Godslastering en belediging van religieuze gevoelens heroverwogen: een pleidooi voor retorische beleefdheid

This dissertation examines the contested uses of Christian symbolism for non-religious purposes as capable of both evoking deeper meanings and provoking outrage. This dynamic emerges from the interplay between the symbol's inherent ambiguity, its resistance to complete appropriation, and the specific features of the surrounding public discourse. By investigating the reasons behind labelling unorthodox symbol-uses as blasphemy, the dissertation presents offence-giving, offence-taking, and even mere offence-witnessing as communicative acts that can be analyzed through the original lens of rhetorical civility. The research journey unfolds across five chapters: three offer hermeneutics of the key concepts - offence, civility, and blasphemy - while two synthesize these insights. The first chapter explores the notion of offence too feelings, critiquing both overly demanding and restrictive notions of respect as its cure, found in policy frameworks. This sets the stage for a humble, yet promising approach advanced in the second chapter: rhetorical civility. By examining the intersections of civility, the care for the outward (or "the way it looks"), and religious character formation, the chapter articulates some principles of sensitive evocations of symbols mindful of their personal and communal significance. The next chapter offers a wide-ranging portrayal of archetypical blasphemers and argues for a specifically theological engagement with blasphemy that resists secular (civil, aesthetic, political etc.) reductions. The idea of theological undesirability is introduced here to address both expressive and doctrinal concerns in labelling something as blasphemous. Blasphemy's potential to distort the references to divine and covenantal relationships between God and humanity is discussed here. The penultimate chapter consolidates these explorations, emphasizing the affective, evaluative, and symbolic dimensions of offence as rhetorically compelling and capable of inspiring care-driven engagement. It frames offence-taking as an act of care, a symbolic expression of loyalty. Similarly, offence-giving can also arise from care: a commitment to ensuring a symbol's continued meaningfulness in changing contexts. Whereas the witnesses of offence are encouraged to care for truly inclusive spaces open to robust perspectives. The final chapter offers an original deepening of the discussion on blasphemy. It distinguishes between the tropological, rhetorical, and theological dimensions of expressions that may appear blasphemous, urging caution in labeling them as such. Here, paramount blasphemy is framed as a counterpart to worship. The roles of offenders and the offended are refined as respectively symbols' appropriators and stewards, acknowledging passive and active aspects of these engagements. The simplistic hierarchies between insider and outsider perspectives are resisted here, while parallels in their interpretative efforts discourage both suppressive conformity and reckless provocation. A distinctive contribution here is delving into the relationship between sin and blasphemy, as well as the idea of God's impassibility that must not always preclude harm. This work invites offence-givers, -takers, and -witnesses alike to engage in self- and other-exploration informed by care, symbolic literacy, and imaginative dialogue. Such engagement fosters a more hospitable public sphere, supports moral growth, and strengthens communal resilience. The vision presented here challenges both the uncritical vilification and the careless celebration of blasphemy, seeking instead to cultivate a public discourse that is sensitive, inclusive, and resistant to monocultural tendencies.