Faith
Christian Lawmaker Warns Supreme Court Ruling Could Silence Believers
Finnish lawmaker Päivi Räsänen is warning that a recent Supreme Court verdict against her aims to frighten Christians into silence regarding sexual morality.
After years of legal battles, the high court issued a 3-2 ruling finding her guilty of hate speech for a pamphlet published two decades ago.
Räsänen, a grandmother and former interior minister, argued the prosecution targeted her decades-old writing because it describes homosexuality as a disorder compared to God’s original purpose.
Despite two previous acquittals, the court ordered her to pay a fine and directed the destruction of her 2004 pamphlet.
“I think that they wanted to find something to find me guilty, because they wanted to give a signal to our society [of] what could happen if you speak freely, if you express your convictions about gender and marriage,”
Räsänen stated.
The legislator emphasized that her work was rooted in biblical teaching and the belief that all people are created equal in the image of God.
She maintains that the prosecution lied by claiming she viewed individuals as inferior, asserting instead that she was defending the Christian concept of humanity.
Faith Facts
- Räsänen was convicted for a 2004 pamphlet titled “Male and Female He Created Them,” which defends the biblical standard of marriage.
- The Supreme Court ordered the destruction of physical and digital copies of the Christian literature despite acknowledging it contained no threats or incitement to violence.
- Räsänen plans to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights to protect religious liberty and freedom of speech for all Christians.
Stand with those who refuse to compromise the Truth of God’s Word even in the face of legal persecution and international pressure.
We must remain vigilant in protecting our First Amendment rights and the freedom to proclaim the Gospel without fear of state retaliation.