What Is Blasphemy?
Blasphemy is speech that expresses contempt for and/or hatred of God (including in one’s thoughts). It also includes indirect attacks on the Lord, i.e., through similar words uttered against the persons and objects associated with God, including the saints, statues, and, in general, the Catholic Church Jesus Christ founded. In addition, while not strictly blasphemy, lesser misuses of God’s name and his holy saints are still wrong and thus to be avoided (CCC 2146).
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC),
Blasphemy is directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists in uttering against God—inwardly or outwardly—words of hatred, reproach, or defiance; in speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one’s speech; in misusing God’s name. St. James condemns those “who blaspheme that honorable name [of Jesus] by which you are called” [Jas. 2:7]. The prohibition of blasphemy extends to language against Christ’s Church, the saints, and sacred things. It is also blasphemous to make use of God’s name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture persons or put them to death. The misuse of God’s name to commit a crime can provoke others to repudiate religion. Blasphemy is contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. It is in itself a grave sin (CCC 2148).
So blasphemy includes both audible and internal words against God. Such contempt often involves abusing God’s name, particularly the name of Jesus Christ, as well as speaking contemptuously of the holy persons, institutions, and things associated with the Lord. Blasphemy is gravely wrong because it violates the second commandment: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exod. 20:7).
Blasphemy Meaning in Catholic Teaching
The Catholic Church teaches that God’s name is holy because God himself is holy, and thus his name should not be used cavalierly, let alone in anger or contempt directed at the Lord.
The Catechism explains that blasphemy directly opposes the second commandment. It includes speaking against God with hatred, reproach, or defiance. It can also include irreverent speech against the Church, the saints, or sacred objects.
This is important for Christians today, because modern culture often treats holy things casually and, not infrequently, with contempt. The name of Jesus Christ is often used as an irreverent exclamation. God’s name is abused in jokes and otherwise in popular entertainment. At the same time, the Church has always recognized that how we speak about God reveals something about us, and thus whether or not we have filial love and fear of the Lord in our hearts.
Still, that does not mean every careless word is the same as the grave sin of blasphemy. One’s intention, the object chosen in a particular human act, and the circumstances in which words are expressed, all matter (see CCC 1749-1756). A person who speaks thoughtlessly may be guilty of irreverence or misuse of God’s name, but that is different from someone who knowingly and deliberately mocks God, or otherwise speaks contemptuously of the Lord. Still, Catholics should train themselves to speak about God with reverence—and thus serve as an example to others.
What Is Blasphemy in the Bible?
Blasphemy in the Bible is treated as a grave offense because it dishonors God. In the Old Testament, God reveals his name to Israel and commands his people not to misuse it. The Lord’s name is not merely a label. It reveals his identity, holiness, and authority: “I am who I am” (Exod. 3:14). The name “I am,” which in Hebrew is YHWH, conveys that the Lord’s essence (or nature) is existence. That is, he necessarily exists and thus he is the truly omnipotent God, because he is not reliant on anyone or anything.
Perjury was a capital crime in Old Covenant times, because it invoked God’s name to give strength to a falsehood.
In the New Testament, some religious leaders accuse Jesus of blasphemy because he presumes to forgive sins and speak with divine authority. In Mark 2, when Jesus forgives the sins of a paralytic, the scribes ask, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).
Their principle is correct: only God can forgive sins, which includes empowering others to do so in his name. But their conclusion is wrong. Jesus is not blaspheming. He is revealing that he is truly God the Son, and Jesus demonstrates that by healing the paralytic:
“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:9-12).
What Is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?
One of the most common questions is, “What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?” This comes from Jesus’ stark warning that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven:
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:30-32).
This teaching frightens many people, especially those who struggle with anxiety, including scrupulosity. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an unwanted thought, nor is it a moment of doubt. It is not a sin committed by accident or carelessness.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the deliberate and hardened refusal of God’s mercy, not a momentary irreverent word, nor even a one-time repudiation of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit moves to draw a sinner to repentance. He convicts his heart, gives grace, and beckons the soul back to God. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject that grace knowingly and persistently unto death. It is to call evil good, to resist repentance, and to refuse the forgiveness God offers, effectively choosing hell because you don’t want to be God’s child in heaven.
This is why the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is called unforgivable. It is not because God lacks mercy. It is because the person refuses the mercy by which sins are forgiven (see CCC 1033).
Is Blasphemy Unforgivable?
So, is blasphemy unforgivable? To be clear, if one commits a mortal sin in blaspheming God, the Lord will extend his mercy so that he can repent and be forgiven, provided he willingly cooperates with God’s grace.
St. Paul is a powerful example. Before his conversion, Paul persecuted Christians and opposed Christ’s Church. He acknowledges that “I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted” Jesus; “but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13). God forgave him, and he became one of the greatest saints in Church history.
This matters because many people fear their sin is too great for God to forgive. Instead, no sin(s) is greater than the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus will never turn a repentant sinner away (see John 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 3:9).
The only “unforgivable” sin is the final—and definitive—refusal to repent for the grave sin(s) we have committed:
“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” [Matt. 12:31]. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss (CCC 1864).
