Biblical views now on trial as Finnish politician fights for free speech

John 16:2 “Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God”

Important Takeaways:

  • Finnish politician begins trial for tweet while demonstrators protest for the right to free speech
  • Prosecution alleges that right to religious freedom exists only within certain boundaries; defense responds that open dialogue is key to a democracy
  • The former Finnish Minister of the Interior has pled “not guilty” to three criminal charges she faces after sharing her deeply held belief
  • As the defendants arrived this morning, crowds gathered outside of the courthouse to show their support for the politician and her Bishop, who are both being accused of “hate speech” for expressing their faith-based views.
  • Police investigations against Räsänen started in June 2019. As an active member of the Finnish Lutheran church, she had addressed the leadership of her church on Twitter and questioned its official sponsorship of the LGBT event ‘Pride 2019,’ accompanied by an image of Bible verses from the New Testament book of Romans. Following this tweet, further investigations against Räsänen were launched, going back to a church pamphlet Räsänen wrote almost 20 years ago. In the last two years, Räsänen has attended several lengthy police interrogations about her Christian beliefs – including being frequently asked by the police to explain her understanding of the Bible.

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