{"id":2631576,"date":"2026-07-18T09:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T13:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-bars-finnish-christian-mp-from-country-over-biblical-beliefs-on-sexuality\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T09:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T13:04:14","slug":"uk-bars-finnish-christian-mp-from-country-over-biblical-beliefs-on-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-bars-finnish-christian-mp-from-country-over-biblical-beliefs-on-sexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Bars Finnish Christian MP from Country over Biblical Beliefs on Sexuality"},"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%2Fuk-bars-finnish-christian-mp-from-country-over-biblical-beliefs-on-sexuality%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=2631576&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>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-lawmaker-accused-of-hate-speech-over-tweet-from-6-years-ago\/\" title=\"Christian Lawmaker Accused of &#039;...&#039; Over Tweet from 6 Years Ago\">finnish parliament member<\/a>, P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, faced travel restrictions by the UK due to her recent conviction for &#8220;hate speech&#8221; related to her biblical views on sexuality. Her legal case began in 2019 after she questioned her church&#8217;s participation in LGBT Pride and shared biblical beliefs on social media. Despite being acquitted twice by lower courts, the Finnish Supreme Court convicted her in 2023, fining her and demanding her pamphlet be removed. The court acknowledged her conduct was not \u201cserious\u201d but still found her guilty. The UK&#8217;s rejection of her visa has sparked concerns about rising restrictions on free speech in Europe, with critics warning this indicates a slide toward totalitarianism. Advocates and commentators warn that such actions threaten religious freedom and free expression, with some viewing R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s case as a warning sign of declining Christian influence and increased suppression of dissenting views across Europe. Notably, R\u00e4s\u00e4nen remains hopeful, citing personal experiences where her faith helped others find hope amid persecution.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?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\" ?><html><body><\/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>In a sign of the continuing breakdown of religious freedom in Europe, Finnish parliament member P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen was banned by the U.K. from traveling to Heathrow Airport for a planned layover due to her Finnish Supreme Court conviction in March for authoring a pamphlet containing supposed \u201chate speech\u201d toward those who identify as LGBT.R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeal-likely-after-christians-acquitted-a-second-time-of-bible-booklet-hate-crimes\/\" title=\"Appeal Likely After Christians Acquitted A Second Time Of Bible Booklet \u2018Hate Crimes\u2019\">legal saga began<\/a> in 2019, when she wrote a post on social media questioning why her Finnish Lutheran Church was choosing to participate in an LGBT Pride event, citing the scriptural prohibition against same-sex conduct from Romans 1:24-27. Finnish authorities eventually charged her and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola with \u201chate speech\u201d for authoring a pamphlet advocating for a biblical view of sexuality and for the social media post.<\/p>\n<p>Even after R\u00e4s\u00e4nen and Pohjola\u2019s eventual unanimous acquittal of the charges by two lower courts in 2023, prosecutors continued to press the case by appealing it. In March of this year, a narrow 3-2 Finland Supreme Court decision found R\u00e4s\u00e4nen and Pohjola guilty of \u201chate speech\u201d for authoring the pamphlet and sentenced them to pay a \u20ac1,800 fine. The decision also ordered that the pamphlet be removed from public access and that all physical copies be destroyed. She was not found guilty for two other charges based on the social media post and a radio debate.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the court <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/breaking-finlands-supreme-court-acquits-parliamentarian-on-bible-tweet-convicts-her-for-insult-in-20-year-old-church\">admitted<\/a> in its ruling that R\u00e4s\u00e4nen and Pohjola\u2019s conduct was not \u201cserious.\u201d \u201c[I]t must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred,\u201d the court wrote. \u201cThe conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, R\u00e4s\u00e4nen recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2026\/07\/12\/british-government-rejects-travel-visa-finnish-christian-convicted-hate-speech-citing-bible\/\">revealed<\/a> that because of this single \u201cnot particularly serious\u201d charge, the U.K. has rejected her Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) merely to pass through the country via Heathrow Airport (after initially approving it) while traveling from the U.S. to Helsinki, Finland\u2019s capital. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen further revealed that the U.K.