The conviction of Carlos Celdran on the Philippines Revised Penal Code article 133 “Crimes against religious worship” for "offending religious feelings” has led to some asking if there is such a thing as “offending secular feelings” . The answer is both a “yes” and a “no” depending on what angle you look at it. It is a qualified “yes” if the secularists (and the Freethinkers) say their position is based on faith and therefore is under the constitutional provisions on religious liberty. The answer is a qualified “no” if the secularists insist theirs is not a religious position and so they should have a thicker skin with respect to offensive ideas since much of the perceived offence is in the secular sphere , considered as protected speech (unless it incites to violence) and the laws on defamation and libel should offer enough redress of grievance and protection. Like in Roman Catholicism or any other religious tradition for that matter, there are adherents with a di...
"It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved" - Galileo