Iceland's parliament has abolished its blasphemy laws, despite opposition from some of the country's churches. A bill was put forward by the minority Pirate Party, which campaigns for internet and data freedom. The bill said it was "essential in a free society that the public can express themselves without fear of punishment". The blasphemy law had been in place since 1940, and anyone found guilty could have been sentenced to a fine or three months in prison.
The Iceland Monitor website said that the Church of Iceland supported the change, and quoted them as saying that "any legislative powers limiting freedom of expression in this way is at variance with modern-day attitudes towards human rights". The Catholic Church of Iceland, the Pentecostal Church and the Church of Iceland's eastern province opposed the changes. The Catholic Church wrote in comments submitted after the bill was proposed: "Should freedom of expression go so far as to mean that the identity of a person of faith can be freely insulted, then personal freedom - as individuals or groups - is undermined."
Iceland is slowly becoming a modern-day utopia. Slay me. They're also very progressive when it comes to LGBT rights and equality. Besides, the country is just beautiful.
shocked at this.
