Prayer for Päivi Räsänen

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Member of Finnish Parliament Päivi Räsänen was charged in April 2021 for having repeatedly issued statements that “are derogatory and discriminatory against homosexuals and violate their equality and dignity. Thus, they overstep the boundaries of freedom of speech and religion and are likely to fuel intolerance, contempt and hatred.” Räsänen commented “I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering or insulting any group of people. These are all based on the Bible’s teachings on marriage and sexuality”.

Sources:

• Christliche Glaubensüberzeugungen auszusprechen darf kein Verbrechen sein!

• Ex-interior minister Räsänen charged with hate speech

My opinion: May this story serve as a lesson for all of us who still believe that you can discriminate and violate other people’s dignity just because you are convinced that your words are “based on the Bible’s teachings”.

The right to free speech ends where your words become dangerous for other people. And in cases of doubt it’s the job of the government, not of the Bible, to explain the difference.

If she would have apologized the next day, there wouldn’t have been any charge. But even in April, according to her comment, she still didn’t seem to understand nor repent. This is understandable because she was still under shock, It must have been a spiritual trauma. Saulus was blind for three days after having met Jesus and before becoming Paul the Apostle.

Which shows that the faith of a human is deeply rooted in their personality. This is another example of why differences in faith can cause serious conflicts and hefty battles. See About faith camps.

Let’s pray for Päivi Räsänen who undoubtedly is a competent political leader with high social skills. May she discover the real beauty of the Gospel and repent from a Saulus into a Paulus. May she meet enough people who support her during this time of conversion.

I am aware that my opinion may sound offending to a biblicist who believes in the authority of the Bible as a moral codex. But I honestly believe my opinion to be in accordance with the teachings of the Roman-Catholic church. I beg your pardon for probably being less diplomatic than the Vatican.

I recommend Päivi Räsänen to refocus her anger rather against pornography than against homosexuality. The Pride parades indeed happen to show pornographic scenes, and the media industry jumps on such occasions because pornography increases those “clicks and shares” that lead to financial profit. Pornography, not homosexuality, deserves your anger because it causes severe long-term damage to family, which we should protect if we want a human world.