Welcome to my homepage!

 

I have been in the Finnish Parliament as a MP since 1995. I hold the degree of Licentiate of Medicine and my civilian profession is a medical doctor. From 2004 to 2015, I was the chair of the Finnish Christian Democrats. From June 2011 to May 2015, I held the office of the Minister of the Interior of Finland. As the Minister of the Interior, I was responsible for internal security and migration, church affairs at the Ministry of Education and Culture and matters relating to customs in the Ministry of Finance.

The Christian Democratic Party of Finland, found in 1958, is a worldwide political movement. The party has 15 district organizations and special organizations for women, young people, immigrants and Swedish-speaking people. Important issues for our party are the well-being of families, pro-life values, a social market economy, taking care of the nature, promoting entrepreneurship and work. I want to build the society on the basis of lasting values, love for one’s neighbour, respect of human dignity, taking care of the poor, work, honesty and diligence.

I have written seven books and some of them have also been translated into English.

I live in Riihimäki with my husband Niilo. We have five grown-up children. Niilo is Doctor of Theology, pastor, and headmaster of Kansanlähetysopisto.

I enjoy spending  my free-time in the beautiful nature of Finland. During the winter-time I enjoy skiing.

The party membership is open to everyone who agrees with the objects of our Party.

Contact information

Päivi Räsänen
Address: Parliament of Finland
FIN-00102 EDUSKUNTA
Tel: +358 9 432 3065
Fax: +358 9 408 225
Gsm: +358 (0)50 511 3065
Email: firstname.surname(at)parliament.fi

MP Räsänen’s parliamentary assistant

Evamaria Lehtola
Address: Parliament of Finland
FIN-00102 EDUSKUNTA
Tel: +358 9 432 4065
Gsm: +358 (0)50 574 1675
Email: firstname.surname(at)parliament.fi

Party Office
Address: Karjalankatu 2 C 7th floor
FIN – 00520 HELSINKI
Tel: +358 9 348 822 00
Fax: +358 9 348 822 28
Email: kd(at)kd.fi

Articles & speeches

 

PRESS RELEASE

19 April 2024

Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen:

I will continue to fight for freedom of speech before the Supreme Court of Finland

The Supreme Court has today announced that it will give the Prosecutor General the permission to appeal the unanimous acquittal of the Helsinki Court of Appeal concerning the charges about my statements.

I have however a peaceful mind and I am ready to continue to defend free speech and freedom of religion before the Supreme Court, and if need be, also before the European Court of Human Rights.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal dismissed all the charges in its ruling in November 2023 and stated that the intent of my writings and communication was not to defame or slander anyone, nor did they contain anything illegal. Also, on 30^th March 2022, the Helsinki District Court rejected all the charges against me and stated that my texts did not even contain the untruthful claims the prosecutor had put in my mouth.

Altogether six judges from two courts have not found anything illegal from my texts, but now the Supreme Court will also examine the texts. I can only understand this all from the point of view that this case is a precedent. This court case is historic for freedom of expression and religion. At the core of the trial is the question of whether it is allowed to share the teaching of the Bible and publicly agree with them.

The acquittal from the Supreme Court would establish a stronger legal precedent on freedom of expression and religion compared to the rulings of the lower instance courts. This would then serve as a legal guide regarding any similar charges in the future. It would also more strongly secure the freedom of Christians to speak about the Bible’s teachings. The ruling of the Supreme Court would have an impact on legislation in Europe and it would affect the rulings of other courts in Europe.

In my case the investigation has lasted almost five years, has involved untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totaling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal. This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression. I hope that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, others would not have to undergo the same ordeal. I have considered it a privilege and an honor to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.

The process started with a tweet I made in June 2019, where I directed a question to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland that had signed up to support a Pride event. The main content of my post was a photo of verses 24-27 of Romans chapter 1 of the New Testament. The target of my criticism was not a minority, but the leadership of my own denomination. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought charges against me for three different acts. The other two were my pamphlet ”Male and female He created them”, published in 2004, and a radio interview with Ruben Stiller, broadcast in 2019. Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Missionary Diocese of Finland was also charged for being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

 

Press release

12 January 2024

Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen:

I am ready to defend free speech and freedom of religion also before the Supreme Court of Finland.

The Prosecutor General has today announced that he will ask the Supreme Court for permission to appeal the unanimous acquittal of the Court of Appeal issued on 14^th November 2023. This decision totally surprised me. I am confident and calm. I am ready to continue to defend free speech and freedom of religion before the Supreme Court of Finland, and if need be, also before the European Court of Human Rights.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed all charges in its ruling in November 2023 and stated that the intent of my writings and communication was not to defame or slander anyone, nor did they contain anything illegal. Earlier, on 30^th March 2022, the Helsinki District Court rejected all charges against me and stated that my texts did not even contain the untruthful claims the prosecutor had placed into my mouth.

Altogether six judges from two courts did not find anything illegal in my texts, but now the Prosecutor wants the Supreme Court to also examine the texts. I can only understand all of this from the point of view that the case is a precedent. This court case is historic for freedom of expression and religion. For the first time in a criminal case, the court has to weigh in on whether teachings linked to the Bible can be brought forth and publicly agreed with.

A possible acquittal from the Supreme Court would establish a legal precedent on freedom of expression and religion. This would then serve as a legal guide regarding any similar charges in the future. The ruling of the Supreme Court would have a significant impact on legislation in Europe. It would also more strongly secure the freedom of Christians to speak about the Bible’s teachings.

In my case the investigation has involved untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totaling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal. This has not been about a matter of my  own opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression. I hope that with this ruling, others will not have to undergo the same ordeal. I have considered it a privilege and an honour to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.

This process started with a tweet I wrote in June 2019, where I directed a question to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland that had signed up to support a Pride event. The main content of my post was a photo of verses 24-27 of Romans chapter 1 of the New Testament. The target of my criticism was not a minority, but the leadership of my own denomination. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought charges against me for three different acts. The other two were my pamphlet ”Male and female He created them”, published in 2004, and a radio interview with Ruben Stiller, broadcast in 2019. Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Missionary Diocese of Finland was also charged for being responsible for publishing and making available this pamphlet.

 

PRESS RELEASE

18 August 2023

Päivi Räsänen, Member of Parliament:

”I am ready to defend freedom of expression in all necessary courts.”

The hearing in the Court of Appeals will be moved to 31 August at 9 am.

I have been informed that the main hearing of the Helsinki Court of Appeals in the case concerning my statements will be postponed by more than a week at the request of the prosecutor, from 31 August to 1 September at 9 am. The main hearing will take place at the Helsinki Appeal Court.

In this case, which has lasted for more than four years, the investigation has involved untrue accusations, several lengthy police interrogations, district court hearings and a forthcoming appeal hearing, despite a unanimous acquittal by the Helsinki District Court.

The content of my writings and my speeches represents the classical Christian view of marriage and sexuality, the same as the Churches have generally taught for two millennia. I do not condone insulting, threatening or slandering anyone, and my statements have not included content of such a nature. I consider this matter to be a theological discussion that should not be in a courtroom. The 34-page [English version] complaint / appeal of the prosecutors openly attacks the core teachings of the Christian faith, considering them to be offensive in and of themselves.

The mere process of litigation has a deterrent effect of curtailing freedom of expression and religion. If writings based on biblical teachings were to be condemned, that would mean a serious restriction of freedom of religion. It is natural that this would raise concerns among Christians both in Finland and internationally. For my part, I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts, even the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

Dr. Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament

PRESS RELEASE

3.4.2023

Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen re-elected to the Parliament

Finland had Parliamentary elections yesterday on Sunday. I have been an MP since 1995 and this time I entered the Finnish parliament with nearly 7,000 votes. That is an increase of almost 350 votes compared to 2019 elections. This will be my 8^th term in the Parliament. I have previously been Minister of the Interior and the Chair of Finnish Christian Democrats.

