By Tony Perkins | May 4, 2021
Quoting the Bible can't land you in American prison (yet), but in Helsinki, it's a different story. In a case that's stunned the West, Finland's former Interior Minister and leader of the Christian Democrats, has been criminally charged for posting a picture of the Bible, opened to Romans 1:24-27. She was disturbed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church joining a gay pride event and decided to remind them what God says about homosexuality. Now, after a two-year investigation, the tweet could put her behind bars.
The saga, which has involved three police interrogations since 2019, rose to a fever pitch last month when the former MP was officially charged with "hate speech." Finland's prosecutor, according to reports, called the actions derogatory and discriminatory. Päivi Räsänen, the former Interior Minister, fired back, insisting, "I do not see I would have in any way defamed homosexuals whose human dignity and human rights I have constantly said to respect and defend." As a former government minister, she says she's "shocked" the situation has elevated the way it has.
"I will go to the court with a
peaceful and brave mind, trusting that Finland is a constitutional state
where the freedoms of speech and religion, both of which are guaranteed
in international agreements and in our constitution, are respected,"
Räsänen has said. "A conviction based on the Christian faith is more
than a surficial opinion. The early Christians did not renounce their
faith in lions' caves; why should I then renounce my faith in a court
room?" As for anything she's said about the Bible's teachings, she
insists, "I will not step back from my conviction nor from my writings. I
do not apologize for the writings of the Apostle Paul either. I am
ready to defend freedom [of] speech and religion as far as is
necessary."............To Read More.....
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