Blasphemy is defined as "speaking sacrilegiously against God or sacred things." While in the United States, we have freedom of speech, the Old Testament commands death by stoning for the sin of blasphemy (vs. 16). How do Christians understand the seriousness of blasphemy while also living in a free society?
This is not some ancient and dusty issue. Recently (May 2015), two Muslims were shot and killed in Garland, Texas, as they prepared to storm an event featuring drawings of Mohammed that they felt blasphemed their prophet. This is not an isolated occurrence. Blasphemy remains a capital crime in some Muslim countries - while it has become a taxpayer-subsidized form of edgy "art" in secular nations.
Why does blasphemy rise to the level of such an odious sin that God demanded death for the crime in the Old Testament? How is that justified?
God's name is sacred. His name is so holy that the ancient Israelites would not include the vowels when they wrote His name (transliterated YHWH, from which we get Yahweh or Jehovah) and would refuse to pronounce it aloud. In teaching the people about Himself, God insisted that reverence and dignity be given to His name. Why? Basically, because it is right to do so when talking about the Holy God who created the universe and redeemed a people.
One of the first things that we learn about God is the respect due Him. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" is repeated three times in scripture (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 110:10). God's name is holy and those that would blaspheme that name are indeed deserving of death.
Yet - who are we to carry out such a sentence? Adultery is also a crime that carries with it the death penalty. When a woman "caught in the very act of adultery" (John 8) was brought to Jesus, He refused to condemn her, and proclaimed that only those without sin should pick up the first stone to do so. The unpleasant, inconvenient truth is that all of us are sinners - and the penalty of sin is death. We are all under a death sentence. Thanks be to God for His salvation given to us in Jesus Christ!
When it comes to living in a free society and open culture such as twenty-first century America, Christians need to remember that we also no longer live in a nation whose operating principle is the Sinaitic Covenant. This does not, however, free us to partake of such deeds that may be legal (such as blasphemy, adultery, etc.) but remain immoral and wrong. Christians need to witness by keeping our behavior in line with God's will, even as we serve as salt and light in a pluralistic culture.
Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/us/garland-mohammed-drawing-contest-shooting/
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