My re-election is very encouraging when taking into account my on-going legal case and battle concerning freedom of speech and religion. On 30^th March 2022 the Helsinki District Court unanimously dismissed all charges against me. I was put on trial for ”hate speech” after expressing my deeply held beliefs in a 2019 tweet, an almost 20-year-old pamphlet and a radio discussion. These statements and writings concerned the teaching of Bible about marriage and sexuality. Although the court stated that “it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts”, the prosecution appealed the ”not guilty verdict” and I face another free speech trial 22-24 August 2023.

I want to express my deep gratitude for the election win for all my supporters. I am especially grateful that the unfounded and very public charges against me did not prevent me from coming re-elected and that my work on behalf of Christian values can continue. The words of Psalm 100 are on my mind: “The Lord is good! His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations. I trust in this, and I will work for the best of my loved ones!”

Happy Easter to you as we celebrate our Father’s greatest sacrifice through his Son, Jesus Christ. Have a blessed Easter!

 

PRESS RELEASE 23 August 2022

MP Päivi Räsänen:

Court of Appeal proceedings to be delayed by more than a year

 

The Helsinki Court of Appeal has yesterday announced that the hearings concerning my statements will only take place next year, on three days, 22-24 August 2023. For my part, the preliminary investigation and judicial process has already been going on for more than three years and will continue for years to come.

My 2019 Twitter upload containing a Bible quote, my radio interview on YLE [Finnish National Broadcasting LLM] and the booklet published in 2004 will therefore be transferred to the Court of Appeal. The Helsinki District Court issued a unanimous, clear acquittal, but the prosecutors appealed that decision to the Appellate Court.

I find it unfortunate that this process is taking so long, because the mere fact that there is an ongoing trial, even without a conviction, has a restrictive effect on freedom of expression. Accusations, interrogations and trials cause the public to fear expressing their convictions. I encourage everyone to exercise freedom of speech and religion as the best way to prevent the self-censorship that silences open debate. I am, however, confident about the forthcoming hearing and remain delighted with the District Court’s decision. From my point of view, a victory in the District Court would have been quite sufficient, but the acquittals of the higher courts have broader significance. The continuation of the case will allow for a preliminary ruling on freedom of expression and religion, even from the Supreme Court of Finland. This would serve as a legal guide for any similar charges in the years to come. I hope that no one else will be subject to similar accusations in the future.

Personally, I am prepared to defend freedom of expression and religion at all necessary levels of the law, even before the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament of Finland

[email protected]

 

Assistant to MP

[email protected]

 

 

Press release

29.4.2022

Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen:

I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in the higher courts

Today, April 29, 2022, the prosecutor has announced that she will appeal to the unanimous acquittal verdict of the District Court in the “Bible Trial” to the Court of Appeal on all counts.

The prosecutor’s decision to appeal the acquittal verdict may lead to the case going all the way to the Supreme Court, giving the possibility of securing precedent protecting freedom of speech and religion for all Finnish people. Also I am happy that this decision will lead to the discussion of the teaching in Bible continuing in Finnish society. I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts, and as far as the European court of Human rights.

This legal process against me, with all the investigations and interrogations has lasted almost three years already and now it seems it will last for years to come. For me, the most difficult thing has been hearing the prosecutor’s false accusations about my statements. It would be better if the prosecutor actually stuck to things I said, instead of continuing to put false statements and allegations before the courts.

The District Court judgment stated that many of the allegations made by the prosecutor against me were not in fact correct, and were never said by me in any text, speech, tweet, or other document presented to the court by the prosecution. Unfortunately, in this appeal, the prosecutor continues to make the same false, inaccurate and untrue allegations against me based entirely on her own interpretations of what I said.

In her public statements the prosecutor said that, in her interpretation, it does not matter if my statements were “true or untrue”.

The prosecutor claims in this appeal that I said in the 2004 pamphlet that “all homosexuals are and should be regarded as inferior”, in fact I have never said that and I do not hold that view now or in the past. On the contrary, in the pamphlet, I state that “According to the Christian concept of humanity, everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, is equal and of equal value”. And that “Our fundamental rights quite correctly prohibit discrimination against people based, inter alia, on sexual inclination, but this does not require the elevation of anomalous relationships to the status of marriage.”

The District Court also found that the prosecutor had made other untruthful claims concerning my texts, for example she alleged that I said homosexuals have a tendency to sexually abuse children, and that they are genetically degenerated, or that they are nor created by God the same way as heterosexuals – these allegations were unanimously rejected by the Court. I have never said anything like this and I certainly do not think like this.

The prosecutor has deliberately misinterpreted and manipulated my statements about theological concepts. She argues that the biblical concepts  ”sin and shame” that were included in my tweet makes people inferior. Speaking about sin does not defame anyone, but speaks about our situation before God. If the teaching of the Bible on sin was made illegal, the core message of Christianity about grace, Jesus’s sacrificial death by which he reconciled our sins, would be made empty.

According to the legal principles and the Constitution, you can only impose a criminal penalty for an act which is defined as crime in law. I still trust that our judiciary basis its rulings on the “truth” unlike the approach of the prosecutor. I am confident of victory and I encourage others to use their foundational rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

 

Press release 30.3.2022

Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen:

 

The Helsinki District Court has acquitted me of all the three charges

The Helsinki District Court has today acquitted me of all the three charges. The ruling of the court was unanimous. I am relieved, happy and grateful to God and to all the people that have supported me. The ruling was what I expected – Not for a second did I believe that I had committed anything illegal in my writings and statements.

The bishop of the Mission Diocese, Juhana Pohjola, was prosecuted because he was responsible for publishing and making my pamphlet accessible on the internet. I am thankful that the court acquitted him also.

I am grateful for having had this chance to stand up for freedom of speech, which is an essential right in a democratic country. This has been my honor. I greatly appreciate that the court recognized in its ruling the importance of free speech. I hope that this ruling will help prevent others from having to go through the same ordeal.

This court process and the decision are historical with regard to freedom of speech and religion. The court has had to for the first time to take a stand on whether it is legal or not to cite the Bible and to agree with it. The judges have had to weigh the relations between the fundamental rights and the criminal law and the interrelationship between different fundamental freedoms.

The interest in this case rises from the concern that if this kind of questioning of free speech is possible in a country like Finland, which has a good reputation regarding free speech internationally, the same is possible anywhere. In the latest Rule of Law Index, Finland ranked 3rd. It is alarming that in a country that ranked so high in the Rule of Law Index, I have been criminally charged for voicing my deeply held beliefs that are based on classical Christianity.

This process has been long, it has lasted for three years, and it has not only consumed time and resources on my part, but also of the police and the court. On the other hand, I have felt joy about being able to speak about the Gospel and the atonement of Jesus during these couple of years.

I had hoped that the prosecutor would have settled for this ruling, but today afternoon I heard that the prosecutors will very likely appeal to the Court of Appeal. I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts, also in the European Court of Human Rights. I want to encourage others to use these basic rights also.

 

PRESS RELEASE

17 February 2022

Päivi Räsänen, Member of Parliament, Finland:

In its demands, the prosecution does not treat the publishers of my statements equally. Is one of the two discriminated against because it is small or because it has Christian values?

Today, the District Court will continue in this “Bible Tribunals” case, now hearing from YLE [National Broadcasting Corporation, Finland]. The prosecution is asking YLE to remove about 2 minutes of my interview on a Ruben Stiller radio discussion program. I will not be present at this hearing. In its statement, YLE opposes the prosecutor’s proposal on very solid grounds, arguing that: “According to YLE, an order to delete material would lead to a dangerous development for an open society.” “This could, according to the statement, lead to self-censorship, which would jeopardize freedom of expression in a democratic society.”

The radio podcast can still be heard in Finnish on YLE Areena and I have recommended listening to it as there is certainly nothing offensive, defamatory or threatening in it. A censorship order would be a disgrace to the Finnish freedom of expression. The Ruben Stiller show is a humorous, good-natured discussion, which I myself have had nothing but good feedback on. It can be heard here: https://areena.yle.fi/audio/1-50363169

What is really curious is that the prosecutor places different publishers in completely disparate positions: the small Luther Foundation Finland is facing significant community fines, and their representative faces hefty victim compensation fees, just for publishing my booklet for a very small, limited audience. In comparison, no penalty is proposed for the tax-funded YLE or for the responsible editor, even though YLE Areena reaches considerable numbers of viewers. It is absolutely correct that no penalties are proposed for YLE, but by what manner of logic should a smaller, Christian publisher be penalized? I hope the judges take note of this current dissimilarity. Is one publisher being discriminated against because of its small size or simply because of its value base?

