Finland tried to ban the Bible

The story of the Finnish prosecutor’s attempt to declare the Bible extremist literature failed, thanks to the decision of the Helsinki Court of Appeal. However, prosecutor Anu Mantila has the option to appeal.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal acquitted former Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhan Pohjola of charges of “inciting hatred” for quoting the Bible, the website reports. kath.net. The court found that “based on the evidence presented at trial, there is no reason to consider the case differently from how it was previously considered by the district court.” Moreover, according to the court’s decision, it is the prosecutor who must pay the legal costs.

The court dropped all charges against Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola. The judges completely reject the prosecution’s case, but the prosecutor can still appeal to the Supreme Court within the next two months. After the trial, Räsänen said that “it is not a crime to tweet a Bible verse or engage in public debate from a Christian point of view.” In her words: “Attempts to hold me accountable for my beliefs gave me a very difficult five years. I hope the result serves as an important precedent for the protection of free speech. I hope other innocent people will be spared this ordeal simply because they expressed their beliefs.”

In a sensational trial The prosecutor criticized the Christian faith. She also questioned Räsänen and the bishop about theological issues and personal beliefs. During cross-examination, the prosecution asked several times whether will Räsänen retract his statements contained in a 2004 booklet entitled “The Man and Woman He Created.”

“At the heart of the interrogation was the question: Will she renounce her faith? The answer was no – she did not want to renounce her faith. The cross-examination was very much like an investigation into heresy. Obviously, Räsänen’s position violated the new dogmas of the zeitgeist,” said human rights activist Paul Coleman, author of the book “Under Censor: How Europe’s ‘Hate Speech’ Laws Threaten Free Speech.”

The background and motivation for Räsänen’s statements had no meaning for the prosecutor: “It’s not a question of whether it’s true or not, but that it’s offensive. Therefore, she should have refrained from making such statements.” – says the prosecutor. She called the use of the word “sin” offensive and therefore illegal. But Räsänen only quoted the Bible, so a guilty verdict would be a direct condemnation of the biblical content, human rights activists say.

The court confirmed the decision of the district court: there must be “a compelling reason for the infringement and restriction of freedom of expression.” Räsänen, a former Finnish interior minister, was charged in 2021 with “agitation against [сексуального] minorities” under the section of the Finnish Criminal Code entitled “War crimes and crimes against humanity”.

She shared her views on marriage and sexual ethics in a tweet in 2019, in a radio debate that year, and in a church brochure in 2004. Bishop Pohjola was accused of publishing Räsänen’s pamphlet in 2004. The case has attracted worldwide attention, with human rights experts expressing concern about the threat to freedom of expression.

PS The first attempt to ban Christian dogmas in Europe failed. How will Western Christians respond? Will they rewrite the Bible? But sooner or later you will have to make your choice.

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