What's the difference between blasphemous and profane?

Blasphemous


Definition:

  • (a.) Speaking or writing blasphemy; uttering or exhibiting anything impiously irreverent; profane; as, a blasphemous person; containing blasphemy; as, a blasphemous book; a blasphemous caricature.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) They may be considered blasphemous by some, but banning speech based on criticism or so-called defamation of religion is incompatible with international human rights standards.
  • (2) In its infancy, the movement against censorship agitated on behalf of artists, iconoclasts, talented blasphemers; against repressive forces whose unpleasantness only confirmed which side was in the right.
  • (3) The Vatican, which considers The Da Vinci Code blasphemous, has launched a PR campaign against the film.
  • (4) A man purporting to be its leader, Abubakar Shekau, says in the recording that the attack has inspired the sect to continue to take revenge in Nigeria and beyond on those who are blasphemous.
  • (5) There has been little media interest in the campaign, with some of the most recent reports about the US president concerning the burning of effigies of him to protest against a blasphemous anti-Islam film posted on YouTube.
  • (6) "I've had a lot more fun watching and arguing about the Twilight movies than I ever had with the Star Wars saga, that lumbering, narratively hobbled space opera," he blasphemed recently .
  • (7) Some Islamic traditions consider it blasphemous to make or show an image of the prophet, and Vilks's drawings were regarded as especially derogatory as dogs are a symbol of filth for many Muslims.
  • (8) In Pakistan , the prime minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, ordered the suspension of YouTube over the "blasphemous" Muhammad film.
  • (9) In one scene, the narrator said: "The God the Sunni worship may not be described in human language, nor represented in any art form, for that would be blasphemous.
  • (10) On Friday night, the Russian Orthodox church repeated its criticism of the band's "blasphemous" protest, which it said displayed "crude hostility towards millions of people" but called on state authorities "to show mercy to the people convicted within the framework of the law, in the hope that they will refrain from repeating blasphemous actions".
  • (11) But the religious extremists explained it as destructive ideas against God.” The case went to trial in February 2014 when the complainant and two members of the religious police told the court that Fayadh had publicly blasphemed, promoted atheism to young people and conducted illicit relationships with women and stored some of their photographs on his mobile phone.
  • (12) Two high court judges ruled that the programme - screened on BBC2 in 2005 - could not be considered as blasphemous "in context".
  • (13) Removing "blasphemous tweets" in Pakistan might be seen as repressing free speech in America, whereas in Pakistan it might be interpreted as asking for respect for social norms.
  • (14) But now that these three young women have been thrown into prison for singing a protest song against Putin in a Moscow cathedral, where's their feminist, and blasphemous role model when they need her most?
  • (15) "The attempt of this party to bind itself to the history of this city is blasphemous and condemned to failure," it said.The leader of the Federation of Greek Communities in Germany, Sigrid Skarpelis-Sperk, told the Guardian: "The German authorities should be alarmed at this development and should be very thorough in monitoring them, to keep them in check.
  • (16) Instead of making that easy distinction which, on the whole, only the blasphemous make - non-religious people make this distinction very easily, between so-called good and so-called evil, when of course they are interrelated, and one is defined in terms of the other.
  • (17) But today, freedom lovers everywhere, whatever their religion, should proclaim the slogan of solidarity with the murdered staff of Charlie Hebdo: ‘Je suis Charlie!’” Ross Douthat, blogging at the New York Times website , went further by arguing that while “under many circumstances the choice to give offense (religious and otherwise) can be reasonably criticized as pointlessly antagonising, needlessly cruel, or simply stupid … The legitimacy and wisdom of such criticism is generally inversely proportional to the level of mortal danger that the blasphemer brings upon himself.
  • (18) Terror attacks in Paris: Mourners hold vigils worldwide for victims – live updates Read more The prime minister said following his talks with both the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it was clear that Isis was was committing a double crime of “mass murder” and “blaspheming Islam”.
  • (19) That was more than a decade ago, and it was a shocking – almost blasphemous – thing to say.
  • (20) Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

Profane


Definition:

