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Darryl Nightingale

3 hours ago

The blasphemy law in New Zealand is an interesting one, for it does not prohibit criticism of religions or religious beliefs and practices.

In New Zealand it is an offence under section 123 of the Crimes Act 1961 to publish any blasphemous libel.

But sub-section 123(3) of the provides:

It is not an offence against this section to express in good faith and in decent language, or to attempt to establish by arguments used in good faith and conveyed in decent language, any opinion whatever on any religious subject.

That is, there is in the blasphemy law a distinction between criticism and language which provokes outrage by insulting insulting, ridiculing or vilifying religion or religious beliefs and practices. The former is fine, the latter is not.

Similarly, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 gives everyone the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.

But hate speech is prohibited under section 61 of the Human Rights Act 1993.

Section 61 of the Act makes it unlawful "threatening, abusive, or insulting...matter or words likely to excite hostility against or bring into contempt any group of persons..."

Hate speech is speech attacks persons or groups on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender.

Some argue that anybody should have the right to say anything they like.

But hate speech is banned on the grounds that it can harm people psychologically, have a negative impact on social cohesiveness, and incite persecution and violence.

It is, of course, questionable whether a valid distinction can be drawn between the harm caused by the vilification of persons and the harm caused by the vilification of a person’s fundamentally held beliefs.

But I would argue that the Human Rights Act effectively makes the much more narrowly focused blasphemy law redundant.

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We have a legal obligation to refrain in public from insulting and abusive language.

But do we also have a moral duty to stand against it - and report it - when we see it? ... See MoreSee Less

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Darryl Nightingale

2 hours ago

Secular Rescue is an underground railroad of sorts for non-believers in countries where simply expressing doubt about religious belief is a criminal offense or where it may lead to grave physical harm.

Although some organizations like Amnesty International have taken up the cause of certain individuals, Secular Rescue was founded to tackle the broader global problem.

The support it offers is largely diplomatic, financial, and legal: to pull strings with government agencies, organize the transportation of potential victims, and pay the costs of settling in a new country.

Since 2015, it has helped save 30 people.

With enough funds, the group would hope to help many more.

Beyond creating these escape routes, Secular Rescue also campaigns for bodies like the UN to protect the rights of atheists to express their freedom of conscience.

Secular Rescue was launched in 2013 by the Center for Inquiry, a US-based non-profit which seeks to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.

Center for Inquiry Launches “Secular Rescue” to Save Lives of Threatened Activists
www.centerforinquiry.net/newsroom/center_for_inquiry_launches_secular_rescue_to_save_lives_of_thr...

Center for Inquiry
www.centerforinquiry.net/
. ... See MoreSee Less

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