Illegal to Quote the Bible? Finnish Politician Fights Threat to Free Speech, on Trial for Posting a Bible Verse

A Christian member of Parliament in Finland is on trial, fighting for freedom of speech and religion in court on Monday because she posted an image of a Bible passage to social media which condemns homosexuality.

Päivi Räsänen has been under investigation since 2019 for her Bible verse post and is charged with three counts of hate speech against homosexuals.

#kirkko on ilmoittanut olevansa #seta n #Pride2019 virallinen partneri. Miten kirkon oppiperusta, #raamattu sopii yhteen sen kanssa, että häpeä ja synti nostetaan ylpeyden aiheeksi? pic.twitter.com/cnjAQCrOc2

— Päivi Räsänen (@PaiviRasanen) June 17, 2019

Prosecutors said her comments violated the equality and dignity of homosexuals.

But Räsänen defends her post saying it was a direct challenge to the Evangelical Lutheran Churches Affiliation for a Helsinki gay pride event, not a criticism of people who are living a homosexual lifestyle. 

"In all the charges, I deny any wrongdoing. My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible's teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul's teaching on homosexual acts," she explained. "The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one's neighbor, not from hate towards a group of people."

The court's decision will come in one month and while Räsänen hopes to be acquitted from all charges, she says the court's decision could have dire consequences for all believers in her country. 

"The possible sentence for the crime of ethnic agitation would be up to two years imprisonment or a fine," she explained. "But an even more serious problem would be the resulting censorship: an order to remove social media updates or a ban on posting. The sentence would open the floodgates to a ban on similar publications and the threat of modern book burnings."

"According to my knowledge, the court has to for the first time take a stand on whether it is legal or not to cite the Bible," Räsänen continued. 

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Räsänen told CBN News her reason for posting the image to social media was to wake up the church in Finland.

"And and when praying, I got convinced that it is not my time now to jump out of the sinking boat as a parable of the church, but to try to wake up the sleeping ones in the church in that boat. And that's why I decided to write to social media," Räsänen said.

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The Christian politician also faces charges for an online article and a radio interview in which she shared her views on homosexuality and biblical marriage. 

Räsänen believes her case could eventually be taken to the European Court of Human Rights. 

"I have carefully gone through all my writings and statement, that are now being scrutinized, and I stand behind these thoughts that derive from the classical Christianity," she said. "I feel it is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion. I defend the right to confess the Christian faith and its teaching on the human being."