Joy Pullman, at The Federalist has the news from Finland that Finnish Court Rebukes State Prosecution of Christians for Saying God Made Men and Women differently. I have been following this case. Finland has "hate crimes" laws, which includes "hate speech," as do other countries in Europe and Canada. These laws are redundant if their true purpose were to protect people's rights to say what they believe. Of course, if someone says something false about you that ruins your reputation, or writes something about you that is outrageously untrue, you have recourse to slander and libel laws. No need for "hate speech" laws. But "hate speech" laws are actually intended to allow Leftists to harass normal people for their normal beliefs. The prosecution is the punishment.
As noted, a court has rebuked the state prosecution of Paivi Rasanen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola of hate speech for repeating what the Bible says about sex and marriage.
Prayers from around the world were answered joyfully today when a Finnish court ruled unanimously in favor of two Christians the government prosecuted for publicly stating the Bible’s teachings about sex.
“If this kind of questioning of free speech is possible in a country like Finland, which has a reputation regarding free speech internationally, the same is possible anywhere,” said Member of Parliament Paivi Rasanen during a livestreamed press conference this morning U.S. time.
Rasanen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola were acquitted of all four “hate crimes” charges against them for speaking the Bible’s teachings that sex is rightly reserved for lifelong marriage between one man and one woman. The three-judge court not only cleared the two Christians but ordered the prosecution to pay their legal costs, ruling that in a free country courts have no place deciding permissible religious views.
The following is my belief, but it is my understanding that God intended for a man and a woman to come together, for life, for the purpose of raising children in accordance with God's laws. Through the actions of sin, some of us may find ourselves attracted to the same sex. But it is not that a person may be fee; such attractions that is the sin, but the carrying out of homosexual acts. But Jesus died on the cross to save everyone, gays and lesbians included. But in order to be saved, one must confess one's sins, and ask for forgiveness, and repent. Repentance means to change one's mind. Our God does love gays and lesbians, but He also insists that we follow Him, not ourselves.
The Prosecution Is the Punishment
Pohjola said of course he and Rasanen would have continued to proclaim their faith if the court had agreed to effectively criminalize free speech and Christianity in Finland. The possibility of an appeal means Christianity and free speech are still at risk in the Western country ranked No. 3 for its commitment to the rule of law.
“Everyone should be free to share their beliefs without censorship, and we see the great threat that can come from these hate speech laws, which often shut down public debates and constitute not only a threat to freedom of speech and religion but also to democracy itself,” said Paul Coleman, the executive director of Alliance Defending Freedom International, a legal nonprofit assisting with this case.Rasanen and Pohjola are exceptional people, with great courage. But not everyone has such courage, and so they censor themselves. It makes it seem as if the Leftist arguments are the ones winning the debate. But it isn't true. These laws need to be repealed. Either speech is free, or it is not. One has to trust that evil speech will eventually be drowned out by righteous speech.
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