  • (a.) Not sacred or holy; not possessing peculiar sanctity; unconsecrated; hence, relating to matters other than sacred; secular; -- opposed to sacred, religious, or inspired; as, a profane place.
  • (a.) Unclean; impure; polluted; unholy.
  • (a.) Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; irreverent; impious.
  • (a.) Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain; given to swearing; blasphemous; as, a profane person, word, oath, or tongue.
  • (a.) To violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate; to pollute; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the Scriptures, or the ordinance of God.
  • (a.) To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Perhaps he modified his language for the NY Times reporter, but the more likely explanation is that his swearing added nothing and was therefore omitted by the writer or edited out; in America, even in liberal New York, profanities still need to be argued into print.
  • (2) Extensive research among the Afghan National Army – 68 focus groups – and US military personnel alike concluded: "One group sees the other as a bunch of violent, reckless, intrusive, arrogant, self-serving profane, infidel bullies hiding behind high technology; and the other group [the US soldiers] generally views the former as a bunch of cowardly, incompetent, obtuse, thieving, complacent, lazy, pot-smoking, treacherous, and murderous radicals.
  • (3) Throughout his life, Dad observed the rule that profanity – effing and blinding as he called it – should be confined to workplaces and other all-male venues where men gathered outside the earshot of women and children.
  • (4) McQueen told this tale several times – the words varied from “McQueen was here” to more profane messages, between tellings – and so, years later, Anderson & Sheppard asked the prince’s valet for the suits of that era back, in order to examine the linings.
  • (5) The phychological aspects of language show an antithesis between learned and profane languages.
  • (6) A few years back, a survey of 3,000 11-year-olds revealed that nine out of 10 parents swear in front of their children, and the average kid heard six different expletives per week (whoever said profanity was bad for your vocabulary?).
  • (7) "Not just because it's wrong to expect officers to endure profanities, but it's also because of the experience of the culprits.
  • (8) Here, in the profane world of anti-music, I could be a hater and say: "This is where the rock'n'roll dream dies.
  • (9) This research examined 160 college students' impressions of an audiotape of a female counselor who used profanity with either a male or female client who did or did not use profanity.
  • (10) Inside the cinema-like forum, all was concentrated silence punctuated by an occasional profanity or a murmur of "My God, North lied all along" from the readers.
  • (11) Effects of counselor's profanity and subject's religiosity on acquisition of lecture content and behavioral compliance were investigated.
  • (12) She was praised by many but also criticised harshly as a result of this exhibition, as her unapologetic nudity was seen by many as downright profane.
  • (13) You expect movie ratings to tell you whether a film contains nudity, sex, profanity or violence.
  • (14) One profanity-ridden post concluded with: "John Oliver told me to do this."
  • (15) Motion pictures were not born in religious practice, but instead are a totally profane offspring of capitalism and technology,” writes Paul Schrader in his landmark book, Transcendental Style in Film, in which he isolates two strains of religious film-making: the epics of Cecil B DeMille, presenting religion as spectacle, with teeming hordes, VistaVision, shafts of light, and strangely subdued orgies.
  • (16) She was roundly abused and Lord Carrington , the Economist and many others told her she was being profane.
  • (17) "It has mad amounts of violence, blood and profanity, and no shortage of racist and homophobic things.
  • (18) Boehner and his staff gamely tried to fend off both the specter of a shutdown and a leadership challenge from his caucus’ more belligerent culture warriors – as late as yesterday, a Boehner spokesman was assuring the press that the battle-tested speaker “wasn’t going anywhere.” No doubt, however, that a cursory look at the long train of sober spiritual leaders in his caucus lining up to deliver pointless CSPAN tantrums over the outrages of science prompted the longtime Ohio Congressman to mutter some variant of Good Lord, not this again together with a few well-chosen profanities for good measure.
  • (19) Cultural comprehensions and spirit of time are registered in numerous sacred and profane monuments of art.
  • (20) A profanity-strewn squabble with bewildered old John Motson was trotted out; Fergie time; the hairdryer treatment; the intimidation of some match officials; the trackside battles with Wenger and Benitez.