Stephen Fry To Be Investigated For Blasphemy

The House of Lords passed amendments[6][7] to the Bill on 25 October 2005 which have the effect of limiting the legislation to "A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening... if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred". This removed the abusive and insulting concept, and required the intention — and not just the possibility — of stirring up religious hatred.

Ya point taken , he is not using threatening words , but the interviewer looks surprised and a bit insulted really . He's allowed to use insulting words . So he'd get away with it . His intentions are doubtful imo , as are those of Gervais , you might have seen his film , er can't remember the name.

But,

In the Republic of Ireland, blasphemy is required to be prohibited by Article 40.6.1.i. of the 1937 Constitution. The common law offence of blasphemous libel, applicable only to Christianity and last prosecuted in 1855, was ruled in 1999 to be incompatible with the Constitution's guarantee of religious equality. The lacuna was filled in 2009 by a new offence of "publication or utterance of blasphemous matter", against any religion.

The law had not been invoked until in 2015 comedian Stephen Fry, when asked during an RTÉ programme what he might say to God at the gates of heaven, responded, without specifying any religion, "How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It's not our fault? It's not right. It's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain? ... the god who created this universe, if it was created by god, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish" An allegation of blasphemy was made to police at the time, and in 2017 police contacted Fry to inform him that the incident was being investigated. A prosecution—which would be the first one under the law—was thought unlikely.[56]

blasphemy ˈblasfəmi/Submit noun the action or offence of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk. "he was detained on charges of blasphemy" synonyms: profanity, profaneness, sacrilege, irreligiousness, irreverence, taking the Lord's name in vain, swearing, curse, cursing, impiety, impiousness, ungodliness, unholiness, desecration, disrespect; More

sacrilegious ˌsakrɪˈlɪdʒəs/Submit adjective involving or committing sacrilege. "a sacrilegious act" synonyms: profane, blasphemous, impious, sinful, irreverent, irreligious, godless, ungodly, unholy, disrespectful "he condemned the book as a vicious, sacrilegious attack on their faith"

To be sure I can't see where he's not guilty , he's called God evil so he did there ,

a reply to: ZIPMATT

...and as your link says, a prosecution is unlikely, as I've thought since first reading this story.
Ireland would be the laughing stock of the developed world...that's why it won't happen.

a reply to: ZIPMATT

Not a fan of Gervais unless he's in one of his TV shows. He's at least two decades behind what other comedians do and his audience thinks he's cutting edge. So does he

I didn't realise it was two years back. Time to call it a storm in a teacup.

a reply to: grainofsand

Yeah I accept that , you're a wise old boy I noticed . got to go though , see y next time

a reply to: ZIPMATT

I'm fit as # early forties thank you!

...but yeah, I can't imagine any prosecutor in Ireland wanting this particular #storm in their caseload lol

a reply to: grainofsand

Nope, no prosecutor wants to put that loss on their record.

originally posted by: ZIPMATT

originally posted by: DerBeobachter

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: Chadwickus

Absolute nonsense , surely the Irish police have better things to do.
Here's what Stephen Fry had to say in person.

It's his opinion which in a free thinking democracy he is entitled to.
He is of course right.

I saw that video when it was fresh... AND I LOVED(and love) IT!
Just because he is right!

Well I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here , listen again to what he says , it is pure blasphemy , he spews forth hatred , in spite of the fact he clearly offending the interviewer , in a deeply religious country . Right up on his high horse he is , playing holier than thou , to God of all things , and everybody who dares to beleive in it . As if he'd spit on them if he could .

I have to say , God or not , I personally found him pretty damned offensive . Life is not all bad ffs ! . He is just as much a parasite as any tetsi fly . He'd get a flea in his ear off of me . Take him to the cleaners I say , the jumped up tw%t

Do you think evrything in the bible is okeedokee? Is their nothing you disagree with?

"Bertie?" said Gussie Fink-Nottle as he surveyed Bertie Wooster's fractured and splintered front door, which was scattered in pieces about Bertie's usually immaculate flat. Jeeves kept everything tidy. Something was definitely wrong. I mean, for a mess of this nature to be strewn about Bertie's flat, littering his living room from his cloak room to his coffee table, a sheer blasphemy against the ordered patterns of beige and honey which made the room.
"Bertie, what's happened to your flat?"
"I'll tell you all about all that," said Bertie as he pulled Gussie inside, kicking away at pieces of his the door at a much quicker rate of speed than he'd ever moved at the ungodly hour of 9:30 AM.
"Jeeves has been taken!" he said in a desperate whisper.
Bertie, wild haired and wide eyed, chewed at his fingertips. Gussie waited for the rest of it, but Bertie only chewed his fingertips.
"What do you mean, he's been taken?"
"Taken, Gussie! Taken," he said, pacing the room. Gussie thought he looked like a feral West Highland Terrier whose steak had just been stolen by a hamster.
"Well, what do you mean, Bertie? Taken by whom?"
"I don't know, Gussie. I was asleep. And then I was roused awake by the smell of Jeeves's eggs and b. and then as I came out, a group of rather dastardly looking hooligans smashed through the front door, grabbed Jeeves without even a word to me, and led him out in chains and irons."
Gussie did not smell the usual welcoming aroma of Jeeves's eggs and b., but smelled... something else... something else entirely.
The flat was halfway filled with smoke. All the windows were opened.
"Good Heavens, Bertie! Who were they?"
"Dashed if I know. They looked like the Spanish Inquisition."
"Aunt Agatha, then?"
"Oh, don't be daft, Gussie. This is serious."
"Right. Right. My apoligies."
Gussie thought for a minute. Bertie paced some more.
"Haven't you notified the police?"
"Of course I have! They'er sure taking their sweet time about all this."
"You mean to say I beat them here?"
"Yes, Gussie. Now, if I may inconvenience you with just one thing, please. And then we'll go look for Jeeves."
"Of course, Bertie. Of course."
"Good. Thank you. Now. Do you know that stovey, oveney thing Jeeves uses to prepare the eggs and b.?"
"Yes, of course."
"Ah. Good. I thought you might. Now. How does one go about turning it off?"

