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Päivi Räsänen: "It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion"

16 February 2022
Please pray for our friend Päivi Räsänen, Member of Finish Parliament. She's accused of “hate speech” for publicly voicing her Biblical beliefs on marriage and human sexuality.

International support for Räsänen during last day in court

15-02-2022 Northern Europe Evert van Vlastuin, CNE.news

On the second (and last) day of the case against Päivi Räsänen, the lawyers presented their arguments. For the prosecutor, this is a clear-cut case of discrimination against homosexuals. For the defendants, it is not understandable that a lawyer can present these arguments.
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Christian Council International (CCI) came to Helsinki in the person of director Henk Jan van Schothorst.... read more.

Liveblog (closed): Second day of hearing in case against Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen

 

Press release
11.2.2022
Source: https://www.paivirasanen.fi/en/

The Bible trial targets the core of Christian faith: love the sinner, hate the sin!

The Bible trial will resume next Monday, 14th of February. The prosecutor has a year ago in her written application for summons made a number of false and untrue allegations about my views. According to the prosecutor, my view is that "homosexuals are not created by God as heterosexuals are." Nowhere have I said such a thing. I have repeatedly emphasized that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. In the passage to which the prosecutor refers, reference was made to the biblical account of creation. Referring to it, I stated: “In the beginning, God created a man and a woman and intended marriage to be between the two. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.”

Contrary to what the prosecutor claims, in the Ruben Stiller radio discussion program, I did not call homosexuality a genetic degeneration or a disease-causing genetic inheritance. On the contrary, I rejected the idea of homosexuality as a genetic trait, a claim that was suggested by the host of the discussion program, saying that the most recent studies have shown the possible genetic inheritance in homosexuality to be small.

The prosecutor claims that, according to me, the tendency to sexually abuse children is an inescapable characteristic of homosexuality. I have not said this and do not think so. Furthermore, the prosecutor claims I regard homosexuals as inferior human beings. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.

At the trial, the prosecutor presented in writing many false claims about my speech and writing, which were all easily refuted.

Although the prosecutor at first assured that the trial would not be an inquisition, she surprisingly targeted the core doctrine of Christianity. Very fast and extensively she moved to read the Bible trying to prove it contains insulting paragraphs. She claimed that my views are known as” fundamentalist” doctrine, which she summarized as “love the sinner, hate the sin”. This doctrine she regarded as insulting and defaming, because according to her, you cannot make a distinction between the person’s identity and his or hers action. If you condemn the act, you also condemn the human being and regard him or her as inferior.

This is an egregious statement. It goes against the Christian view of man and common sense. The prosecutor tries to deny the core message of the Bible: the teaching of law and gospel. God has created all human beings as His own image and we all have equal value, but we all are also sinners. No-one’s human dignity decreases because of sin. God still loves the person but hates the sin. Sin is a theological concept that describes the relationship between God and man and God is the one who defines what sin is. God so loved all the people, that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to suffer the punishment that belonged to us because of our sins. Jesus condemned the sin but loved the sinners.

The thought that you could not make a distinction between the person’s deeds and his or her identity or human dignity is unfamiliar to life. As I was raising my children, I loved them all equally, but I still had to at times criticize their actions quite harshly. The prosecutor’s thought is also unfamiliar to the rule of law. Even the most notorious criminals do not lose their human rights or human dignity if they get a punishment for their deeds. Especially in court this principle should be very clear.

The prosecutor’s accusation against “hate the sin, love the sinner” doctrine is startling, because the doctrine is widely appreciated. The Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle, reported 26th of December 2021 about philosopher Pekka Himanen, who got to know the late Desmond Tutu, an archbishop and peace Nobel prize winner. Desmond Tutu’s philosophy was “love the sinner, hate the sin. He continued: “The model of leadership that derived from this kind of recognition of human dignity in all circumstances is what the world most desperately needs.”

Päivi Räsänen
Member of the Parliament of Finland
www.paivirasanen.fi

 

The Court will weigh the state of freedom of speech and religion in Finland

PRESS RELEASE
24.1.2022
Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen

The Court will weigh the state of freedom of speech and religion in Finland

I am relieved that this long waited and heavy day is now over. I hope that the court will acquit me from all the charges and declare me not guilty. Continuation of the trial is expected on February 14th. After that, the decision of the court comes approximately in one month. I wait for it with a calm and hopeful mind.