I am relieved that my two trial days are now over. I hope that the court will acquit both me and Juhana Pohjala from all the charges and declare us not guilty. The decision of the court comes on 30^th March 1pm. I wait for it with a calm and hopeful mind.

In all the charges, I deny any wrongdoing. My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible’s teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teaching on homosexual acts. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one’s neighbor. This case is about whether it is allowed in Finland to cite the bible and to agree with it in topics that go against the tide and challenge the current ethos and thinking.

The process started more than two years ago, in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament. The aim of my criticism was the leadership of my own church, not any minority. According to the Church Act, approved by our Parliament, “all doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to God’s Holy Word”.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen’s complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, ” Male and female He created them” and a humorous radio interview with Ruben Stiller, “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”. The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, was also charged with being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen

[email protected]

 

Press release

11.2.2022

The Bible trial targets the core of Christian faith: love the sinner, hate the sin!

The Bible trial will resume next Monday, 14^th of February. The prosecutor has a year ago in her written application for summons made a number of false and untrue allegations about my views. According to the prosecutor, my view is that ”homosexuals are not created by God as heterosexuals are.” Nowhere have I said such a thing. I have repeatedly emphasized that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. In the passage to which the prosecutor refers, reference was made to the biblical account of creation. Referring to it, I stated: “In the beginning, God created a man and a woman and intended marriage to be between the two. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.”

Contrary to what the prosecutor claims, in the Ruben Stiller radio discussion program, I did not call homosexuality a genetic degeneration or a disease-causing genetic inheritance. On the contrary, I rejected the idea of homosexuality as a genetic trait, a claim that was suggested by the host of the discussion program, saying that the most recent studies have shown the possible genetic inheritance in homosexuality to be small.

The prosecutor claims that, according to me, the tendency to sexually abuse children is an inescapable characteristic of homosexuality. I have not said this and do not think so. Furthermore, the prosecutor claims I regard homosexuals as inferior human beings. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.

At the trial, the prosecutor presented in writing many false claims about my speech and writing, which were all easily refuted.

Although the prosecutor at first assured that the trial would not be an inquisition, she surprisingly targeted the core doctrine of Christianity. Very fast and extensively she moved to read the Bible trying to prove it contains insulting paragraphs. She claimed that my views are known as” fundamentalist” doctrine, which she summarized as “love the sinner, hate the sin”. This doctrine she regarded as insulting and defaming, because according to her, you cannot make a distinction between the person’s identity and his or hers action. If you condemn the act, you also condemn the human being and regard him or her as inferior.

This is an egregious statement. It goes against the Christian view of man and common sense. The prosecutor tries to deny the core message of the Bible: the teaching of law and gospel. God has created all human beings as His own image and we all have equal value, but we all are also sinners. No-one’s human dignity decreases because of sin. God still loves the person but hates the sin. Sin is a theological concept that describes the relationship between God and man and God is the one who defines what sin is. God so loved all the people, that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to suffer the punishment that belonged to us because of our sins. Jesus condemned the sin but loved the sinners.

The thought that you could not make a distinction between the person’s deeds and his or her identity or human dignity is unfamiliar to life. As I was raising my children, I loved them all equally, but I still had to at times criticize their actions quite harshly. The prosecutor’s thought is also unfamiliar to the rule of law. Even the most notorious criminals do not lose their human rights or human dignity if they get a punishment for their deeds. Especially in court this principle should be very clear.

The prosecutor’s accusation against “hate the sin, love the sinner” doctrine is startling, because the doctrine is widely appreciated. The Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle, reported 26^th of December 2021 about philosopher Pekka Himanen, who got to know the late Desmond Tutu, an archbishop and peace Nobel prize winner. Desmond Tutu’s philosophy was “love the sinner, hate the sin. He continued: “The model of leadership that derived from this kind of recognition of human dignity in all circumstances is what the world most desperately needs.”

Päivi Räsänen

Member of the Parliament of Finland

 

PRESS RELEASE

24.1.2022

Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen

The Court will weigh the state of freedom of speech and religion in Finland

I am relieved that this long waited and heavy day is now over. I hope that the court will acquit both me and Juhana Pohjala from all the charges and declare us not guilty. Continuation of the trial is expected on February 14th. After that, the decision of the court comes approximately in one month. I wait for it with a calm and hopeful mind.

The decision of the court has consequences not only to Christians’ freedom to express their conviction, but to everyone else’s also. In the court, I appealed to the Constitution of Finland and to international conventions that guarantee freedom of speech and religion. I will not back off from my conviction based on the Bible. The case is extremely important for freedom of speech and religion.

In all the charges, I deny any wrongdoing. My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible’s teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teaching on homosexual acts. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one’s neighbor, not from hate towards a group of people.

The prosecution makes a number of false, inaccurate, even untrue allegations about my views. I categorically reject the Prosecutor’s characterization of my beliefs. I stress that I have repeatedly emphasized that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. In the passage to which the prosecutor refers, reference was made to the biblical account of creation. Referring to it, I stated: “In the beginning, God created a man and a woman and intended marriage to be between the two. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.”

The points of view for which I am accused do not deviate from so-called classical Christianity, nor does my view on marriage deviate from the official policy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Since Christianity is the dominant state religion in Finland, it is reasonable to assume that views such as these are widely disseminated in religious communities in Finland – in social media as well as in private events. Likewise, the prosecution’s interpretation would have a material impact on the narrowing of the scope of religious freedom in Finland – and is therefore highly damaging from the perspective of fundamental rights.

The possible sentence for the crime of ethnic agitation would be up to two years imprisonment or a fine. But an even more serious problem would be the resulting censorship: an order to remove social media updates or a ban on posting. The sentence would open the floodgates to a ban on similar publications and the threat of modern book burnings. It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.

It is likely that the charges will be taken to higher courts, even to the European Court of Human Rights. I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts.

According to my knowledge, the court has to for the first time take a stand on whether it is legal or not to cite the Bible. The judges have to weigh the relations between the foundational rights and the criminal law and the interrelationship between different foundational laws.

I have carefully gone through all my writings and statement, that are now being scrutinized, and I stand behind these thoughts that derive from the classical Christianity. I feel it is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion. I defend the right to confess the Christian faith and its teaching on the human being.

The main hearing of the charges brought against me by the Prosecutor General (R 21/3567 took place today on 24 January 2022 at 9.30 am at the Helsinki District Court.

The process started more than two years ago, in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament. The aim of my criticism was the leadership of my own church, not any minority. According to the Church Act, approved by our Parliament, “all doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to God’s Holy Word”.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen’s complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, ” Male and female He created them” and a humorous radio interview with Ruben Stiller, “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”.

The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, was also charged with being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

I want to warmly thank those thousands of people that have supported me during this personally trying process.

Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament of Finland

[email protected]

 

Evamaria Kyllästinen

Assistant to MP

[email protected]

 

PRESS RELEASE

20.1.2022

Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen

 

It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion

The main hearing of the charges brought against me by the Prosecutor General (R 21/3567) will take place on 24 January 2022 at 9.30 am at the Helsinki District Court. The timing is challenging, just the morning after county elections. I am aware that the case is extremely important for freedom of speech and religion. The decision of the court has consequences not only to Christians’ freedom to express their conviction, but to everyone else’s also.

I await the court proceedings with a calm mind. I appeal to the Constitution of Finland and to international conventions that guarantee freedom of speech and religion. I will not back off from my conviction based on the Bible and I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts.

The process started more than two years ago, in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament. The aim of my criticism was the leadership of my own church, not any minority. According to the Church Act, approved by our Parliament, “all doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to God’s Holy Word”.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen’s complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, ” Male and female He created them” and a humorous radio interview with Ruben Stiller, “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”.

