Blasphemy

Dictionaries

Blacks Law Dictionary

English Law - Blasphemy is the offense of speaking matter relating to God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, or the

Book of Common Prayer, intended to wound the feelings of mankind or to excite contempt and

hatred against the church by law established, or to promote immorality. Sweet.

American Law - Any oral or written reproach maliciously cast upon God, His name, attributes or religion.

In general, blasphemy may be described as consisting in speaking evil of the Deity with an impious purpose to

derogate from the divine majesty, and to alienate the minds of others from the love and reverence of God.

It is purposely using words concerning God calculated and designed to impair and destroy the reverence, respect,

and confidence due to Him as the intelligent creator, governor, and judge of the world. It embraces the idea of

detraction, when used towards the Supreme Being, as "calumny" usually carries the same idea when applied to

an individual. It is a willful and malicious attempt to lessen men's reverence of God by denying His existence, or

His attributes as an intelligent creator, governor, and judge of men, and to prevent their having confidence in

Him as such. Corn. v. Kneeland, 20 Pick. (Mass.) 211, 212. The use of this word is, in modern law, exclusively con-

fined to sacred subjects; but blasphemia and blasphemare were anciently used to signify the reviling by one person

of another. Nov. 77, c. 1, § 1; Spelman.

Alien or Aliene - To transfer or make over to another; to convey or transfer the property of a thing from one person to another; to alienate. Usually applied to the transfer of lands and tenements.