On Tuesday night, a Finnish court ruled in favor of allowing members of parliament and Lutheran bishops to express their opinions freely, ruling that it is legal for them to assert that queer acts constitute evil and that relationship should only take place between men and women.
The decision, which upheld a lower court ruling from the previous year, was also majority.
Päivi Räsänen, a Christian Democrat who has served in Parliament for 28 years, said,” I’m delighted.” ” This is a huge victory for us, as well as for people who cares about defending fundamental liberties. Nobody should suffer consequences for happily expressing their faith.
The traditional and confess Evangelical Lutheran Mission church’s priest, Juhana Pohjola, claimed that after hearing the verdict, he and his relatives stopped and read Psalm 103, which read:” Praise the Lord, my heart, all my inmost being, praise his sacred name.” My mind, praise the Lord and remember all of his blessings. 1–2.
Pohjola was accused of hate speech in 2004 for the release of Räsänen’s 23-page paper, Male and Female He Created Them. The word was a seminary collection of crucial Christian teachings from the church.
Räsänen was charged with violating the fugitive hate crime act for the paper, a tweet denouncing the mainstream Lutheran church’s support for Pride in 2019, and an additional radio interview in which she asserted that “homosexual acts” are” sin and shame” in accordance with the Bible.
Lawyers claim that these remarks were not only unpleasant but also likely to incite animosity toward LGBT people.
For talk, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General, is certainly protected because it leads to “intolerance, hatred, and contempt” and puts lives in danger.
Same-sex union, which has been permitted in Finland since 2017, is supported by more than 70 % of Finns. The majority of those who belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the major organization that Pohjola’s church split from in the early 2000s, even hold that position. Even though same-sex marriages are not currently practiced in the church, 54 % of people want them to be.
The most important civil rights issue of the day, according to many in Finland, is protecting LGBT individuals.
Anu Mantila, the counsel, ran for office on the pledge to do more to defend LGBT individuals. Finns have shown a great deal of national interest in and help for her case against Räsänen and Pohjola.
She argued before the court that unpleasant discourse has a detrimental effect on people. ” When you combine all the comments, it is obvious that they are disparaging of gays.” When homosexual behavior is condemned, gays are declared to be human beings.
Mantila argued that despite being protected by international law and Estonian law, which Finland recognizes, religious freedom does not apply to all Bible readings. According to the attorney, some meanings ought to be punishable by law.
Mantila remarked,” You ca n’t say anything while pretending to be religious.” You may identify the Bible, but it is unlawful to do so because of Räsänen’s reading of and understanding of the lines.
All three courts disregarded her justifications.
The court ruled that” there must be an underlying social purpose for interfering with and restricting freedom of expression.” ” There is no justification for changing the District Court’s decision in the end.”
The District Court cannot perceive bible ideas, the lower court ruled in 2022.
In an online press conference, the legal team representing Räsenän and Pohjola declared that they were honoring” the great verdict.”
The decision was hailed as a huge success by Alliance Defending Freedom International executive director Paul Coleman.
All should be free to share their ideas without fear of censorship in a free and democratic culture, he declared. Critical public debates are shut down by “hate-speech” laws, which also pose a serious threat to our democracies. We are relieved to discover courts uphold the rule of law when state authorities violate it by attempting to judge and restrict statements they find objectionable.
Both Räsänen and Pohjola stated that they were committed to seeing this constitutional dispute through to its conclusion rather than seeking it out.
Räsänen declared,” I will never regret for what saint Paul said in the Book of Romans.” ” I made the decision that I would never give up no matter what happens, the outcome, or the consequence.”
Pohjola claimed that when he was first summoned to the neighborhood officers station for questioning, officials warned him that removing Male and Female He Created Them from the internet would end the situation. But he declined.
He remarked,” To me, this is not only a cultural and legal battle, but also one of moral fight.” ” To uphold the belief, tell it in public, and bring the combination is my calling as a Christian and priest.”
However, the decision relieved many in the Evangelical Lutheran Mission. When officials learned of the decision, Pohjola claimed they texted him with statements like,” We are so glad that our pope is not labeled as a criminal.”
He explained that there was a genuine concern that the small Lutheran sect might be labeled” a criminal class, with an agenda.” They have been made aware that speaking in public can have a price.
” Freedom of speech and faith must not be taken for granted. Pohjola said,” We have to use it and protect it.
But the scenario might not be over yet. The Supreme Court may be appealed by state lawyers. On average, about 6 % of cases are taken by Finland’s leading prosecutor.