The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, was also charged with being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

The police have spent hours of their working time questioning me and many more on investigating my reports and written statements. The Public Prosecutor’s Office investigated the case for more than six months before reaching a decision, and now these charges will concern the judiciary. I think it is likely that the charges will be taken to higher courts, even to the European Court of Human Rights.

In all the charges, I deny any wrongdoing. My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible’s teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teaching on homosexual acts. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one’s neighbor, not from hate towards a group of people.

According to the press release of the Prosecutor’s Office, they make my view out to be that ”homosexuals are not created by God like heterosexuals” and that I would consider them inferior to other people. Nowhere did I say that. These statements are completely contrary to my convictions. I consider this to be an unfounded statement and also highly offensive to homosexual people. I have stressed many times that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. All human beings are sinners and are forgiven of their sins by recourse to the atoning work of Jesus.

The possible sentence for the crime of ethnic agitation would be up to two years imprisonment or a fine. But an even more serious problem would be the resulting censorship: an order to remove social media updates or a ban on posting. The sentence would open the floodgates to a ban on similar publications and the threat of modern book burnings. It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.

Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament of Finland

 

PRESS RELEASE

15.9.2021

Member of Parliament Dr. Päivi Räsänen

Court date announcement

The Helsinki District Court has informed me that the main hearing of the charges brought against me by the Prosecutor General (R 21/3567) will take place on 24 January 2022. Contrary to previous assumptions, the case will not be heard this autumn.

The process started more than two years ago, in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen’s complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On 22 April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, ” Male and female He created them” and a humorous radio interview with Ruben Stiller. The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, was also charged with being responsible for publishing and making available the pamphlet.

I am suspected of “ethnic agitation” against a group because of a tweet, a pamphlet published 17 years ago and statements I made on the Ruben Stiller talk show on 19 December 2019. Because of this, the police have spent hours of their working time questioning me and many more on investigating my reports and written statements. The Public Prosecutor’s Office investigated the case for more than six months before reaching a decision, and from the beginning of next year, these charges will concern the judiciary, which is already extremely busy with work. I think it is likely that the charges will be taken to higher courts, even to the European Court of Human Rights, if necessary.

In all the charges, I deny any wrongdoing. My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible’s teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teaching on homosexual acts as sin and shame.

According to the press release of the Prosecutor’s Office, they make my view out to be that ”homosexuals are not created by God like heterosexuals” and that I would consider them inferior to other people. Nowhere did I say that. These statements are completely contrary to my convictions. I consider this to be an unfounded statement and also highly offensive to homosexual people. I have stressed many times that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. All human beings are sinners and are forgiven of their sins by recourse to the atoning work of Jesus.

The possible sentence for the crime of ethnic agitation would be up to two years imprisonment or a fine. But an even more serious problem would be the resulting censorship: an order to remove social media updates or a ban on posting. The sentence would open the floodgates to a ban on similar publications and the threat of modern book burnings. I await the court proceedings with a calm mind, confident that Finland will respect the freedom of expression and religion enshrined in fundamental rights and international conventions. I will not back down from my conviction based on the Bible and I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts.

The tweet that triggered the investigation is illustrated by a biblical text from Romans chapter 1, verses 24-27: ”Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

To accompany the picture, I wrote a question addressed to the church leadership:

”The Church has announced that it is an official partner of Seta Pride 2019. How is the Church’s doctrinal foundation, the Bible, suitable with raising shame and sin as a matter of pride?”

 

Press release

30.4.2021

Three charges filed against Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen –

I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion as far as it needs

Yesterday morning, I received by phone the information that the Prosecutor General has decided to prosecute me in three cases. The application for summons has been delivered to the District Court of Helsinki. I am accused of criminal agitation against a minority group, which carries the sentence of a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of two years. The three charges filed against me are about the following cases. Firstly, a pamphlet I wrote in 2004 ”Male and female He created them – Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity”. A charge have also been filed against Rev. Dr. Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland. The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland was in charge of publishing the pamphlet.

 

The second charge is about a tweet I published 17 June 2019 in my social media accounts. In addition to Twitter, I published my tweet in Facebook and Instagram. In the tweet, I questioned the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s official affiliation with Helsinki LGBT Pride 2019 and accompanied my publication with a photo of Bible, from the Letter to the Romans 1:24-27. The third charge is about my views presented in one program of the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, when I visited a talk show series hosted by Ruben Stiller and discussed the topic “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”.

 

The decision of the Prosecutor General is surprising, even shocking. I do not think I have committed threatening, defaming or insulting a minority group. In all these three cases, the question is about the Bible’s teaching about marriage and sexuality. Ultimately, the three charges brought against me have to do with whether it is allowed in Finland to express your conviction that is based on the traditional teaching of the Bible and Christian churches. I do not see I would have in any way defamed homosexuals whose human dignity and human rights I have constantly said to respect and defend. The Bible’s teaching is, however, very clear in the teaching that marriage is a union between man and wife and that practicing homosexuality is against God’s will.

 

The Apostle Paul’s teaching is not only about defending marriage between man and woman, but about how a human being is saved into eternal life. If the teachings of God’s word about sin are rejected, also the whole core of Christian faith is made empty: the precious sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for the sake of everyone’s sins and the way He opened into eternity.

 

There is a difficulty here far greater than a sentence of a fine or an imprisonment: a demand for censorship: an order to remove my social media postings or a ban on the publication of the pamphlet. If one defies the court’s verdict, it leads to demands of penalty payments. This sort of judgement would open up an avenue leading to further publication bans for similar texts and modern book burnings.

 

It is noteworthy that with regard to the pamphlet case and the tv episode with Stiller, the police stated that there was no reason to suspect a crime. The pre-trial investigation should not have even been commenced according to their decision. The police stated in their decision: “if some of the views in the Bible were to be regarded as per se fulfilling the criteria of an agitation offense, the dissemination of or making the Bible available would in principle be punishable as an offense of agitation.” This has deeply to do with free speech and freedom of religion.

 

I will go to the court with a peaceful and brave mind, trusting that Finland is a constitutional state where the freedoms of speech and religion, which both are guaranteed in international agreements and in our constitution, are respected. A conviction based on the Christian faith is more than an surficial opinion. The early Christians did not renounce their faith in lions’ caves, why should I then renounce my faith in a court room. I will not step back from my conviction nor from my writings. I do not apologize for the writings of the Apostle Paul either. I am ready to defend freedom speech and religion as far as is necessary.

 

The offence of agitation requires intentionality. In our Criminal Code the concept of intentionality is placed as criteria regarding the purpose of the author and the fact that the author perceives the nature of the act as a culpable legal infringement. In evaluating guilt, one must strive to genuinely understand the background and purpose of the author. As a Member of Parliament, I has been involved in the enactment of this precise amendment to our legislation.  It did not even come to mind that my tweet or my opinions based on Christianity could be defamatory or insulting in any aspect.

 

I want to encourage others to use their freedom of speech and religion. This indictment shows that right now is the time to defend these foundational freedoms and rights.

 

The Prosecutor General has previously publicly told that she has, because of my cases, received inappropriate messages. I hope that no insulting messages would be targeted against her.

 

Contact:

 

Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament

Finland

[email protected]

 

Evamaria Kyllästinen

[email protected]

Assistant to MP

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

21 August 2020

MP Päivi Räsänen:

Summoned again to a police interrogation – this time for a talk show series with host Stiller

The police have summoned me to arrive at the Main Police Station in Pasila, Helsinki at 10:00 AM on 25 August 2020 for interrogation on suspicion of ethnic agitation against a group, which carries the sentence of a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of two years (case nro: 5500/R/74807/19). This is already the third time I am interrogated because of suspicion of agitation against a minority group. Although the interrogations and the statements related to them take time, I will not back down from my views.

