I think it is rather unfair to compare blasphemy and heresy laws to what Europe has now.
People in the Middle Ages believed that heresy would damn the soul of the people and bring down divine wrath on the community. Their worldview is consistent with advocating for punishment for heretics.
On the other hand, modern European speech suppression laws are nothing more than an exercise of the will to power. It is not even consistent with their own worldview of "BUT HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU PERSONALLY?"
There is also a great eagerness to punish people and torture them (see the Jan 6 protesters), which was not the case for the Inquisitions.
Well, what the UK is doing is very much pushing hard on Blasphemy laws. The whole "praying in your own head is disorderly conduct that others find threatening" is just the biggest possible reach that I've ever seen.
Ah, well, it won't remain the biggest possible reach you've ever seen if you keep paying attention to what happens in the UK.
I've long said that it's the biggest shithole in Europe, and people didn't believe me because they had an unduly favorable view of the country due to Brexit. But Brexit doesn't help you much when you're, if it's even possible, worse than the EU.
Western countries should decide if they want free speech or blasphemy laws.
Most European countries already made that choice, though they call their blasphemy laws by other terms like "hate speech" or "holocaust denial".
I think it is rather unfair to compare blasphemy and heresy laws to what Europe has now.
People in the Middle Ages believed that heresy would damn the soul of the people and bring down divine wrath on the community. Their worldview is consistent with advocating for punishment for heretics.
On the other hand, modern European speech suppression laws are nothing more than an exercise of the will to power. It is not even consistent with their own worldview of "BUT HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU PERSONALLY?"
There is also a great eagerness to punish people and torture them (see the Jan 6 protesters), which was not the case for the Inquisitions.
Well, what the UK is doing is very much pushing hard on Blasphemy laws. The whole "praying in your own head is disorderly conduct that others find threatening" is just the biggest possible reach that I've ever seen.
Ah, well, it won't remain the biggest possible reach you've ever seen if you keep paying attention to what happens in the UK.
I've long said that it's the biggest shithole in Europe, and people didn't believe me because they had an unduly favorable view of the country due to Brexit. But Brexit doesn't help you much when you're, if it's even possible, worse than the EU.