A Finnish member of Parliament has been convicted of “insult” for sharing a church pamphlet that presented the biblical view of marriage and sexuality. Päivi Räsänen, a longtime Christian Democrat lawmaker and former interior minister, was found guilty by a Helsinki court on March 24, 2026, for distributing a 2004 booklet titled “Male and Female He Created Them” at a public church event.
The pamphlet, produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, affirmed the biblical teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman and that homosexual acts are sinful. Räsänen was charged under Finland’s hate speech laws for allegedly offending homosexuals by quoting Scripture. Despite being acquitted in lower courts on three previous occasions, the Helsinki Court of Appeal convicted her and imposed a fine.
Räsänen has vowed to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the ruling criminalizes the public expression of historic Christian doctrine. This verdict represents a serious blow to religious freedom and free speech in Finland. It sends a chilling message that Christians who uphold the Bible’s clear teaching on marriage and human sexuality can face criminal prosecution simply for sharing their faith in public.
What was once considered normal religious belief is now being treated as punishable “hate.” Räsänen’s conviction underscores the urgent need to defend the right of believers to proclaim biblical truth without fear of state punishment. As secular ideologies gain legal power across the West, cases like this reveal how religious liberty is being eroded under the banner of “equality” and “non-discrimination.”
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