The interrogation has to do with the pre-trial investigation ordered by the Prosecutor General for my views presented in one program of the YlePuhe [The Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, Talk Show] series with host Ruben Stiller on the topic “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”. This was broadcast on 20 Dec. 2019. This radio discussion can be found at the following link: https://areena.yle.fi/1-50363169?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=areena-ios-share

I recommend listening the program, with the words of the Prosecutor General Toiviainen, “minute by minute”. In the program, we discussed the Bible’s teaching on Jesus, creation of man, sin, the last judgement and salvation. I emphasized that all men, regardless of their sexual orientation, are on the same line before God, all valuable, but all also sinful and in need of Jesus’ redemptive work in order to inherit eternal life. It is inconceivable for me that the program is suspected of being defamatory in any part.

An individual citizen X first made a criminal complaint and the police made a thorough decision that no pre-trial investigation will be commenced. “As the investigator in charge, I cannot agree with the view of X that Räsänen would have defamed (or insulted) homosexuals and thereby committed agitation against an ethnic group.” “According to Räsänen, all are sinful and in need of salvation, homosexuals and heterosexuals alike.” “As the investigator in charge, I see this matter as a certain theological outlook and a value positioning that at least for the time being has been protected by freedom of religion and freedom of speech.”

The Prosecutor General, however, ordered also in this case, contrary to the decision of the police, a pre-trial investigation. I wonder what are the concrete justifications required in the Criminal Investigation Act that necessitate in this case a pre-trial investigation with a police interrogation? The police did not find any such justifications.

All in all, at the moment there are four criminal investigations taking place against me. I now received information from the police that the Prosecutor General is considering whether to order a pre-trial investigation for the fourth case, my appearance in an episode at the serial program “Maria Veitola, Overnight visit. The criminal complaint done about my appearance in this episode presents quotes that I have not even said in the episode. The Prosecutor General ordered the criminal investigation (5 March 2020) without even examining the episode. As the police had not in their earlier decision considered criminal investigation to have any grounds, the Prosecutor General should in my opinion have had an obligation to present evidence to support the order to commence a police investigation. According to the Criminal Investigation Act, there needs to be concrete evidence for a crime in order to commence a criminal investigation. Only the subjective opinion of the one who does the criminal complaint is not enough to commence a pre-trial investigation.

These police investigations have to do with whether it is legal to publicly confess and teach Bible-based views on man’s relationship with God. From the viewpoint of freedom of religion and free speech, these cases are precedents. I defend my right to confess my faith, so that no one else would be deprived freedom of religion. I hold on to the view that my expressions are legal and they should not be censored. Freedom of religion has to do with having a conviction, which has a deeper dimension than holding only a certain view.

 

Contact details

Päivi Räsänen, +358(0)505113065 or [email protected]

Evamaria Kyllästinen, assistant to MP, +358(0)505741675, or [email protected]

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

5 March 2020

The Prosecutor General of Finland orders two new criminal investigations of Dr. Päivi Räsänen, MP

 

A moment ago I received information from the Finnish police that Ms. Raija Toiviainen, Prosecutor General of Finland, has ordered criminal investigations of my comments on two radio and television programmes, interviews, first with Maria Vietola and then with Ruben Stiller. This is how the third and fourth criminal investigations of my speech are getting underway. I have already been interrogated on two separate occasions by the Helsinki Central Police in Pasila, and now there will be at least two further interrogations. In my opinion, this situation is inconceivable and totally absurd.

TV host Maria Veitola came to my home for an overnight on her serial programme “Yökylässä Maria Veitola” [Maria Veitola, Overnight visit], broadcast on Finnish MTV3 on 1 Feb. 2018 and on Finnish TV-channel AVA on 27 June 2018. In this programme we discussed the Bible, the significance of Jesus, of sin and of grace. This mandate of a new investigation addresses very similar comments on homosexuality as those taken from my pamphlet published in 2004.

The second order for criminal investigation is for my appearance in one episode of the YlePuhe [The Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, Talk Show] series with host Ruben Stiller on the topic “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”[translated]. This was broadcast on 20 Dec. 2019 at 1:02 pm. This radio discussion can be found at the following link: here.

Previously, the police had reached decisions regarding both these programmes that there was no reason to initiate a preliminary investigation as no crime had been committed.

The police arrived at a similar conclusion last autumn with respect to my pamphlet: “Male and female He created them”, 2004, Luther Foundation Finland [here]. Nonetheless, the Prosecutor General proceeded to order a preliminary investigation of this booklet, which is why I was interrogated by the police earlier this week [2 March 2020]. The preliminary investigation of my Tweet from last summer has been completed, and that case is now under consideration for whether or not to raise criminal charges.

These requests for investigations and the criminal procedures arising out of them are attempts to restrict free speech and the freedom of religion. Concurrently, there is a danger that the media and publishers will begin to limit certain topics of discussion and leave particular discussants outside public discourse. We must not yield to the vicious circle of fear and being silenced.

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE 

Dr Päivi Räsänen, MP:

SECOND POLICE INTERROGATION ROUSES CONCERN OVER FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION

 

The police have summoned me to arrive at the Main Police Station in Pasila, Helsinki at 9:30 AM on 2 March 2020 for interrogation on suspicion of ethnic aggression of a group, which carries the sentence of a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of two years. (case nro: 5500/R/74807/19)

 

The Prosecutor General of Finland ordered a preliminary hearing with regard to a pamphlet I wrote in 2004 “Male and female He created them”, published by The Luther Foundation Finland. Rev Dr Juhana Pohjola (DTh), the representative of the publisher, was previously interrogated on the same issue.

 

I presume that this drawing of attention to an old writing of mine and filing for a criminal investigation of it in August 2019 is connected with an earlier preliminary hearing concerning my tweet of June 2019. (case nro. 5500/R/53318/19) In that tweet I questioned the decision made by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland [the national church] to support the Helsinki Pride Festival. In it I shared a picture of the Bible verses appropriate to the topic. It did not even occur to me that this tweet might be illegal. On 1 November 2019 I spent nearly four hours in a police interrogation which concentrated on the main concepts of the Christian faith.

 

It is a baffling, surreal experience to be ordered into a police interrogation over the teachings of the Bible and in a country which has such deep roots in the freedom of speech and of religion. We are accustomed to hearing news like this from a totally different reference group of nations, places like North Korea or the former Soviet Union. The freedoms of speech and of religion are the cornerstones of democracy.

 

For a Christian, the Bible is the Word of God. It is a grave violation of the freedom of religion if the right to agree with biblical teaching is contravened. The Parliament of Finland unanimously approved the Church Law according to which the national church [The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland] confesses that Christian faith which is based on the Bible.

 

I categorically deny that my writing might be hate speech or defamation or slander of minorities. The Christian view of human being is based on the inherent and equal dignity of all persons. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love, not hate. The core message of faith, i.e. grace and atonement, is founded on the Christian view of humanity seen in creation, on the one hand, and the great fall, on the other.

 

So currently I am facing two separate police investigations. Both of them are linked to the freedoms of speech and of religion. What is worth noting here is the fact that the police prepared and released a thorough 11-page decision on 13 September 2019 that this pamphlet gave no cause for criminal investigation nor was there any reason to suspect that any crime had taken place. In their decision the police also noted: “If, for example, any of the viewpoints contained in the Bible would be considered sufficient, as such, to fulfil the criteria for the crime of ethnic agitation, then the distribution of the Bible or rendering it available would, in principle, be considered a crime of ethnic agitation and thus punishable.”

 

Therefore, it was a great surprise that Ms Raija Toiviainen, Prosecutor General of Finland, ordered on 31 October 2019 a preliminary hearing on the matter to take place. In regard to the due process of law it is problematic that highly educated public authorities take stands so far from one another in their interpretation of the law. If an MP, a legislator, who has been in office for the past 25 years, does not recognise a potential crime, how then can an ordinary citizen detect the possibility of such crime?

 

There is a difficulty here greater than a sentence of a fine or an imprisonment. The problem would be a possible demand for censorship: an order to remove my social media postings or a ban on the publication of the pamphlet. This might open up an avenue leading to further publication bans and modern book burnings. The mere fact that there is a police interrogation of this endangers the freedoms of speech and of religion by acting as a determent.

 

Regardless of the final outcome of this criminal investigation, I intend to continue to use the freedom of religion granted to me in the Constitution of Finland and in human rights agreements in order to share the teachings of the Christian faith and to encourage others to do so as well.

