Blasphemy on Ebay?

Should Ebay exclude auctions for items that are "blasphemous" or "sacrilegious" according to religious believers? That's what some are calling for in the wake of an auction for a Eucharist host from a mass said by Pope John Paul II.

From the auction:

It's a momento from that great afternoon with Pope John Paul II. Yes, this is the actual Eucharist I saved during the mass that I participated in on October 18th, 1998. I ate one wafer then I went back and got another one to save and he gave me another one, but I did get a very dirty look! I was studying in Florence that semester and a bunch of us went down to Rome that week to partake. I'm not Catholic, but I found it all very interesting. Along with the Eucharist, I have the program from that day and a litte bulletin. It's all in Italian.

Fr. Bryce Sibley asked (before the auction ended) how one can "stop things like this" and here are some comments:

He obtained the Host fraudulently; therefore, It qualifies as stolen goods.

Still, this discovery has further shaken my trust in the American system of government. Jesus is alive today, but like the unborn he is not a constitutional person protected by the State. People criticize the old Constantinian doctrine that error has no rights. Well, under our system, Christ, that is to say, Truth, has no rights.

I've already written them letting them know I have people willing to cancel their accounts with ebay, and will find many more if something isn't done. It's already been sold for $2000 apparently. Just disgraceful.

Only one comment noted that such complaints would set a bad precedent. To answer Sibley's question: No, in a free society you can't "stop things" just because you consider them blasphemous or sacrilegious. America isn't a theocracy and, therefore, doesn't have laws against violations of religious dictates. Unless selling an item like this also violates civil laws (like someone breaking into a church and stealing it), there are no provisions for "doing something."

I've seen a lot of Christians make something out of the fact that many Muslim nations prosecute people for actions that "insult" Islam; calls for "doing something" about this auction strike very close to the same attitude. Would people really try to charge the seller with trying to sell stolen goods? Would people really try to claim that "Christ" is a "person" with "rights" which all of us must respect? If so, what's the difference between those Christians and the Muslims who would toss people in jail for insulting the Quran or Mohammed?

Even if people just want the auction ended and don't seek the involvement of the police, it's still an attempt to define acceptable public activity according to the laws and dogmas of one religious group. In a religiously pluralistic society, you have to accept the existence of people who don't agree with your religion and don't treat it with the same reverence as you do. Demanding that they act as though they do, whether through official state sanctions or other forms of pressure, undermines the nature of a free, pluralistic society.

In a free society, not everyone will do things that you approve of. Learn to live with it.

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