“Blasphemy is the malicious revilement of God and religion. In England blasphemy was the malicious revilement of the Christian religion…. Blasphemy has been held to be a common-law crime [in the United States] because of its tendency to stir up breaches of the peace. It is expressly made punishable by some of the statutes.” Rollin M. Perkins & Ronald N. Boyce, Criminal Law 474, 475 (3d ed. 1982).
blasphemy
blasphemy (blas-f[schwa]-mee), n. Irreverence toward God, religion, a religious icon, or something else considered sacred. • Blasphemy was a crime at common law and remains so in some U.S. jurisdictions, but it is rarely if ever enforced because of its questionable constitutionality under the First Amendment. Cf. PROFANITY. [Cases: Criminal Law 45.20. C.J.S. Criminal Law § 7.] — blaspheme (blas-feemorblas-feem), vb. — blasphemous (blas-f[schwa]-m[schwa]s), adj. — blasphemer (blas-fee-m[schwa]r), n.
