Blasphemy ain’t what it used to be

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http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/06/13/inenglish/1339586501_219477.html


Artist Eugenio Merino’s work showing a Muslim, Christian and a Jew praying provoked protests in Israel in 2010. / LUIS SEVILLANO (EL PAÍS)

God is busy with bigger things, but the arrogance of men makes them feel obligated to defend him, Penal Code in hand.

On the basis of that legislation, a Catholic association named after the Renaissance philosopher Thomas More took two people to court: the singer-songwriter Javier Krahe and Montserrat Fernández, director of a television program that aired an old movie about Krahe’s life which included a humorous sketch showing viewers how to “bake” a crucifix in the oven.

The trial sparked a flood of comments by supporters and opponents of the legislation; there was also heated debate regarding the fact that the offending events were so old — Krahe’s crucifix short was released in 1977, and the television program dates from 2004.

Blasphemy is as old as the hills. Luis Alberto de Cuenca, a philologist, delves into the history of the concept: “It is a Greek word and it did not have the meaning then that it does now,” he says. “The Greeks could not possibly have conceived of it as an offensive word against God, the Virgin Mary or the saints because they had numerous gods and goddesses and didn’t feel the need to lash out at them during angry outbursts, which is what usually happens among the followers of the biblical God in Judeo-Christian religious thought.