we see it here with laws about blasphemy. My understanding of my religion (and most others) asserts that we will be judged by a higher power once we fall off the perch anyway. Let God judge us if we commit acts of blasphemy. Let man judge us if we commit acts that actually disrupt our society or cause harm to others. If blasphemy is decriminalised (and, to be honest, I had no idea that it was a crime), that doesn't mean we have to do it - just as we don't have to divorce others, use contraception or have sex outside of wedlock (all wrong in the eyes of my Church but perfectly legal and socially acceptable in our society). We still have the right to behave in a way that we see to be good and proper. I will exercise my right not to blaspheme, as will many others.

Perhaps we simply need to thicken our hides and accept that others in the world see things differently. If those people seek to harm us, then we have the right to call on our society to protect us. While I have the right to request that others tone down their rhetoric if I find it offensive, I don't see it as the place of a legal system that does not pretend to represent God to step in and do it for me.

Perfect, Otokonoko, I couldn't agree more and I couldn't say it any better.

This is an excellent article. In this debate we need to emphasize the distinction between beliefs and actions based on beliefs. Theists and atheists all possess their sets of beliefs. With theists, their beliefs are based on their holy books and preachers, while atheists prefer to use reason, science and rational thinking. However, we all have to live together on the same planet. Beliefs are one thing, activities, particularly those inciting hatred, violence and murder are altogether different, and should not be tolerated. We should all have the right to freedom of speech, as well as the right to freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Blasphemy ultimately gets you nowhere. It invariably reflects anger and inability to understand where others are coming from. But intelligent and clever use of satire are useful in making people think critically about the issues in question. Blasphemy laws are ridiculous in a secular society.

Dear Phenologist,

<<while atheists prefer to use reason, science and rational thinking.>>

Both people use reason, science and rational thinking - the only difference are the underlying goals and values.

Most atheists use their reason, science and rational thinking in the service of satisfying their instincts, while religious people use the same for removing the obstacles on their path to God, including the identification with those instincts.

I am not a legal expert but have been led to understand that the common-law prohibition of blasphemy only relates to insults to the doctrine of the Church of England.