Blasphemy
A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States · John Bouvier · 1839
A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States
crim. law, is to attribute to God that which is contrary to his nature, and does not belong to him, and to deny what does. This offence has been enlarged in Pennsylvania, and perhaps most of the other states.
11 Serg. & Rawle, 394.
In England all blasphemies against God, the Christian religion, the holy scriptures, and malicious revilings of the established church are punishable by indictment, 1 East, P. C. 3; 1 Russ. on Cr. 217; and in France before the 25th of September, 1791, it was blasphemy also to speak against the holy virgin and the saints, to deny one's faith, to speak with impiety of holy things, and to swear by things sacred. Merl. Rep. h. t. The law relating to blasphemy in that country was totally repealed by the code of 25th of September, 1791, and its present penal code, art. 262, enacts that any person who, by words or gestures, shall commit any outrage upon objects of public worship, in the places designed or actually employed, for the performance of its rites, or shall assault or insult ministers of such worship in the exercise of their functions, shall be fined from sixteen to five hundred francs, and be imprisoned for a period not less than fifteen days nor more than six months.