The decision of the court has consequences not only to Christians’ freedom to express their conviction, but to everyone else’s also. In the court, I appealed to the Constitution of Finland and to international conventions that guarantee freedom of speech and religion. I will not back off from my conviction based on the Bible. The case is extremely important for freedom of speech and religion.

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. 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 prosecution makes a number of false, inaccurate, even untrue allegations about my views. I categorically reject the Prosecutor’s characterization of my beliefs. I stress that I have repeatedly emphasized that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. In the passage to which the prosecutor has referred, reference was made to the biblical account of creation. Referring to it, I stated: “In the beginning, God created a man and a woman and intended marriage to be between the two. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.”

The points of view for which I am accused do not deviate from so-called classical Christianity, nor does my view on marriage deviate from the official policy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Since Christianity is the dominant state religion in Finland, it is reasonable to assume that views such as these are widely disseminated in religious communities in Finland – in social media as well as in private events. Likewise, the prosecution's interpretation would have a material impact on the narrowing of the scope of religious freedom in Finland – and is therefore highly damaging from the perspective of fundamental rights.

The possible sentence for the crime of ethnic agitation would be up to two years imprisonment or a fine. 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. It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.

It is likely that the charges will be taken to higher courts, even to the European Court of Human Rights. I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts.

According to my knowledge, the court has to for the first time take a stand on whether it is legal or not to cite and agree with the Bible. The judges have to weigh the relations between the foundational rights and the criminal law and the interrelationship between different foundational laws.

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. 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.

The main hearing of the charges brought against me by the Prosecutor General (R 21/3567 took place today on 24 January 2022 at 9.30 am at the Helsinki District Court.

The process started more than two years ago, in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament. The aim of my criticism was the leadership of my own church, not any minority. According to the Church Act, approved by our Parliament, “all doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to God’s Holy Word”.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen's complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, " Male and female He created them” and a humorous radio interview with Ruben Stiller, “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”.

The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, was also charged with being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

I want to warmly thank those thousands of people that have supported me during this personally trying process.

Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament of Finland

PRESS RELEASE
20.1.2022
Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen

It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion

The main hearing of the charges brought against me by the Prosecutor General (R 21/3567) will take place on 24 January 2022 at 9.30 am at the Helsinki District Court. The timing is challenging, just the morning after county elections. I am aware that the case is extremely important for freedom of speech and religion. The decision of the court has consequences not only to Christians’ freedom to express their conviction, but to everyone else’s also.

I await the court proceedings with a calm mind. I appeal to the Constitution of Finland and to international conventions that guarantee freedom of speech and religion. I will not back off from my conviction based on the Bible and I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts.

The process started more than two years ago, in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament. The aim of my criticism was the leadership of my own church, not any minority. According to the Church Act, approved by our Parliament, “all doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to God’s Holy Word”.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen's complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, " Male and female He created them” and a humorous radio interview with Ruben Stiller, “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”.

The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, was also charged with being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

The police have spent hours of their working time questioning me and many more on investigating my reports and written statements. The Public Prosecutor's Office investigated the case for more than six months before reaching a decision, and now these charges will concern the judiciary. I think it is likely that the charges will be taken to higher courts, even to the European Court of Human Rights.

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. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one’s neighbor, not from hate towards a group of people.

According to the press release of the Prosecutor's Office, they make my view out to be that "homosexuals are not created by God like heterosexuals" and that I would consider them inferior to other people. Nowhere did I say that. These statements are completely contrary to my convictions. I consider this to be an unfounded statement and also highly offensive to homosexual people. I have stressed many times that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. All human beings are sinners and are forgiven of their sins by recourse to the atoning work of Jesus.

The possible sentence for the crime of ethnic agitation would be up to two years imprisonment or a fine. 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. It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.

 

Päivi Räsänen
Member of Parliament of Finland

Source: https://www.paivirasanen.fi/en/

Paivi met GWS, LvS en HJvS

Meeting of a CCI delegation with Päivi during the Hungarian prayer breakfast in October 2021
Photo: Riekelt Pasterkamp

Päivi Räsäsen