{"id":4879,"date":"2024-11-15T11:29:23","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T16:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/?p=4879"},"modified":"2024-12-02T11:54:08","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T16:54:08","slug":"politician-on-trial-for-sharing-bible-verse-christian-views-refuses-to-back-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/11\/15\/politician-on-trial-for-sharing-bible-verse-christian-views-refuses-to-back-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Politician on Trial For Sharing Bible Verse, Christian Views Refuses to Back Down"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Adobe Stock | Inset: Soppakanuuna | Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A member of Finland’s parliament who has faced a years-long legal battle after sharing a Bible verse on social media refuses to back down from her freedom fight.<\/p>\n

P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen told “Higher Ground With Billy Hallowell<\/a>” her legal battle began more than five years ago, when she challenged Finland’s main religious body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, questioning why it had “decided to support, financially and publicly” a local Pride parade.<\/p>\n

“It was a disappointment and even shock to me and many others,” she said. “Many of my friends decided to resign the church, and I was also praying … ‘What should I do now?’ I was very worried about this very public statement of the leadership of the church, because I was worried that it will undermine people’s trust on [the] Bible and its authority.”<\/p>\n

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R\u00e4s\u00e4nen decided to take to X \u2014 then Twitter \u2014 to share text from Romans 1, where the Apostle Paul addresses sexual ethics. She added a question to church leadership about their position supporting Pride.<\/p>\n

“After that, some citizen made a criminal complaint and the police started to investigate the case,” R\u00e4s\u00e4nen continued. “At the beginning, I didn’t believe it. I just read it from the newspaper that police [had] started to investigate the case and I phoned to the policeman and he said, ‘Yes, we are investigating it.'”<\/p>\n

Then, more criminal complaints emerged, with an old pamphlet she wrote about marriage also catching negative attention. Plus, a radio program she appeared on came into the crosshairs.<\/p>\n

“I was interrogated in the police station all together 13 hours about very theological issues \u2014 biblical issues,” R\u00e4s\u00e4nen said. “Police [were] asking me … ‘What is the main message of the Book of Romans? And so on.”<\/p>\n

Listen to her share her shocking story:<\/p>\n