Quote:
Originally Posted by punky
Not with regards to causing offense. There is no concrete definition of what "offence" is. It's something that every individual person sets the boundary of. A couple of hundred years ago taking the lord's name in vain was offensive. To a tiny minority it still is. Same with insulting royals. How can people be held account to something that's impossible to define?
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On the contrary, I think communities of people are entirely capable of agreeing amongst themselves that they consider certain words, sentiments or activities to be offensive and to seek to exclude such behaviour from within the community.
To take your example of blasphemy: would you consider it acceptable for someone visiting a cathedral, abbey or any other Christian institution that is normally open to the public (say for example the monastery at Buckfast Abbey in Devon) to arrive with a small group of friends and then stand up and deliver a lecture on the folly of religion?