The pamphlet may be downloaded here.

Päivi Räsänen

Member of Parliament

[email protected]

 

Assistant to MP

Evamaria Kyllästinen

[email protected]

 

PRESS RELEASE

5 March 2020

 The Prosecutor General of Finland orders two new criminal investigations of Dr. Päivi Räsänen, MP

 

A moment ago I received information from the Finnish police that Ms. Raija Toiviainen, Prosecutor General of Finland, has ordered criminal investigations of my comments on two television programmes, interviews, first with Maria Vietola and then with Ruben Stiller. This is how the third and fourth criminal investigations of my speech are getting underway. I have already been interrogated on two separate occasions by the Helsinki Central Police in Pasila, and now there will be at least two further interrogations. In my opinion, this situation is inconceivable and totally absurd.

TV host Maria Veitola came to my home for an overnight on her serial programme “Yökylässä Maria Veitola” [Maria Veitola, Overnight visit], broadcast on Finnish MTV3 on 1 Feb. 2018 and on Finnish TV-channel AVA on 27 June 2018. In this programme we discussed the Bible, the significance of Jesus, of sin and of grace. This mandate of a new investigation addresses very similar comments on homosexuality as those taken from my pamphlet published in 2004.

The second order for criminal investigation is for my appearance in one episode of the YlePuhe [The Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, Talk Show] series with host Ruben Stiller on the topic “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”[translated]. This was broadcast on 20 Dec. 2019 at 1:02 pm. This radio discussion can be found at the following link: here.

Previously, the police had reached decisions regarding both these programmes that there was no reason to initiate a preliminary investigation as no crime had been committed.

The police arrived at a similar conclusion last autumn with respect to my pamphlet: “Male and female He created them”, 2004, Luther Foundation Finland [here]. Nonetheless, the Prosecutor General proceeded to order a preliminary investigation of this booklet, which is why I was interrogated by the police earlier this week [2 March 2020]. The preliminary investigation of my Tweet from last summer has been completed, and that case is now under consideration for whether or not to raise criminal charges.

These requests for investigations and the criminal procedures arising out of them are attempts to restrict free speech and the freedom of religion. Concurrently, there is a danger that the media and publishers will begin to limit certain topics of discussion and leave particular discussants outside public discourse. We must not yield to the vicious circle of fear and being silenced.

 

 

The American Conservative

The Persecution Of Päivi Räsänen

Rod Dreher NOVEMBER 15, 2019

 

Interview at Evangelical Focus 

“The more Christians keep silent on controversial themes, the narrower the space for freedom of speech gets”
Joel Foster 11 September 2019

 

1. You mentioned your concern that Christians who believe in the Bible will “censor” themselves and their beliefs. Why?

Freedom of religion is in principle strongly guaranteed and protected both in our Constitution and in the International Human Right Treaties. In practice, a major threat for the freedom of religion is that we don’t use this right. Many, especially the young people, are afraid that if you are labelled as a Bible-believing Christian, it will hinder your career and social acceptance.

2. From an outsider perspective, it seems difficult to understand that in a historically Protestant country like Finland (with a Lutheran Church to which belong more than 60% of the citizens) a majority would react so strongly against politicians who quote the Bible and say they hold to a Christian worldview. What is the key we’re missing to understand where the Finnish society stands at this point?

We are living at a time when the effect of Christian culture to the society is narrowing. Although many Finns still belong to Christian churches and denominations, the basic teachings of the Christian faith are no longer views of the majority. The breaking of the Christian worldview is visible both in the societal discussions and in the decision making, whether we are thinking of pro-life issues and the protection of life both in the beginning and in the end of life, or views related to marriage. Having a traditional view of marriage has become a politically incorrect view in public discussions. However, many Finns do still understand and support the Christian worldview.

3. You said you’re not afraid of the hate crime investigation. Have there been news since then? Do you think the prosecutor will dismiss the case?

The police have started an investigation about my tweet and told me that they are looking for a prosecutor for my case. Nothing new has happened after this. I do not think that my case would proceed to the prosecutor. Although I must admit that it came as a surprise for me that a police investigation even started. I have a completely calm mind about this. I am going to use my freedom to believe and to speak accordingly, whatever the outcome of this process may be.

4. How strongly have agendas of external groups (LGBT, others…) put pressure to change the historic doctrines and teaching of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church?

The advocacy groups of sexual minorities have strongly and aggressively affected the development of the church. There is a movement inside the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland whose aim is to legalize church wedding for same-sex couples. So called rainbow masses have been organized in many churches, my own home church included. Also, homosexual couples have been blessed in the churches and some priests have also wedded gay couples.

I was shocked that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which I am a member of, announced its official affiliation to Helsinki lgbt Pride 2019. Our Church Act states that “All doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to God’s Holy Word”.  Pride events celebrate acts and relations that the Bible calls sinful and shameful. Based on these Scriptures, I asked in my tweet that led to the police investigation: “How can the church’s doctrinal foundation, the Bible, be compatible with the lifting up of shame and sin as a subject of pride?”

I even considered resigning from the church. As I prayed, I was convinced that now is the time to try to wake up the sleeping ones, not to jump out of a sinking boat. My purpose was in no way to insult sexual minorities. My criticism was aimed to the leadership of the church. Also, I believe that every person has the right to hear the whole truth of God’s Word, both the Gospel and the Law. Only people who recognize their sins need Jesus, the propitiation for our sins. Therefore, we also must have the courage to call homosexual relations sinful.

5. On a personal level, what have you learnt in the last weeks? Are there any conclusions on this issue that you and your husband – a Lutheran pastor – have come to?

God can do good things through adversities. I have got amazingly much support from Christians both from Finland and from abroad. I see it as a wonderful privilege that so many are praying for me and my family. It is amazing that so many on the other side of the world are praying for Finland, my home country. I think this whole chain of events is part of my calling as a Christian influencer.

6. Have you felt supported by other Finnish Christians since the case erupted? What has been the reaction of fellow members of your ‘Christian Democrats’ party?

Yes, I have got much support. Of course, there is criticism and when it comes from those near to me, it hurts the most.

7. You have been outspoken in the media about the issue of LGBT identity and sexuality in the past. Being a Christian, is this the most difficult topic to talk about in the public arena right now?

The Christian view of man is currently attacked in many ways. Contradictions between worldviews and values are visible in the discussions about marriage, gender or values of life, for example. In these questions we are at the core of unalienable truths. God created man in His own image – this is why human life is sacred from the beginning to the end. God created us man and woman and instituted marriage between the two genders. The inner self of every human being, the natural moral understanding, understands this. The laws of nature do not change, nor does the Word of God. I have written books on abortion and euthanasia that provoked discussion. They will be translated into English.

8. What would you recommend to young Christians who have a passion for faith and society and are keen to enter the public conversation in the media, politics, etc?

I encourage young people to speak about and proclaim the whole truth of the Word of God, both the Law and the Gospel. Trusting that the Bible is God’s Word is a solid foundation for the Gospel to bring forth new life and win hearts. Ultimately, questionable themes such as homosexual relations have to do with guilt. Guilt cannot be solved by denying it, but only by confessing it and receiving mercy and the message of forgiveness in Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins at the cross.

9. Finally: Why should European societies protect freedom of speech in this time of polarised ideological debates?

The more we keep silent about difficult and controversial topical themes, the narrower the space for freedom of speech and religion gets.

 

Fox News, September 5 2019

Finnish politician under ‘hate crime investigation’ for sharing Bible verse on Facebook

 

The main themes for the municipal elections in 2017

Called to Care

Better elderly care
– Services for the elderly must be at a level that you don’t have to be afraid of aging.
We need genuine care and enough hands that take care.
– Burden of caregivers must be eased with days off and home help.
– Interaction between generations is important. Loneliness and insecurity must be decreased by peer support and support persons.
– We promote good palliative care at the end of life.

