Finland (MNN) — After winning two previous trials, Finnish lawmaker Päivi Räsänen is once again being charged with hate speech because she posted Bible verses on social media. This time, a state prosecutor wants Finland’s Supreme Court to examine the case.
“The Supreme Court would have the final say on whether the Bible, or at least portions of it, is hate speech. The ramifications of that could cause either parts of the Bible or all of the Bible to be banned,” Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says.
“We’ve seen that as a strategy in countries that we work in – communist countries, Muslim-dominated countries – where either the Bible is banned, or it is restricted, and Christians can’t get access to the Bible,” he continues.
“Increasingly, we see that Christians are being pressured to make their faith private.”
The prosecution dropped one charge on Friday, but two remain. Finland’s Supreme Court has not indicated whether it would take up the case.
The first charge describes one of the lawmaker’s social media posts as “demeaning and discriminatory.” The 2019 post included Romans 1:24-27 and asked why the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland had agreed to sponsor a gay pride event.
A second charge focuses on a 2004 pamphlet with biblical teachings about marriage and the sanctity of life. The prosecutor calls such teachings “insulting.”
“The sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of life – these things are very much in opposition to the agendas being pushed by our societies and government officials,” Brobbel says.
“The Bible will speak out against many of the philosophies of this day and age. Pray that the Lord would intervene in this case and that His Word would [persevere.]”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels.