Extending God’s Mercy to Those Who Misuse His Name
In giving witness to non-Christians, lukewarm Protestant Christians, and those Catholics who’ve fallen-way from the regular practice of the Faith, we need to mercifully remember that there are three components to a mortal sin: i.e., not just grave matter, but full knowledge that what they’re doing is gravely wrong, and complete consent in choosing something gravely wrong (CCC 1857-1859; see Luke 23:34).
Angrily reproving someone for misusing God’s name is not likely to be effective, even if you express righteous anger and thus avoid sin. A different approach is more likely to bear fruit: joyfully make clear in a direct but non-confrontational way that God’s name—especially the name of Jesus—should be used reverently. When someone misuses God’s name, simply say, with a smile, “Blessed be his name.” You may have to say it several times, e.g., if you have gathered with others for a sporting event. Still, by maintaining your peace and expressing yourself in love, you’re much more likely to remedy the situation and/or plant seeds for the future.
In addition, it’s possible that Protestant Christians—especially some former Catholics—can say blasphemous things about the Blessed Mother, other saints, the use of statues, or other sacramentals, etc., without necessarily committing a mortal sin.
Apart from any consideration of their subjective culpability, the goal is to respond in a mercifully serene way (John 14:27), so that they’re more likely to think twice before speaking anew in the same bad way.
Heresy vs. Blasphemy vs. Sacrilege
People often confuse heresy, blasphemy, and sacrilege. They are related, but they are not the same. Heresy concerns the denial of Catholic dogma and often the espousal of its counterfeit:
Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same (CCC 2089, emphasis original).
Sacrilege includes gravely mistreating the sacraments Jesus instituted as well as the places and persons associated with the Faith:
Sacrilege consists in profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and other liturgical actions, as well as persons, things, or places consecrated to God. Sacrilege is a grave sin especially when committed against the Eucharist, for in this sacrament the true Body of Christ is made substantially present for us (CCC 2120, emphasis original).
They are distinct types of grave wrongdoing, and yet there can be overlap. For example, a person who espouses heresy indirectly blasphemes God by denying one of his revealed truths. In addition, a non-practicing yet baptized Catholic can blaspheme God without formally denying a dogma of the Faith, and yet the expression of his contempt for God also likely implies he has embraced one or more heresies, such as denying the God-ordained and sustained nature of the Catholic Church; and his experience as a Catholic may likely have contributed significantly to both his blasphemous remark(s) and heretical rejection of the Church. Also, a person can commit sacrilege by mistreating something sacred without audibly saying anything; yet, in the same act, he more likely than not is expressing inner, blasphemous contempt for God, whether directly or indirectly.
Examples of Blasphemy
Examples of blasphemy include deliberately mocking God, insulting Jesus Christ, ridiculing the Holy Spirit, using God’s name with contempt, or treating sacred things as worthless.
Blasphemy can also include attributing evil to God or knowingly calling God’s work evil. This is why the Gospel passages about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit are so serious. Some of Jesus’ opponents saw his miracles and still accused him of acting by the power of demons. They were not merely confused; they were resisting the manifest work of God.
In addition, while not strictly blasphemy, lesser yet still irreverent uses of God’s name are wrong and should be avoided. These include casual misuse in which one says, “Oh my G–” or employs the acronym “OMG.” If said as a sincere prayer, invoking God’s name is reverent. But if used casually, jokingly, in a moment of anger, or as filler speech, such is wrong and should be avoided. The same applies especially to the holy name of Jesus, as well as to his angels and saints (CCC 2162).
Can God Forgive Blasphemy?
To reaffirm, God can—and will—forgive blasphemy, provided we repent. This is the central point anxious readers need to understand: blasphemy is serious, but it is not stronger than the redeeming love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lord died for all sinners. That includes people who have misused his name, mocked the Faith, rejected the Church, or spoken against the holy persons and things associated with the Lord. The mercy of God is not exhausted by human sin.
For Catholics, the proper response to the sin of blasphemy is repentance and sacramental confession. Do not rationalize or excuse your sin as if you did nothing wrong, but do not despair either.
If you have committed blasphemy, repent. Confess it. Begin again. God’s mercy is greater than your sin!
Commonly Asked Questions
- What is blasphemy? Blasphemy is speech that audibly or inwardly expresses contempt, and/or hatred toward God. It can include mocking God, committing perjury, and speaking contemptuously “against Christ’s Church, the saints, and sacred things” (CCC 2148).
- What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the deliberate—and definitive—refusal of God’s mercy. It is not an intrusive thought, a passing doubt, a careless phrase, or even a one-time grave commission of blasphemy. It denotes a hardened refusal to receive God’s mercy and to instead die unreconciled to him.
- Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit unforgivable? It is called unforgivable not because God’s mercy is limited, but because the person definitively refuses the mercy God offers. God can forgive any sin, but he does not force forgiveness on someone who rejects his mercy. Love that is coerced is not love at all.
- Is blasphemy forgivable? Yes. Blasphemy is forgivable if the person repents. St. Paul says he was once “a blasphemer,” yet God showed him mercy. A Catholic who has committed the mortal sin of blasphemy should repent and receive absolution in confession, not despair.
- Is saying “Oh my G–” or the acronym OMG blasphemy? If those words are said reverently, they express authentic prayer. However, if used casually, jokingly, in a moment of anger, or as filler language, they do not constitute the grave sin of blasphemy, and yet still involve the misuse of God’s holy name and thus should be avoided and repented of when expressed.
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