ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses two of the fundamental issues that underlay the curious persistence of blasphemy and blasphemy laws: why do people blaspheme to begin with; and what harms, real or imagined, does blasphemy cause? The theory presented in these pages is that the concept of blasphemy, in its diverse forms, speaks to a fundamental element of human psychology: as long as people believe certain things are sacred, they will believe certain remarks are blasphemous. The chapter discusses the role of blasphemy and blasphemy-like laws in the modern world, and also discusses three related, but distinct, ways to think about blasphemy: as a religious concept, as a legal concept, and, in what at first may seem an oxymoron, "secular blasphemy". The "defamation of religions" resolutions purport to seek protection for religions in general, but the only religion and religious adherents specifically mentioned are Islam and Muslims.
