{"id":2483116,"date":"2025-09-06T09:48:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T13:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-lawmaker-accused-of-hate-speech-over-tweet-from-6-years-ago\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T09:49:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T13:49:48","slug":"christian-lawmaker-accused-of-hate-speech-over-tweet-from-6-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-lawmaker-accused-of-hate-speech-over-tweet-from-6-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Lawmaker Accused of &#8216;Hate Speech&#8217; Over Tweet from 6 Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristian-lawmaker-accused-of-hate-speech-over-tweet-from-6-years-ago%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2483116&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, a longtime finnish Parliament member and former interior minister, is <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >facing ongoing legal challenges related<\/a> to her Christian views on sexual ethics expressed six years ago. In 2019, she publicly criticized the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for sponsoring an LGBT Pride event and questioned how the Church&#8217;s doctrine aligns with promoting what she described as &#8220;shame and sin&#8221; as pride. She also cited a passage from Romans 1 concerning homosexuality.<\/p>\n<p>in 2021, R\u00e4s\u00e4nen was charged with &#8220;agitation against a minority group.&#8221; Despite being acquitted twice by lower courts, the Finnish Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for her case in October 2025. The case also involves Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, linked to a pamphlet authored by R\u00e4s\u00e4nen on Christian marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters, including ADF International, defend R\u00e4s\u00e4nen&#8217;s right to freedom of speech and warn against broad <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-the-uk-resistance-to-transgender-activism-is-fueled-by-socialized-medicine-and-feminist-wine-moms\/\" title=\"In the UK, Resistance to Transgender Activism Is Fueled by Socialized Medicine and Feminist Wine Moms\">hate speech laws<\/a> that may suppress religious beliefs. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen maintains that quoting the Bible and expressing Christian perspectives is not a crime and hopes for a precedent-setting positive outcome.<\/p>\n<p>The situation reflects a broader European trend where Christian teachings face increased scrutiny and potential censorship under hate speech laws, raising concerns about free speech and religious freedom.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>P&auml;ivi R&auml;s&auml;nen, a member of the Finnish Parliament, continues to face legal troubles over a about Christian sexual ethics from six years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2019, the lawmaker, who has served in the Finnish Parliament since 1995 and who previously worked as Finland&rsquo;s interior minister, published a criticizing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and their sponsorship of an LGBT Pride event.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How does the doctrinal foundation of the Church fit in with shame and sin being raised as a matter of pride?&rdquo; R&auml;s&auml;nen asked at the time, per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spectator.co.uk\/article\/finland-s-bible-tweet-trial-should-trouble-us-all\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Spectator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She also included a portion of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans%201&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Romans 1<\/a>, which discusses the way in which homosexuality is a reflection of God&rsquo;s judgment.<\/p>\n<p>She was charged with &ldquo;agitation against a minority group&rdquo; in 2021.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The Finnish Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for her case on Oct. 30, 2025, according to an update from <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/hate-speech-case-over-bible-tweet-dragged-into-7th-year-as-finnish-supreme-court-sets-hearing-date-for-30th-october\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ADF International<\/a> d on Aug. 25.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/european-lawmaker-hit-criminal-charges-posting-picture-bible-verse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">R&auml;s&auml;nen<\/a>, who is also a medical doctor and a grandmother of 12, was charged alongside Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who published a 2004 pamphlet written by R&auml;s&auml;nen about the Christian stance on marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Two lower courts have already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/lawmaker-wins-hate-speech-case-quoting-bible-thank-god-verdict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">acquitted<\/a> them on all charges, but the Finnish Supreme Court is expected to have the final word.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is shocking that after two unanimous acquittals, P&auml;ivi R&auml;s&auml;nen is again being dragged to court to defend her fundamental right to freedom of speech,&rdquo; Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As we have warned for years, vaguely worded &lsquo;hate speech&rsquo; laws allow ideological prosecutions like this to take place,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We stand behind P&auml;ivi and we will continue to work toward the bigger victory when such ludicrous cases are no longer brought. In a free and democratic society, all should be allowed to  their beliefs without fear of punishment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>R&auml;s&auml;nen rejected the notion that she was committing an offense just by posting a Bible passage and applying it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It isn&rsquo;t a crime to a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse from a Christian perspective,&rdquo; she said in a statement d by ADF International.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The attempts to criminalize me for expressing my beliefs have resulted in an immensely trying last few years, but I still hope for a positive result that will stand as a key precedent to protect the human right to free speech in Finland,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Other European countries have likewise shown an increased willingness to censor Christian doctrine under the guise of laws against &ldquo;hate speech.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For the past few years, several cases of British Christians <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-praying-christians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">praying<\/a> outside or near abortion clinics have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minneapolis-ex-cop-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-floyd-case\/\" title=\"Minneapolis Ex-Cop Chauvin Convicted of Murder in Floyd Case\">drawn international attention<\/a> as the nation&rsquo;s government arrests, charges, and convicts such anti-abortion advocates.<\/p>\n<p>Vice President J.D. Vance has openly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-praying-christians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">condemned<\/a> the prosecutions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Naturally, the government urged readers to report any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-of-praying-christians\/\" title=\"Rubio&#039;s State Department Rebukes Britain&#039;s Persecution of Praying Christians\">fellow citizens suspected guilty<\/a> of thoughtcrime,&rdquo; Vance said at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. &ldquo;In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, a Finnish Parliament member, is still dealing with legal issues related to comments she made six years ago about Christian sexual ethics. In 2019, the longtime lawmaker and former interior minister criticized the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for supporting an LGBT Pride event. She questioned how the Church&#8217;s teachings align with promoting what she viewed as &#8220;shame and sin&#8221; as pride. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen also cited a passage from Romans 1 that interprets homosexuality as a consequence of divine judgment. In 2021, she was charged with &#8220;agitation against a minority group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2483117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Michael-Featured-Image-88.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62735,62736,32558,33117,32364],"class_list":["post-2483116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-christian-lawmaker","tag-controversial-tweet","tag-hate-speech","tag-political-scandal","tag-social-media"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Michael-Featured-Image-88.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2483116"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2483120,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483116\/revisions\/2483120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2483117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2483116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2483116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2483116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}