What is Blasphemy? Are you a Blasphemer?

Blasphemy is an old fashioned word, perhaps, and not a popular concept in 21st-century America.

But what is blasphemy?

Have you, without thinking, been a blasphemer? (One who speaks blasphemously whether on purposes or inadvertantly).

Let’s start with a definition

What is blasphemy?

I’ve always assumed it meant speaking against God.

Which, of course, it does.

Classic definition from Merriam-Webster’s is: “a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or b: the act of claiming the attributes of a deity“

If that isn’t enough, consider the synonyms: “cursing, sacrilege, descration, impiety, violation.”

Wikipedia says the same thing: “Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable.”

Leviticus 24

I read Leviticus 24 today because our church is using The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible. (From Voice of the Martyrs–it’s causing me to pray more!)

March 1’s Old Testament reading involved a a half-Jewish, half-Egyptian man who crossed the the Red Sea into the Wilderness with the Israelites, and got into a fight.

As Moses spends Leviticus recounting the specific rules for living that God provided from Mount Sinai, he used this example: “The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD and cursed.”

According to David Guzik at EnduringWord.com:

The man committed the crime of blasphemy, which is to attack someone – especially God – with your words. It is somewhat like the modern idea of verbal abuse, but especially directed against God. The command against blaspheming God was given in Exodus 22:28.

Leviticus 24:12 EnduringWord.com

Reading through the passage, we learn the man’s assault against God required him to be stoned to death.

That’s how seriously God took the man’s blasphemy.

In his commentary, Guzik quoted theologian R. Laird Harris to explain why the man’s words were so serious:

“In the Near East the name of a person was bound up intimately with his character, so that in the case of God, blasphemy was in effect an act of repudiation.”

Guzik then added: “It seems that it was common for Egyptians to curse their many gods. The root of this man’s sin was that he considered the God of Israel to be the same as the petty Egyptian gods.”

In this particular case, the man’s blasphemy resulted in him being stoned to death.

That’s how seriously God viewed the man’s insulting words.

What’s the effect of blasphemy?

We live in a time of loose tongues.

People don’t seem to care what they say to who in public–as in social media.

Cynicism and sarcasm abound and often include a dose of two of “shock blasphemy.”

Using ugly words often leads to a deadening of the soul–and a lack of care for those around you who take your words seriously.

I grew up in a society that commonly used the name of the Lord in vain.

As a child, I didn’t realize the adults in my community were blasphemers.

I knew neither the concept or what the words really meant.

When I became a Christian, I had trouble with the name Christ.

Not Jesus, but Jesus Christ–still–brings back venomous swearing words.

It makes me flinch.

(As a result, I prefer to refer to him as Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior. Jesus+Christ distracts me momentarily from the conversation.)

Am I a blasphemer?

Yes. I am.

My past haunts me some days, and even I am stunned by what comes out of my mouth when I’m angry.

But I know the passage above. My hearing catches the swearing and I’m horrified.

Fortunately, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:8, ESV)

“Forgive me, Father,” I whisper, chastened.

And He does.

As a child I learned, “sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you.”

But, that saying is not true.

Words spoken to and about you, can hurt you as they echo throughout your life.

Or, as it says in the Jewish ethical teachings book Sirach 28:17: “The blow of a whip raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones.”

Blasphemy, swearing, foul language, affects more people than just ourselves.

As above, it can deaden the soul.

Swearing debilitates the language and often halts reasonable discussion.

God, obviously, doesn’t like it–especially when directed at Him, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit–much less the people He died for.

It also, frankly, deadens the language and demonstrates a lack of vocabular on the part of the speakers.

Long ago, working in a college newsroom, swearing took place all around me. It began to deaden my hearing, too.

I may not have used the language (most of the time), but I stopped hearing it. It didn’t shock anymore.

These days, I’ll read past a couple swear words in a book, but if they continue, I don’t bother to finish the book.

I need to hear better language in my life these days.

What about you?

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