I have to say in all seriousness... Mr. Fry should have the right to express his opinion about God. I mean, really. This is absurd. We've certainly regressed a few centuries here lately, haven't we?

Also, he's pretty much right about God.

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: SprocketUK

And isn't it crazy that Ireland created the blasphemy law in the OP the year after the UK abolished its own.
Ireland is backwards generally with religion and legislation, abortion for another example with thousands of women having to get it done on mainland Britain every year.

Yeah, anytime the religious get a say in law making, it's a mess for the ordinary person who pays their taxes.

Yeah because atheist systems, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Lil Kim, they make them good laws
Atheist fundamentalists are as bad as christian fundamentalists on ats

Daft comparison.

Religion is personal. Shouldn't ever be put onto someone else's existence as a law.

Hell, thanks to religion, not so long ago it was legal for a man to rape his wife in the UK.

Abide by your own moral code when it comes to yourself, but the moment you project it onto the wider world, then it becomes a problem.

No it's not daft, it just triggers you
Communism is built on atheism
Go research communism and atheism, get a decent argument and refute me
Evidence

You go and research communism if you want to, don't be dragging me into your failed political models.

You don't have to be an atheist to not want religion to have a basis in law.
I'm not an atheist, I am against the Abrahamic religions though.
As far as I can tell, they do nothing but harm and any good that followers of these cults do, is miniscule in comparison to the harm done.

a reply to: SprocketUK

So if you are not an atheist would you share which deity you believe in?

a reply to: grainofsand

...and as your link says, a prosecution is unlikely, as I've thought since first reading this story. Ireland would be the laughing stock of the developed world...that's why it won't happen.

As if the "Developed world" doesn't have it's own head stuffed up it's own ass?



What a joke?

This is what happens when you let the continuously offended crowd run the world.

a reply to: grainofsand

So if you are not an atheist would you share which deity you believe in?

There's only one and if you had the mind for it you'd know that.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: SprocketUK

So if you are not an atheist would you share which deity you believe in?

Its complicated, so bear with me.

Years ago I read a Western Guide to Tibetan Buddhism and one of the things that struck me was the part about the minor, household gods and stuff. The author asserted that by thinking of, and visualising say, a fierce, angry, violent god, someone who was feeling afraid might gain some courage. Mostly due to a sort of feedback in our brains. Anyway, this got me thinking and I figured it applied in a similar way to all the old, multi god religions.

With all that in mind, I figured that the Northern European religions best suited me.

As I said before though, pick whatever works for you, just don't try and enshrine it in law to try and make others have to acknowledge it.

a reply to: SprocketUK



Try this
If a person wanted to be members in those communist parties, they HAD to be atheists

originally posted by: Woodcarver
a reply to: Raggedyman

You have just walked off the edge. Can you name the three Abrahamic religions?

No woodcarver, I can't name 3 abrahamic religions, I thought there was only one, Judaism

You are not that smart

originally posted by: Raggedyman

If he went to a Muslim country, I bet he wouldn't have acted so righteous and smarmy, just thinks he can go to Ireland and act the hero.

I guess he assumed that Ireland wasn't populated with broken-minded savages like some Muslim countries seem to be.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: SprocketUK



Try this
If a person wanted to be members in those communist parties, they HAD to be atheists

And if you wanted to take your kids to live in Jonestown, you had to be Christian. I don't see the point you are trying to make...Are you conflating atheism with communism in such a way because you don't like either? I bet the USA is chock full of athiests who despise commies.

originally posted by: BiffWellington

originally posted by: Raggedyman

If he went to a Muslim country, I bet he wouldn't have acted so righteous and smarmy, just thinks he can go to Ireland and act the hero.

I guess he assumed that Ireland wasn't populated with broken-minded savages like some Muslim countries seem to be.

I dont see Fry acting so arrogant and fundamentalist in Muslim country's, I wonder why
I expect you wonder why as well

If you visit another country, if you had common sense, you respect their laws

If you dont understand this, God help you

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: SprocketUK



Try this
If a person wanted to be members in those communist parties, they HAD to be atheists

And if you wanted to take your kids to live in Jonestown, you had to be Christian. I don't see the point you are trying to make...Are you conflating atheism with communism in such a way because you don't like either? I bet the USA is chock full of athiests who despise commies.

Jonestown, a few delusional Americans

Pol Pot, Stalin, Mao. Millions and millions dead under a communism system based on atheism
The point, atheism does not make a good political system, it hasnt and it wont
We are societies, only stupid people prone to stupid actions cant get along with people with a different opinion

Fry is stupid, he insulted many people when he mouthed off, he should have said, "with respect I dont believe in any gods and dont want to offend people so wont comment", but no, he wants to be controversial and hip, he is a fading star trying to stay relevant