Päivi Räsänen is a member of the Finnish parliament who, after a protracted, multi-year legal battle, has successfully defeated her government's attempt to prosecute her for "hate speech." While that's good news, the mere fact that this case ever made it into the courts is beyond alarming for Christians in the West.
It all started in the summer of 2019 when Räsänen's denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, threw its support behind an LGBT "pride" event. Räsänen took to Twitter and responded to the church's decision by merely quoting a passage from Romans 1 where the Apostle Paul warns of the sinful nature of homosexuality.
It's no surprise that Räsänen's Christian convictions ruffled feathers of those who prefer the spirit of the age. But to say that merely quoting Scripture rises to the level of criminal conduct is astounding. The Finnish prosecutor claimed that Räsänen was allowed to, "believe in her mind whatever about the Bible, but it is illegal to express it outwardly."
From that point, the state dove into the lawmaker's past, digging up, among other things, a pamphlet she had authored two decades ago regarding the Bible's teaching on sexuality. The totality of the "evidence" amassed against Räsänen pertained to her allegiance to the Bible as the authoritative word of God. That was her crime - one prosecutor believed was worthy of up to two years in jail, or at the very least, a significant fine.
Thankfully, the Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the charges against her. But Räsänen's fellow Christians throughout the West would be fools not to note this case as we gauge the trajectory of the West.
Several years ago, I hosted an individual named Andrea Ritchie on my old radio show. Ritchie was an LGBT activist attorney - someone who vigorously brought cases like this one in Finland. I asked Ritchie on the air if she saw a circumstance where the demands and expectations of the LGBT political and legal movement could peacefully coexist with Christians. Her answer still sticks with me: "Yes, as long as Christians give up their opposition to our cause."
In other words, if Christians are willing to surrender their convictions, if they are willing to bend the knee and worship the spirit of the age over God, then there won't be problems. But should a Christian want to hold to biblical convictions personally, or God forbid declare them publicly, there will be trouble.
According to Räsänen, in prosecuting her, the state gave "false statements" about her writings, claiming Räsänen had, "said that some people are inferior to others." Räsänen vehemently denied such an accusation, explaining that Christians think "all people are equal."
"We all are sinners," Räsänen commented, "in need of grace, what Jesus has given, but the prosecutor was very stubborn with these arguments, even though the district court had already said that they didn't find such statements in my writings or in my pamphlet."
She added, "But the prosecutor said that it is not important if it is true or not, but if the interpretation is insulting, then it is criminal."
There you go. That's where we are headed. Not only is that the abolition of the freedom of religious expression, it is the death of free speech in general. Saying that your intent and beliefs are irrelevant; and all that matters is how someone chooses to view your intent and beliefs - that is a frightening sign of things to come.
To be sure, there are many who still scoff at the notion that quoting the Bible will ever be regarded as "hate speech" in the United States. But as I wrote to my personal Substack audience this week, what's happening in ‘enlightened' European countries like Finland is coming here, and it will be here sooner than we think.
Just this week, 19 Democrat state attorneys general submitted a brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit demanding that parents not be permitted to opt their elementary children out of pro-LGBT normalization curriculum in public schools.
This is the religion of the state, the spirit of the age, and just as Andrea Ritchie told me, you will be expected to bow the knee to it. The day is coming soon when believers will have to choose.
