BuM: Europe’s Ongoing War Against Christians
Michael Barnett OAM
Europe’s Ongoing War Against Christians
More injustice for Päivi Räsänen:
It was some 16 years ago when I first started writing about the champion Finnish Parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen. Back in 2013 I discussed how this brave Christian politician was being hounded big time for her views on the killing of the unborn. As I said in an article back then:
She recently said that abortion is barbaric, and we treat animals better than unborn babies. Here is how one write-up on this story begins: “Finnish Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen has caused a small uproar with comments comparing abortion to ‘butchery’ and saying that animals are better protected under the law than unborn human beings. Räsänen is now being blamed in the press for a sudden increase in resignations from the Evangelical Lutheran state church. ‘Animals may not be slaughtered in a painful manner, but it’s not permitted to even discuss the painfulness of abortion,’ said Räsänen, a physician who also serves as leader of the Christian Democratic Party, at a Lutheran Church event in Kankaanpää.” https://billmuehlenberg.com/2013/07/26/sense-and-nonsense-on-abortion/
But she really got into trouble big time seven years ago when she dared to quote from the Bible on the matter of homosexuality. As I wrote in 2019:
Some of us have warned for years now that the radical homosexual and trans militants are dedicated to silencing Christians and closing down the churches. We have not only presented case after case of this already happening, but we have warned that things will continue to get worse – unless we start to stand up and resist the alphabet tyrants. Two weeks ago many of you would have seen some very worrying reports concerning a Finnish politician who has gotten into trouble with the law for daring to quote from the Bible. For simply highlighting what the word of God teaches concerning homosexuality, the police have been investigating her. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2019/09/16/quoting-from-the-bible-will-get-you-into-trouble/
That story has been bubbling along ever since then, with woke wonders using lawfare to silence her. Three years later it seemed she might have been on the winning side, as I wrote: “So after a full two and a half years of being treated like an axe murderer – or worse – this courageous politician has just learned that she has won her case in a Helsinki court. While her persecutors have a week to launch an appeal, for the moment this fearless Bible-believing Christian has been vindicated.” https://billmuehlenberg.com/2022/03/31/a-big-victory-for-religious-freedom-and-common-sense/
But no, the war against her and her Christian beliefs dragged on and on, and just now she has been given the bad news that she has been convicted of “hate speech”! The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International based in Vienna has just reported on this appalling judgment and miscarriage of justice. They said this in part:
On 26 March 2026, the Supreme Court of Finland issued a troubling mixed decision in the case of parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen. After nearly seven years of legal proceedings, the Court found her guilty of “hate speech” for a church pamphlet she wrote over 20 years ago. The final decision came down by the narrowest possible margin—three votes to two. Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola was convicted alongside Päivi for publishing the pamphlet for their church. At the same time, the Court unanimously acquitted Päivi for her 2019 Bible verse tweet.
This is not the end of the road. The fight to defend free speech in Europe and beyond continues, and this case underscores why it is more important than ever to stand firm against so-called “hate speech” laws. These dangerous laws chill public debate and pose a grave threat to free and democratic societies.
We at ADF International are immensely proud of Päivi and Bishop Pohjola for their courage, integrity, and perseverance. They have stood strong not just for themselves, but for the freedom of all to speak openly without fear.
Päivi Räsänen has been a member of the Finnish Parliament since 1995 and was Minister of the Interior from 2011 to 2015. She is a medical doctor, mother of five children, and grandmother of twelve. She is also an active member of the Finnish Lutheran church. https://adfinternational.org/campaign/free-speech-on-trial
Rod Dreher said this on X: “I am tempted to print a thousand copies of Päivi’s forbidden pamphlet and fly to Helsinki and pass them out on the street.”
As Päivi said in an interview in December:
“I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression. I stand by the teachings of the Christian faith and will continue to defend my and every person’s right to share their convictions in the public square. I am taking legal advice on a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.”
And this:
I’m very convinced that this process has not been in vain. I have gotten thousands and thousands of messages from people who have told me that they have been encouraged following this case, encouraged to read the Bible, to pray, and people who have told me that they have found Christ and mercy through this case. I have been so happy that I have gotten so many chances to speak not only about the issues of gender and marriage, but to [speak] about the message of the Gospel — that the solution to the problem of sin is in the Bible.
I believe that this process has been in God’s hands, and even though I am disappointed and even shocked about this conviction that I got today, I trust in God, and I believe that it is also in God’s hands. There is some purpose for this situation where we are now. I trust in God.
This wonderful woman is a champion and an inspiration. Imagine going through this witch-hunt for all these years. And all this time she has stood strong. As Kristen Waggoner, CEO, president, and chief counsel of the ADF said: “This ruling is a stark reminder that no democracy is immune from the erosion of fundamental freedoms. Punishing peaceful expression, especially when it is based on deeply held religious convictions, undermines the very foundation of free societies.”
And as the executive director of ADF International Paul Coleman put it:
Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. It is right that the Court has acquitted Päivi Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet. However, the conviction for a simple church pamphlet published decades ago — before the law under which she has been convicted was even passed — is an outrageous example of state censorship. This decision will create a severe chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely.
As she said in an interview in December:
Are there any new laws passed in the parliament through this lobbying force?
In the European Union, there are proposals to impose more limitations on freedom of speech. We have had this law about agitation against minorities since 1992, and it was modified in 2010 when online crimes and crimes against sexual minorities were added to the list. I was also in the Parliament; the law was approved unanimously. I could have never imagined that it would be weaponized against Christians for expressing their beliefs. And the most dangerous consequence of my possible conviction would be censorship, because I’m not the only one who has written or spoken about this issue: if I get convicted, then the authors of many similar writings would be in danger.
Some call it a ‘secular blasphemy law’, which means that Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religious people could be cornered because of their religious views. So an atheist can say: ‘God doesn’t exist’, but a Christian can’t call homosexuality a sin.
Yes, we are in that kind of danger, and that’s why it would be important for all people, not only for Christians, but also for atheists and people from other faiths, that we insist on having freedom of speech, and perhaps it would be high time also to make better laws. We should be very careful in limiting freedom of speech, because someday it could turn against anyone, depending on who is in power. https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/interview/free-speech-homosexuality-sin-paivi-rasanen/
Please keep Päivi in your prayers. Most mere humans would have given up by now and submitted to this injustice and tyranny. But this brave trooper keeps on keeping on. God bless you Päivi Räsänen.
[1375 words]