Families and children are the priority
– We want chield-friendly municipalities. Services for families must be increased to support parenthood and to help manage everyday life.
– Municipal subsidies for home care allowance and private day care allowance have to be maintained.
– We defend small groups sizes and enough staff in day care and schools. We keep the fees for Morning and Afternoon clubs reasonable.

Municipalities with entrepreneurs succeed
– Entrepreneurs must not be bullied. Services promoting the vitality of the region must come from one service point. Smooth license services and city planning equally to all areas.
– Local entrepreneurs must be paid attention to in municipal procurements. Let’s reform TE-services to promote work and to support local entreprises.
– Working must be profitable. We keep taxation reasonable and avoid increasing taxes and other levies.
– Let’s make muncipalities good employers. We invest in welfare at work.

We compete with the best education
– School performance must be improved. Finland succeeds with know-how.
– Every young person deserves the possibility to get education after the comprehensive school. Contact-teaching must be increased. Let’s put a stop to school bullying.
– Teaching must be developed by taking into account the regional business needs.
– Let’s play Suvivirsi. We cherish the Christian cultural heritage of Finland.

Healthy premises
– We want mould resistant municipalities. It’s sick to save from healthy premises.
– Supervision of building and construction has to be more effective and indoor air pollution avoided.

Social and health care services must be reformed
– We want a comprehensive service promise. Treatment must be available quickly and neighbourhood services accessible. Health inequalities have to be decreased.
– We invest more in basic health care services, we create smooth treatment pathways and increase preventive work. Freedom of choice must be expanded with vouchers.
– We invest in prevention in addiction treatment. There must be enough mental health care services available.
– Social and health care reform must not become a private cherry-picking automaton or a complex organization chart.

Welfare from sports
– Active schools to every municipality! Let’s increase the number of sport clubs. Every child deserves at least one hobby regardless of the family’s wealth.
– Municipalities and sport clubs could work together to promote health. Well cared for sport fields, recreation routes and walking and cycling routes make you want exercise.

Cosy environment, clean energy
– We take care of the environment. Let’s make the waters near us clean, the nature and parks cosy.
– We defend smooth and affordable public transport.
– We promote reusing, renewable energy and reducing waste.
– We need decentralized energy generation. We favour the possibility of residents to generate energy by themselves.

 

The main themes of Christian Democrats for the Parliamentary elections 2015

Courage to build future

We have the courage to defend families.

We want to create a family-friendly society. Services must be directed to families in need and to support parenting. The most important services have to be organized as neighbourhood services. Families must have the freedom to choose how child home care allowance is divided between parents. We cherish Christian family values and emphasize the significance of near communities.

Courage to promote growth

Investing in entrepreneurship promotes Finland’s growth.

 Work is the foundation for a healthy economy and well-being. Small and medium-sized enterprises create the majority of new jobs. We want to lower the threshold to start a business and to increase the opportunities especially for women entrepreneurs. Improving the flexibility of labour markets is the key to employment creation. We want to direct financial support and support to innovation to the small and medium-sized enterprises.

Courage to improve safety

We want a safer Finland for all.

 Safety is created by caring. No one is to be left alone. Preventing social exclusion is a top priority. To guarantee a safe old age, we promote senior citizens’ ability to function with adequate support, timely care and rehabilitation. We improve Finland’s security by strengthening the national defence forces’ ability to operate efficiently. The resources of the police and the judiciary have also to be taken care of. To ensure peace, we support co-operation on defence with the Nordic countries, the UN, NATO and the EU.

 

KD/ECPM seminar: Revealing the Benefits of the Family

Dear Christian Democrats, Dear friends

I am delighted to see many different nationalities represented here. Let us remember that a common mission in Europe unites us.

Home is a place of love. A state or a municipality cannot love, but the society can create circumstances, in which families, civil society and near-by communities have space, time and conditions to love. The vision for the future and the ideological focus of the Finnish Christian Democrats is to build communal Finland.

When our first child was born, I was encouraged by a surprising person. During that time I was reading Selected Works of Luther, and on my surprise he was, as a father, describing the feelings I had as a mother. He mirrored the calling of a family life against egocentric culture with the following words : “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores, and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labour at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves?”

But then he continues:
”What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels.”

The words of Luther are still topical. Family is the most important job and calling for parents. Finnish Christian Democrats highlight the wellbeing of families. This message has not become outdated but rather it is more topical than ever before. To us Christian Democrats, family politics is not of secondary interest; it is in the centre of political decision-making.

Dear friends,

In the parliamentary elections of 2011, the theme of the Christian Democrats’ election campaign was “home, religion and home country”. We work in the Government on the basis of these values. Due to financial difficulties, the Government has been forced to find savings and to consider how to increase economic growth, competitiveness and employment. Budget cuts are easily targeted towards families. For already the second time, the Christian Democrats managed to preserve child home care allowance. Its length and level remain the same. The financial support families get, for example child benefit, avoided cutting. The position of families even improves, since we get a new flexible care allowance, which makes the reconciliation of work and family life easier.

Child home care allowance is allowed to families with a child under age 3, when the child is taken care of at home. The most important reasons for this allowance are the child’s own benefit and the freedom of choice for families. In Finland, municipal day care is still favoured at the expense of home care. Compared to home care, municipal day care costs to the society at least two times more. Flexible care allowance means a lower threshold to re-enter work-life after parental leave and a greater freedom to choose where the child is taken care of. The basic idea of the allowance is that if a person with a child under age of 3 is working part-time, he or she is paid a graduated care allowance according to weekly working hours. In addition, in the future day care costs are more accurately determined according to day care hours.

The world economy is marked by instability. The Finnish Government has agreed on reducing the national debt by the end of the electoral term. This year the national debt increases by 7 and half million euros. By the end of the year the national debt will be more than 90 milliard euros. If the incurring of debt is not stopped, Finland will not anymore fulfil the requirement that total debt should be no more than 60% of GDP (gross domestic product).

The Government has agreed on adjusting the state budget by 5 and half milliard euros. At our last negotiations of central government spending limits, we agreed on adjusting a supplementary 0, 6 milliard euros. Fitch Ratings, the international rating agency, affirmed 2 May 2013 the long-term credit ratings of ’AAA’ for Finland. Fitch says Finland’s rating outlook is stable. The sustainability problem is, however, reality. The reason behind Finland’s sustainability deficit is that our demography centres on elder age classes. Boosting birth rates requires financial support to families and encouragement to families to get more babies. Successful family politics reinforces national economy, availability of work force and the competitiveness of our country for decades.

Dear friends

When families suffer, social and health care expenditure increases. One of the main security threats in our country is the social exclusion of youth. Perhaps we can say this is a common threat in Europe? Each socially excluded young person costs during his or hers lifetime 1,2 million euros to the society. Substance abusing and socially excluded young men keep the police and health care busy in addition to filling prisons. On top of this, they end up on a premature disability pension.

In 2011, over 1500 Finns under the age of 30 ended up on a premature disability pension. From the year 2006 to 2011, there has been a 42 per cent increase in the number of Finns who are on a premature disability pension because of depression. In resolving the sustainability deficit a special emphasis should be the prevention of premature disability pensions and social exclusion.

In the government negotiation two years ago, one of our party’s threshold questions was youth guarantee, which later became one of the spearhead projects of the Government. The youth guarantee offers everyone under the age of 25, as well as recent graduates under age of 30, an employment, a study place, a place in the on-the-job training or rehabilitation within three months after becoming unemployed. The Government has allocated 60 million euros in annual appropriations to the enforcement of this guarantee.
The Parliament will soon get a legislative proposal of the law on pupil welfare. According to the proposal, service guarantee would be included to the pupil welfare law. Pupils would be guaranteed the opportunity to discuss with a pupil welfare psychologist or curator within seven workdays. In urgent cases this opportunity should be arranged on the same day or on the following day. Pupil welfare enables to stop social exclusion development at an early stage.

