Blasphemy

Ethics, Morality, and Sin

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Rose2020
Scholar
Posts: 390
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2022 9:54 am
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 57 times

Blasphemy

Post #1

Post by Rose2020 »

I don't really understand what it is and would like to guard against it.
Can anyone give a clear example?

User avatar
Difflugia
Prodigy
Posts: 3017
Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2019 10:25 am
Location: Michigan
Has thanked: 3247 times
Been thanked: 1997 times

Re: Blasphemy

Post #2

Post by Difflugia »

Rose2020 wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:04 pmI don't really understand what it is and would like to guard against it.
Can anyone give a clear example?
The Classical Greek verb βλασφημέω (blasphemeo) originally meant "to speak evil of." It later came to almost always refer to speaking evil of a deity and expanded to include simply speaking carelessly, both of which are included in the New Testament. In Matthew 9:3, the scribes thought it blasphemy to claim that a mere human being (as they thought Jesus was) could forgive sin, which was the purview of God alone. "Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" in Matthew 12:24 was claiming that a power of the Holy Spirit (the ability to cast out demons) came from an evil source (other demons).

The ESV translates the noun βλασφημίαι (blasphemiai) in Matthew 15:19 as "slander" and that's probably a reasonable definition. If you mean it in a religious sense, then "to blaspheme" would be "to slander God." Saying that God is unwise or that He is evil would be blasphemy. If the Holy Spirit is the Power of God, then to declare that God can't accomplish something or that a miracle is evil (or even unworthy) would be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
My pronouns are he, him, and his.

nobspeople
Prodigy
Posts: 3187
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:32 am
Has thanked: 1510 times
Been thanked: 824 times

Re: Blasphemy

Post #3

Post by nobspeople »

Rose2020 wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:04 pm I don't really understand what it is and would like to guard against it.
Can anyone give a clear example?
I was told 2 definitions (though they may be related):
1) giving credit to the devil when it should be given to the holy spirit or god
2) outright telling the holy spirit "you su*k - I hate you!" or the like.
Have a great, potentially godless, day!

Post Reply