Holy Blasphemy

Holy Blasphemy is a community of heretics, free-thinkers and spiritual seekers committed to religious freedom, personal autonomy and positive social change. We regularly produce in-depth, well researched articles on religious history, spirituality and modern culture, as well as lighter (or darker) rants and tirades.  The title “Holy Blasphemy” indicates our mission of straddling the space between Religion and Atheism: while we are absolutely against totalizing doctrines, idiocy, and irrational faith that breeds violence and intellectual stagnation, and are in general supportive of the Atheist agenda, we also respect each individual’s right to seek their own spiritual meaning – as long as they don’t impose it on everyone else or demand special privileges or policies. If there is a God or some kind of potent mystical unity at the center of the universe, he is not the angry tyrant of the Old Testament or the crucified Jewish rebel of the New. We demand that the idea of God be perfect – hence we are seeking a better God than the one taught in most world religions. If the tyrannical and violent God of the Christians, Muslims and Jews does exist, then in the words of Captain Ahab – “Defiance” is the only ethical response. Holy Blasphemy is the practice of speaking out against dated religious customs and clearing the way to a fuller appreciation of truth, and is considered by us to be a sacred duty for the spiritually eager. For more about who we are and what we stand for, please read our free publication, “Blasphemy: It’s not what you think.”

Who Aren’t We?

We are inventing a new category for ourselves, and find ourselves alone in it. But from here we can offer a fresh and original point of view. It is easier understand our position in contrast with what we are not. We consciously strive to avoid defining labels, in case in our naming of things we influence their nature. As far as possible, we have no agenda, only a passionate curiosity to seek and discover.

We are not Atheists. Although there are many Gods we don’t believe in, such as the manipulative and violent God of the Old Testament, we believe that there is something mystical about our experience; be it an objective metaphysical reality, a physicality we have not fully explored, ie quantum physics, or a subjective projection of ourselves, it is nevertheless a key part of the human journey. We sometimes use the term “God” as a blanket title to identify this mystery, even though our idea of God is almost entirely without attributes. Although we agree with Atheists on nearly all points, and recognize the necessity of challenging the influence of religion on culture and politics, we find the term “Atheist” too damaging in terms of genuine dialogue.

We are not Religious. Although we sympathize with spiritualists of all faiths, and have also found the benefits of prayer, song, art, candles, incense, congregation and community that usually accompany religious traditions, we see in religion the danger of certainty. Certainty, especially in something that is not widely accepted, cannot be proved, and may even contradict empirical evidence, is the root of righteousness. We also find that certainty is limiting, both for the believer and the object of faith. Religion is merely a fidelity to an authentic experience: authenticity must be ever and always experienced personally, without mediators.

We are not Skeptics. While we understand the desire and need to collect data and present rational arguments to support our beliefs and views, we do not automatically discredit what appears to be impossible or irrational. In the absence of proof, there is only possibility. Also, we feel it is sometimes more beneficial to accept some things on ‘faith’ rather than question everything. Will the sun rise tomorrow? Is there free will? The answer to both questions is that it is impossible to prove them logically; but it is senseless to give up and stay in bed.

On Scholarship

All writers have an agenda – they think something is true, and then they try to prove it. Research is never absolutely objective, because researchers, and humanity in general, are pattern seeking animals. We make connections between things. We group, we classify, we infer and we assume.

However, this does not invalidate research, nor does it make the conclusions of the researcher false on principle. Some of the issues discussed on this website are sensitive topics, and it may seem easier to critique the author rather than face the evidence. For our part, we have tried to provide sources and further references for every claim and every quote, and we have relied on no unverified statements.

Many will disagree with our conclusions because they seem to attack Faith and Religion specifically. This is not so: We attack much more. Any instance of inherited folly, any unreasonable prejudice, any unsupported assumption will fall under the knife of our criticism. We are well aware of the limits of rationalism, and even it, along with philosophy, skepticism and atheism, will fall under the lens of our investigation.

A Warning

That said, this is not an unbiased website. I have both an opinion and an agenda: I am trying to convert you. I care about how and what you think, because you are a participating member of this global society. The way we live our lives affects all things, and I do not feel comfortable allowing everyone to choose and persist in ideas which may be psychologically and sociologically disastrous; especially when the loudest and most outspoken generators of meaning are evangelical pamphlets, political media brainwashing, and the advertising campaigns of marketing executives.

We are in a critical moment in our history – on the very brink of ecological and sociological disasters so powerful and destructive that we will not survive them. It is our beliefs, and nothing else, which will motivate our most critical decisions. I see it is my duty to no less than save the world, by influencing as many people as possible to take responsibility for it.

This is a great and difficult task, for “minority literature” or the politics of difference and change, will always find more resistance than support. While it may be easy to gain sympathy from some, it is nearly impossible not to alienate many. I hope in this website to inspire every person in a manner or language that is appropriate for them: in addition to writing boring essays, I will entertain and dance. I will be a Carlyle for the intellectuals and a Byron for the masses. I will shock with poetry, marvel with fiction and narrative, and enlighten with prose. And if I fail in the attempt, I’ll change mediums.

A full revelation of myself

All writings on this blog, including those of God or Satan or anyone else, were written in my free time. Me, myself, and I = Derek Murphy, an author/painter from the great northwestern state of Oregon who has spent the last 20 years living abroad and traveling through S. America, Europe, Africa and Asia. I’m the author of “Jesus Potter Harry Christ” and am working on my second book, “Satan is my Hero” which will be out in another year or two. Meanwhile, I’m also working on my PHD in Comparative Religious Literature, and further am an artistic genius whose surrealistic oil paintings draw attention to the murky space between the increasingly merged Western and Eastern culture, language and ideology. This blog is a hobby site, so please excuse tirades of opinion, emotion, or spelling errors, which I keep out of my more professional projects.