\u00bbDanes are know-it-alls and religious illiterates\u00ab.<\/p>\n
Erik Bjerager isn\u2019t pulling any punches with his opening line at the Theological Association\u2019s blasphemy debate in Copenhagen.
\nLooking around the surprisingly full basement, it is clear that no offence has been taken. <\/p>\n
The audience clearly hasn\u2019t missed the unspoken addendum \u2018present company excepted\u2019.<\/p>\n
In 17th Century Denmark, blasphemers had their tongue cut out and were executed.<\/p>\n
\u00bbDerision of God was the same as mockery of the King, who was considered a part of the church,\u00ab explains Erik Bjerager, the editor of the Christian conservative daily Kristeligt Dagblad. <\/p>\n
Blasphemy was a political issue then, and apparently still is, although your tongue is a lot safer these days. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s quickly made clear that any modern discussion of blasphemy is not about looking out for God\u2019s best interests.<\/p>\n
\u00bbBlasphemy has gone from being a derision of God, to being an affront to individuals\u2019 religious feelings,\u00ab Erik Bjerager explains. <\/p>\n
T\u00f8ger Seidenfaden, editor of the centre-left daily Politiken agrees, saying that \u00bbusing the concept of blasphemy to protect God makes absolutely no sense at all\u00ab.<\/p>\n
Neither deigns to elaborate the point, as it\u2019s so boringly obvious: Insults are clearly not an issue for one as almighty as, well, the Almighty. <\/p>\n
At this point, I am hoping that someone, of any religious persuasion, will jump in and wildly protest that God does have feelings and that it does matter what we say or write about Him. A bit of religious rabble rousing would brighten up my evening no end. <\/p>\n
No luck there. The closest we get to a holy bust-up comes later. The bashful heckler next to me hisses under his breath \u00bbpolish your halo!\u00ab at T\u00f8ger Seidenfaden\u2019s self-congratulatory tone concerning his newspaper Politiken\u2019s coverage of the cartoon crisis. Oh well. <\/p>\n
On the controversial issues of the Danish Blasphemy law, the two editors agree that it\u2019s a good idea to leave it be, at least for the time being. <\/p>\n
The law was last invoked in 1938 to punish Nazi Anti-Semitism, although, fairly recently, Danish stand-up comedian Uffe Holm came close in 2005 when he made a joke involving crucifixion and masturbation through Christ\u2019s nail-perforated hand. Blasphemy? Maybe. Funny? No. <\/p>\n
According to Erik and T\u00f8ger, two groups are particularly interested in getting rid of the Blasphemy paragraph: <\/p>\n
The first is the right-wing political party Dansk Folkeparti (DF), who are concerned that the paragraph may be abused by a (Muslim) religious minority to threaten Danishness. Actually DF are no strangers to tactless religious comments. <\/p>\n
Just this week, the Party leader Pia Kj\u00e6rsgaard described Muhammad as \u00bba crazy, self-proclaimed prophet [\u2026] who yapped up in the 7th Century\u00ab. <\/p>\n
The second group are Christians who protest the law\u2019s theological soundness, claiming that \u00bbGod should not be defended in a courtroom, as this is raising the servant above the master\u00ab.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, atheist T\u00f8ger Seidenfaden used to be a staunch critic of the law. He was \u2018converted\u2019 on the day, in the throes of the cartoon crisis, when a few misguided Danes threatened to burn a Quran in the middle of the city square in Copenhagen. But for the existence of this much debated paragraph, the police would have had no power to intervene. <\/p>\n
Fortunately, no books were burned that day. <\/p>\n
T\u00f8ger realised that the law might have its uses in upholding public order when things go to extremes.
\nIndeed, the law comes under \u2018Crimes against the public order and peace\u2019, just after the dubious sounding law against \u2018improper conduct with a corpse\u2019. Oh dear me. I think that law is probably best left alone, too. <\/p>\n
The introductory speeches conclude that self-regulation and common decency are the way forward and that \u2018religiously illiterate\u2019 Denmark is just not ready for a change. Also abolishing the law would be a dangerous signal, which may be interpreted as an incitement to insulting or offensive remarks, \u2018because we can\u2019. <\/p>\n
Enough has been written and said about the infamous Muhammad cartoons, but it is the anniversary, and an article on blasphemy wouldn\u2019t be the same without them, so here goes. <\/p>\n
For those of you who were doing extensive field work in a jungle at the time, the cartoons were published in the Danish broadsheet Jyllands-Posten after the author of a childrens book about the Prophet accused cartoonists of self-censorship when they wouldn\u2019t illustrate his book. <\/p>\n
Half a year later, Danish embassies and numerous flags (some of them Icelandic, but hey, anyone can make a mistake) had burned, and Danish companies in the Middle East felt the effects to their bottom line. <\/p>\n
Eric Bjerager has a theological explanation to what went wrong. Theologically speaking, the explanation for the long tradition of jokes about Jews and Christians \u2013 which are unproblematic as long as you do it in a sort of friendly kind of a way, and as long as you only joke about your own religion \u2013 is that the central figures of these religions are not considered to be perfect. They have human failings and are therefore \u2018fair game\u2019. <\/p>\n
Muhammad, on the other hand, is considered by believers to be the only perfect human being. He is therefore no laughing matter. <\/p>\n
On the other hand, as T\u00f8ger Seidenfaden logically points out, that still makes him a person, and this lies at the root of the ban on pictorial representations of Muhammad. The point of the ban is to prevent idol worship and maintain the purity of Islamic monotheism. <\/p>\n
Whatever the purpose of the infamous cartoons, it was certainly not to raise the Prophet to the level of God. So the problem with the cartoons is actually not theological at all, argues Seidenfaden. It is about bullying a minority.<\/p>\n
Does that mean we should just say pleasant things about Muhammad and be done with it? Not according to our two speakers. There is a big difference between religious critique and ridicule, says Seidenfaden, and religions should be respected on the same level as race, sexuality and political persuasion, as they are so fundamental to human identity that they cannot be considered a choice. <\/p>\n
This statement led to my favourite question of the evening. Do all religious feelings, even the feelings of members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the Jedi Church, deserve to be respected on the same level as race, sexuality and political persuasion, or are some simply too silly to be taken seriously?<\/p>\n
T\u00f8ger is rash enough to call the Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster and Jedi religions \u2018absurd\u2019. I wouldn\u2019t dare, personally. <\/p>\n
Never mind religious sentiments, those Jedi know some pretty scary mind tricks, and who knows what Spaghetti monsters would do, if provoked. <\/p>\n
Apparently religions have to earn respect, just like the rest of us. To deserve a solemn tone, they have to be around for a long time, have lots of followers and get involved in public debates, says T\u00f8ger. But bullying is always a no-no, no matter how silly things get. <\/p>\n
luci@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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