Blasphemy Laws in Canada. Should They Exist?

[CDNBear]

Ignorance is no excuse...

That's why I didn't excuse yours.

 

[Cannuck]

That's why I didn't excuse yours.

Awwwwww....you're making it about me again. While do appreciate how important I am to you perhaps you could just PM me and not take over the thread like usual

 

[taxslave]

Why would I feel foolish? I'm not the one that concerns myself with old silly laws. Better hide your crime comics if you have any. Better yet, search your house top to bottom. Ignorance is no excuse and you wouldn't want to get caught with some you didn't know you had

You should. You never know when the thought police might decide it is your turn. Might wind up driving past a horse only to discover there is still a law on the books requiring cars to stop until the horse is past. And there are even nuttier ones than that.

 

[Tonington]

Is there anything more trivial than someone who spends time telling other posters in a forum how they should spend their time on a different subject?

/ebola

 

[Cannuck]

You should. You never know when the thought police might decide it is your turn. Might wind up driving past a horse only to discover there is still a law on the books requiring cars to stop until the horse is past. And there are even nuttier ones than that.

That's it!!! I'm not getting out of bed tomorrow

 

[grainfedpraiboy]

I wonder if people that are concerned about this law would be too concerned to possess a lottery ticket in North Carolina, lie down and fall asleep with their shoes on in North Dakota or kiss a woman on a train in Wisconsin.

The problem Cannuck, is the laws you've mentioned aren't statutory nor federal or part of the criminal code of Canada which makes it a whole lot more serious and regardless of how asinine we think the law to be at the moment, Ireland with a similar law and prosecution track record to Canada beefed theirs up considerably rather than abolish it. This in turn has emboldened the Muslim countries which form the majority of those still with blasphemy laws to continue to pressure the UN to codify it.

I don't think we would allow laws that treat ndns as children or women as chattel to continue to exist in the criminal code so why blasphemy? Are we waiting for a Supreme Court challenge? Can't politicians tackle laws without letting the courts do the dirty work?

 

[JLM]

It may surprise some people that Canada still has a Blasphemy Law. Under section 296(1) of the Criminal Code it's an indictable offence and is punishable with a prison sentence of up to two years. Blasphemy laws were used to charge people with anything from insulting the integrity of the church all the way down to profanity depending on the century. According to PEW Research, only 22% of countries still have Blasphemy Laws with most of theses countries other than Canada and a few European ones being all Muslim.

Probably not- the first important question I have about any law is it feasibly enforceable and second is what harm can the thing being outlawed do? Does blasphemy include "F*ck" or is it just stuff to do with the Bible? Should we be forced to respect the Bible? I doubt it anymore than we should be required to respect Shintoism. I personally think law enforcement should concentrate on things that are a peril to life and limb first.

 

[Cannuck]

The problem Cannuck, is the laws you've mentioned aren't statutory nor federal or part of the criminal code of Canada .....

So? All the more reason why Gerry's JP wouldn't sign off on it. Look, in order for you to convince me that this is an actual problem, you would have to convince me that somebody would actually get into a pickle over this law. Sorry, don't see it.