(November 8, 2010 at 7:26 pm)Tiberius Wrote: The point is Rwandrall, somebody being hurt by what someone has said isn't grounds for labelling them a "victim" in the criminal sense of the word. If someone makes up a story about a famous celebrity, that celebrity has the right to sue them for libel, since their image has been hurt. However, it doesn't give any of their fans the right to seek damages, even if they were hurt by what was said. The same applies to blasphemy; any number of God's "fans" can be hurt by blasphemy, but they aren't the victims of it...God is.
Actually it is grounds for labelling them "victims", for example using racist slurs against someone is a criminal offense. To theists, insulting their God is like insulting who they are, what they stand for, the very core of their being. In that sense, they are victims. If you think that when insulting God they do not take it personally as an offense, you don't understand theists.
Also, denying the Holocaust is actually an offense that can give you jail time, for the precise reason that it tarnishes the memory of those who died. It does not offend people personally, but it is still a crime.
