A member of parliament (MP) in Finland who was charged for posting a Bible verse denouncing homosexuality has called on Christians to continue sharing the truth, even in the face of persecution.
Paivi Rasanen, former interior minister and MP under the Finnish Christian Democrats (KD), issued this call during an April 30 talk hosted by the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and Family. "The most dangerous threat to this freedom is self-censorship," she said, stressing that "now is the time to use these freedoms."
Rasanen recounted one instance in 2013 when she was still interior minister and the leader of the KD party, where she spoke at a church event. She tackled the Christian view on abortion and marriage at the time.
"All of us have come across situations in life when we have had to consider whether we have the courage to act contrary to public opinions or norms, and sometimes even the law, if this contradicts the word of God," the MP said during the 2013 event. "In [the book of] Acts, it is described how the authorities refused to allow the Apostles to preach about Jesus – but Peter and the other Apostles replied, 'We must obey God rather than men.'"
But after the 2013 event, Rasanen said "over 40 complaints about my speech were made to the parliamentary ombudsman accusing me as a minister [of] inciting to break the law." The ombudsman thankfully ruled that her comments fell within her right to religious freedom.
The MP awaits her third trial in front of the Supreme Court of Finland over "hate speech" charges despite being exonerated twice already. Her charges stem from a June 2019 tweet and her 2004 authorship of a pamphlet titled "Male and Female He Created Them." The 2019 tweet, which features the Apostle Paul rebuking homosexuality in his letter to the Romans, was in response to the LGBT event "Pride 2019." (Related: Finnish MP quotes Bible in pushback against church LGBTQ event, now facing criminal charges.)
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Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (LHPK) is also being charged alongside Rasanen for the 2004 pamphlet, which defends the traditional definition of marriage as being exclusively between a man and a woman. In a recent interview with LifeSiteNews, Pohjola also called on Christians to defend marriage and traditional sexual morals.
Rasanen stands by her opinions
Rasanen, also a member of the LHPK, had addressed the church leadership and criticized its official sponsorship of Pride 2019. This condemnation came in the form of the June 2019 tweet, which was used as one of the bases for the "hate speech" charges against her.
During the initial police investigation, the MP was asked if she would recant her views. Rasanen answered in the negative, sternly refusing to yield.
"I stand behind the teachings of the Bible. Whatever the consequences are, I will not apologize for what the Apostle Paul has stated," she remarked during the April 30 talk. The former interior minister warned that a conviction in her case "would open the floodgates to a ban on similar publications."
According to Rasanen, the female prosecutor did not just go after her individually for "hate speech." She also argued that affirming biblical teaching publicly would be a criminal offense. The prosecutor alleged that the MP's doctrine was "insulting and defaming" as she viewed that a person's identity and their actions are inseparable.
Rasanen pointed out that the prosecutor’s argument "goes against the Christian view of man, and also against common sense." She continued: "This court case has at its core … the question of whether it is allowed to share the teaching of the Bible and publicly agree with them."
"Protecting the right to speak freely, is not only necessary for the flourishing of society, but especially essential to proclaiming the Gospel. So I want to encourage you to use your foundational freedoms and rights. The more we keep silent about the teachings of the Bible and the painful issues of our time, the more powerful is the reaction. So it doesn't help to be silent – Christians need to encourage one another to stay strong in Jesus."
Watch Dr. Scott Lively explaining the LGBT mafia's oppression of Christians such as Finnish MP Paivi Rasanen in this 2021 episode of the Brighteon.TV program "Prophecy and Politics."
This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.
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Dr. Scott Lively talks about the LGBT mafia's oppression of Christians – Brighteon.TV.
Canada moves to ban Christianity – changes to bill C-367.
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