A decision in a high-profile European religious freedom case is expected to be handed down by month’s end. Finnish Parliament member Päivi Räsänen is charged with three counts of “ethnic agitation” under a hate speech law in the criminal code for articulating a Christian understanding of marriage and sexuality in a tweet, a radio show, and a 20-year-old pamphlet. At stake in this important case is not only freedom of speech but also the freedom to believe and express fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. So, even if Finland chooses not to side with religious freedom in this case, we must do so.

The Finnish prosecutor promised that the Bible was not on trial. But in the Helsinki courtroom during the first hearing in January, the prosecutor argued that Christians such as Räsänen could not separate their disapproval for actions prohibited in the Bible from disapproval — indeed, even hatred — of people. The prosecutor claimed, “Understanding deeds as sin is derogatory.”

Bizarre as it was for a prosecutor in a wealthy European democracy to try to parse Christian theology in a courtroom, her line of questioning prompted Räsänen to clarify basic Christian teachings in a news release on Feb. 11: “God so loved all the people, that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to suffer the punishment that belonged to us because of our sins. Jesus condemned the sin but loved the sinners.” This is the core message of the Gospel, and if Finnish Christians can’t express and practice this belief, they have no religious freedom at all.

Although the maximum sentence could be two years in jail, the prosecution is asking for Räsänen to be fined. Even this is absurd. Free societies do not fine individuals for peaceful speech, no matter how unpopular an opinion might be. Proponents of free speech fear the charges placed against Räsänen will have a chilling effect on religious expression.  

Americans might be tempted to think this problem is unique to Europe. Far from it. Dangerous attacks on freedom of expression are coming to the United States — and in some respects, they’re already here. Some employees of large corporations or law firms self-censor from expressing opinions that the secular dogma might frown upon. Social media platforms are quick to remove users — including public figures — for anything they deem to be hateful content. Although there has not been legal action like the charges against Räsänen, many Americans feel the chill on speech.

We must not allow the secular equivalent of blasphemy laws to take root in law or culture. What’s unfolding in Finland should be a wake-up call to stand for our freedoms, rather than take them for granted. We may not think that such a case could happen in the United States, but Räsänen thought the same thing about Finland until it happened to her. 

Throughout her trial, Räsänen has demonstrated optimism, graciousness and unwavering resolve. She has a deep conviction that the case is about more than her; she’s defending the basic rights of her countrymen and all people. She has said, “I cannot accept that voicing religious beliefs could mean imprisonment. I will defend my right to confess my faith, so that no one else would be deprived of their right to freedom of religion and speech.”

As Räsänen holds the line on fundamental freedoms for the citizens of Finland, we must stand with her. The danger of remaining silent in the face of injustice was well summarized by German pastor Martin Niemöller, a Nazi concentration camp survivor: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.” 

We must speak up for Päivi Räsänen and others, no matter where in the world their fundamental human rights are being threatened. Soon, we may be the ones who need defending.

HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?

In a press release published last month, Päivi Räsänen, wrote:

“My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible’s teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teaching on homosexual acts. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one’s neighbor. This case is about whether it is allowed in Finland to cite the bible and to agree with it in topics that go against the tide and challenge the current ethos and thinking.”

Christians have often received the brunt of liberal demonization, due to the fact that Biblical morality runs in sharp contrast to the secular agendas of our world.

In Romans chapter one, Paul warns against the sin of homosexuality and, more specifically, the celebration of it as a rebellion against God.

The Bible tells us that the world in the last days would be like it was in “the days of Lot” (Luke 17:28). In Lot’s day, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, chiefly for the sexual immorality and homosexuality that the cities were given over to (Genesis 19, Jude 1:7).

It is this same reprobate mind that our society has fallen into, not in the celebration of sins alone (such as homosexuality, abortion, etc.) but also the attempt to force everyone, no matter their convictions, to celebrate and/or participate in such sins.

2 Timothy 3 is an astonishing chapter that provides a list of moral characteristics that will permeate humanity in the “last days.” Mike Golay, the Director of Operations of Behold Israel, referred to this chapter in a special message he delivered in Washington, stating:

“Did you know that the Bible, and even Christian literature written after the New Testament, predict that in the end times there will be a noticeable global spike in people’s character rotting? I am very sad to say that this world that we are living in now is really deteriorating fast into a rot that we have never seen before.”

Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, writing about the growing hostility towards Christians in our culture, wrote:

Right now, our spiritual enemy is desperate to separate Christians from the source of our strength — to force us to take our faith in Christ underground. But the minute we surrender to that temptation, the minute we downplay the word of God so as “not to offend,” we lose the very distinctive that makes unbelievers notice…

That doesn’t mean standing by those principles is easy. As the growing hostility toward religious freedom shows, we need to be prepared for conflict. Paul was. In his letter to the Ephesians, he made it very clear that we are to stand our ground, taking up the “whole armor of God.” Even this great man of God recognized that he needed help doing that in the face of opposition. “Pray for me that I will open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I would speak boldly as I ought to speak.”

Silence is not an option — it wasn’t then, and it can’t be now. We must speak the truth when people want to hear it — and even when they don’t.