\u2019s revocation of her ETA could imperil her plans to attend an upcoming conference and speaking engagement in Northern Ireland next month about \u2014 ironically \u2014 freedom of speech.<\/p>\n<p>Experts like author and columnist Rod Dreher say that the decision of a Western nation like the U.K. to bar R\u00e4s\u00e4nen from stepping foot in the country because of perceived \u201chate speech\u201d is a sign that Europe is rapidly sliding toward totalitarianism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow that I hear someone as innocent and gentle as this Finnish granny has been forbidden by the British government even for setting foot in their international airport \u2026 well, it confirms my suspicions,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/roddreher.substack.com\/p\/paivi-and-the-advance-of-european\">posted<\/a> last week on his Substack page. Dreher went on to note how the European Parliament is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/brivael\/status\/2074541470850175272\">considering a measure<\/a> that would \u201cenable monitoring of people\u2019s private, encrypted chats\u201d to find any hint of perceived \u201chate speech\u201d and further erode the ability of Europeans to freely express their religious beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think P\u00e4ivi is a canary in the civilizational coal mine,\u201d Dreher added. \u201cThe progressive bureaucratic order in European countries would rather attack faithful Christians as Enemies Of Society than deal with the actual problems they have. We can expect more of this. It\u2019s a Finnish Lutheran lawmaker and grandmother today; it could easily be you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>European free speech advocates like Peter McIlvenna agree, noting that the U.K. barring R\u00e4s\u00e4nen from entering is just the latest in a recent string of travel bans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a similar situation a couple of months ago whenever we had a United Kingdom rally organized by Tommy Robinson, and the U.K. government blocked 11 individuals who were traveling from Europe, I think, including Ezra Levant [who] was from Canada,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TCDC6C24Bd4\">pointed out<\/a> during \u201cWashington Watch with Tony Perkins\u201d Tuesday. \u201cThey were given this statement, \u2018Your presence is not conducive to the common good and therefore you are being blocked for entering.\u2019 Of course, any government can have that ability to stop people coming in. I wish they used it to stop illegal immigrants coming in, but hey, they\u2019re using it for members of Parliament. \u2026 [R\u00e4s\u00e4nen] has been a member of [Finland\u2019s] Parliament there for decades and decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McIlvenna, the co-founder of Hearts of Oak, a U.K.-based free speech alliance, went on to describe the extent of the free speech violations that are occurring in his country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[T]o think that [R\u00e4s\u00e4nen] is a danger in the U.K. is utter, utter madness,\u201d he lamented. \u201cBut that\u2019s where we\u2019re going. \u2026 [The government] arrests people for statements online. We have 30 arrests a day for people saying things online that the government does not like \u2026 and that fits into our hate crimes. Anything you say that may be perceived as offensive to someone else, then you\u2019ve committed an offense. So it\u2019s where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Europe is] very dark place now,\u201d McIlvenna added. \u201cFinland is a very secular country. Scandinavia and Britain have always prided themselves on our Christian heritage or tradition \u2014 1,700 years of that Christian thread that is very quickly disappearing with an apostate church and very few Christians involved in public office. So that is where we are going, far away from our traditional Christian faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, R\u00e4s\u00e4nen sees a thread of hope within the persecution that she has faced, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2026\/07\/12\/british-government-rejects-travel-visa-finnish-christian-convicted-hate-speech-citing-bible\/\">describing<\/a> how it has opened up opportunities for her to  her faith. She recalled that after her \u201chate speech\u201d case became public in 2019, a young man who identified as an atheist sent her an angry message. After she replied in kindness and d the gospel with him, she described that he later reached out to her again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said that after his conversation with me, he has found Christ, and he has found a way to eternal life,\u201d R\u00e4s\u00e4nen remembered. \u201cI understood that this is not in vain. It is not in vain to defend these freedoms. It is not in vain to  the message of the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><em>Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/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<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( ! 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