Is it blasphemous to mishandle a book?
- Chris Highland
- May 31
- 4 min read
By Chris Highland
Chris is a teacher, writer, and humanist celebrant living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. In this article, he explores the National Secular Society’s defence of free expression in the face of growing calls to criminalise the perceived desecration of religious texts. Drawing on his own experiences as a former chaplain, he argues that while respect for sacred books is understandable, the protection of human rights and open dialogue must take precedence over the physical sanctity of any text.
The National Secular Society (NSS) in England defends religious liberty as well as free speech. They keep a close eye on religious influence in government and schools. One of their latest concerns has to do with attempts to outlaw anything that offends people of faith such as “desecrating” a holy book. As the NSS sees it, these are ploys to establish “blasphemy laws” that have no place in a free society where there is respect for free expression of ideas, even when those expressions bother some people. Hurting a person’s feelings can’t be cause for punishment.
I do not advocate burning books, including texts considered sacred. As the NSS states: “Book burning is an unedifying spectacle – better to combat an idea with reasoned critique than destruction – but freedom of expression ceases to be meaningful if it only protects those acts we agree with. And by accepting the physical sanctity of a religious text, we begin to accept the sanctity of the dogmas therein, many of which fly in the face of liberal values and are contemptuous of human rights.” I think this makes a sensible point. In a clash of ideas or beliefs we should use reason to make a good argument. It’s neither constructive nor helpful to take out disagreements on a book or any other religious object. However, as the NSS explains, in a free society we can’t place the “physical sanctity of a religious text” above the protection of liberal values and the rights of everyone – including both the religious and non-religious.
When I was a chaplain in jails and on the streets, I was often asked for a Bible or other spiritual book. One Muslim gentleman in the county jail was very appreciative when I brought him an Arabic copy of the Qur’an, though he was disappointed that strict rules required me to cut the hard cover off. He was pleased to have the copy anyway. In some campsites, among people living outside, I would see Bibles in various conditions. After one of our unhoused men, John, died I hiked out to his tent and found his Bible weathered and torn. I kept it for a while, then gently placed it in the trash can. Only the most self-righteous and self-appointed “protectors of sacred things” would be upset by that. We always viewed people as more sacred than any “holy objects”.
As young Evangelicals, we stuck stickers on our Bibles and marked favourite verses with pens or highlighters. I suppose some purists would be appalled, but to those of us intent on learning and living the words in the book, it didn’t matter if it got a little beat up. We believed God’s Word was alive and active; it wasn’t the book itself but the words “written on our hearts” that mattered the most.
NSS spokesperson Jack Rivington said: “Calls for the legal protection of religious texts and figures should be seen for what they are – a demand for the reintroduction of blasphemy laws. It is deeply alarming to witness an elected Member of Parliament openly advocating for freedom of speech protections to be dismantled … The destruction of religious books should not be equated with hatred against individuals. In efforts to combat intolerance, the Government must ensure that the right to freedom of expression is respected. Peaceful coexistence will not be achieved by submitting to blasphemy codes.” Even secular citizens could say “Amen” to that.
As I said earlier, in my opinion we ought to treat human beings as “sacred” rather than books. I don’t see the need to mishandle any books just to make a point, but I would hope people of faith would give more attention to protecting and respecting others and let go of the attachment to printed pages. When a religious tradition elevates a particular text higher than all others, it makes sense for believers—of that tradition—to show respect for their holy text. This shouldn’t require everyone else in society to show the same level of respect. After all, there are literally billions of Bibles, Qur’ans and other scriptures printed and distributed around the world. Who is going to police every copy to make sure the divine text is handled correctly? Should a country use legal threats of punishment to outlaw the treatment of certain books that some people believe are the best books, better than all other books?
I hope the NSS is successful in its challenge to “book blasphemy”. What would those laws look like in America, where free speech is “enshrined” in our Constitution? No religion can be established either, which also means no religious book can be established or given special protections under the law. Those protections are for people, citizens, who may or may not believe in sacred, untouchable books.
Are there any objects you consider to be “sacred”? Tell us in Comments below.
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