During the recent years, several tragic family murders have occurred in Finland. A study commissioned by the ministerial working group on internal security revealed that the murderers had in most cases sought help from officials before committing the shocking crime. When parents seek help for problems related to relationships, mental health or substance abuse, the interest and status of the children should always be evaluated. The number of child custodies has continually risen in the recent years. In addition, an increasingly greater number of pupils get remedial education due to disturbance of conduct. School health care, child welfare clinics, domestic aid offered to families and low-threshold mental health services must be offered to families, in which the capability of the parents to take care of the children has weakened.
The objective of the Government is to make Finland the safest country in Europe by year 2015.
Substance abuse related crimes pose the most significant threat to the internal security of Finland. Approximately in 70 per cent of the homicides between adults both sides are drunk.
We aim to reduce alcohol consumption by increasing alcohol taxes, developing preventative welfare services for drug abusers and by limiting alcohol advertising.

Dear friends,

Christian Democrats have steadfastly worked to secure the position of marriage. From the beginning of the government negotiations, our starting point was that we cannot be in a government that would implement a gender-neutral Marriage Law or permit adoption to married same sex couples outside of family circles. If our party was not in the Government, the Government Programme would certainly have a section on the implementation of a gender-neutral marriage.

Finland has led the European divorce statistics for more than 20 years. Divorce has become a quick solution to relationship problems. According to a survey by the National Institute for Health and Welfare conducted in 2011, divorce affects negatively the relationships children have later in their lives. Those 30-year-old women and men, who had experienced their parents’ divorce under age of 16, were more frequently divorced or living in separation from their spouse.

European Christian Democracy acknowledges marriage as a relationship between woman and man and the children’s right to a good life, which also applies to unborn children. Marriage institution is the oldest and the most significant public and legal contract humankind has. Marital relationship is the only relationship established in the Creation. In a national survey of values and attitudes conducted by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA at 2010, 83 % of Finns considered family life as a very important factor to happiness. Only 4 % of Finns considered equally important high standard of living and wealth.

Dear Christian Democrats, dear friends

I wish you all courage, wisdom and God’s blessing in the valuable work you do to promote the Common Good. I hope you enjoy the seminar!

 

Speech at party´s 50 Years Jubilee

Ladies and gentlemen! Bishop of Helsinki Aimo T. Nikolainen asked one of the children in a Sunday school class who was the first person of the world. A little boy answered in a clear voice: ”Kekkonen!” The bishop corrected: “No, the first person was Adam.” To this the boy retorted: “Well, yes, if you count the foreigners.” It was a time when the name Kekkonen was a synonym of the word ‘president’.

Around that time I voted for the first time as an 18-year old in the presidential elections. I voted for the candidate of my current party, Raino Westerholm, because he had the courage to speak out about the human rights violations of our eastern neighbour, and at the same time about the freedom of speech and religion of our own country. The Christian League offered an alternative that did not seem stale political game and calculation, but genuine fiery ideology. The challenge of the Christian Democratic Party still remains to boldly defend important values even when the power elite want us to hush up.

Dear Christian Democrats!

Each one of us has a story of why we have joined the party, why we have supported and voted for it, why we work hard for the sake of this our political home. These are the stories that together make up the history of our party. You, my dear friends, are people, who value lasting values, the Christian Democratic ideals more than Gallup polls or high political offices or personal benefits. Today, with great respect and gratitude I think of those veterans of our party who have carried the torch through victories and defeats. On this occasion we enjoy of the presence of the honorary chairmen of our party. You have cleared the path that we now can walk with ease!

Human rights activist Martin Luther King who was murdered 40 years ago repeated in his legendary speech: “I have a dream!” His dream of equal sisterhood and brotherhood of the blacks and the whites changed the world more and faster than he probably even could dream. Today we are celebrating one dream coming true. The dream of a handful of people in a living room in Helsinki has grown into a significant force, a parliamentary party standing on its own two feet. Although in the past we have been forced to electoral pacts under an unfair election law, in the last parliamentary elections we gained all seven seats with our own ballots.

Christian values have influenced the surrounding society from the very beginning. In Rome I had a chance to see the catacombs where the persecuted church held its meetings and buried its dead. Along the dark corridors there were thousands of graves carved into the rock in several layers. I paid attention to the large number of very small graves in which only newborn babies could fit. The Romans’ style of family planning was to abandon newborn babies, which was especially the fate of female and disabled children. The early Christian Democrats gathered all the children, both living and the dead. They did not leave the dead babies’ bodies laying in the streets and river banks to be eaten by animals. The persecuted minority had the courage to realize their values. Western child protection work has its foundation in this Christian view of man, and European civilization, culture, legislation and the view on human rights are built on this foundation.

In Finland and in Europe, we are living a stage in history where the influence of the Christian culture on society is again getting weaker, we see it if we think of protection of human life or family legislation. The Christian Democratic parties rose from this transition of values.

The founders of the party were particularly concerned about the future of Christian up-bringing of children and youth. These challenges are astronomically greater today than they were 50 years ago. Our youth do not live in a value void but rather in a jungle of mutually conflicting values. The postmodern society does not recognize universal ethics. A young person has to define his own morals and shop here and there for ingredients to build his worldview.

The values expressed by the media, parents and the school can easily be called hypocritical – they say one thing but do another. Violence is objectionable but the media is full of violent entertainment. Young people are told that “life is the best drug”. Still, in the adult world celebrating is self-evidently associated with getting drunk. Human value is the basis of all declarations, but in reality life is destroyed, there is deception, abandoning and infidelity.

In spite of the cruel reality, the dream of a family, of love and a harmonious life is strong. These dreams show a glimpse of paradise. In a national survey of values and attitudes conducted by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA, 83% of Finns considered family life and its relationships, especially the sentiment of being loved as a very important contributing factor to happiness. Only 4% of Finns consider equally important the goals we usually talk about in politics: high standard of living, wealth and good income.

The Christian Democrats are bold enough to lift up the family and the defence of marriage as a political goal. We want to fulfil the place we have as a leading initiative-taking family party in Finland. For us, family policy is not only a campaign theme; it is a deeply ideological starting point for policy. The wellbeing and future of our nation is built in families.

The right to a conjugal relationship needs to be ensured also the elderly – in senior citizens’ services the married couples are too often separated and placed in different care units in long-term care. Spouses who have promised to live together till death do them part have to live in separation by municipal decision.

Christian Democracy offers a third way between the socialist government-centeredness and the market-liberalistic individualism. Right to ownership, entrepreneurship and honest work are the basis of a healthy economy, but the weak and defenceless need to be cared for. Christian Democracy combines respect for human value with communal responsibility and caring. Individual rights are not used to destroy life and the community.

Everywhere and in all stages of history man’s central need has been to be loved. The state can not love people, but the society can build the circumstances in which the citizens’ society, near-by communities and especially families have the space, the time and conditions to love and to be caring. That is why throughout their history, the Christian Democrats have battled for the wellbeing of families and homes as well as family caring. Home care subsidy was established on our initiative and we want to further develop and strengthen it.

Dear friends!

We are celebrating 50 years of history of our party, but we do not yearn for the past but look into the future. The Christian Democrats want to be a party of the future with a focus. The Finnish society is facing great challenges: population is getting older, economy is ever more global and at the same time we experience rapid changes in values that corrode the well-being of families and especially children.

The party has to live in the present and be able to answer the challenges of the future. Much has changed in 50 years. Finland is no longer a haven of homogeneous culture, and this gives us an impetus to be more firmly integrated into the international Christian Democratic movement. Christian Democracy is basically not a nationalistic movement, but a global ideology, although at the same time we emphasize that decisions should be made as close to the people as possible. This is why the Christian Democrats are to have a positive attitude towards international cooperation, whether it is development aid, crisis control, preventing climate change or securing human rights. The basic command for all global networking – go to all the world – applies also here.

Last autumn in Brussels, I met representatives of the Belorussian Christian Democrats in a meeting of citizens’ organisations and some Christian Democratic parties. The chairman of the party could not come to the meeting, because he was in prison like many opposition politicians. It is a disgrace that in Europe – less than 500 km from Finland – human rights, freedom of speech and religion can so glaringly be violated. Our party wants to express its strongest support to its sister party in Belorussia.

Our responsibility for protecting the environment and preventing climate change has become the number one theme in politics. Christian values emphasize our responsibility as stewards of creation and the virtue of moderation. We can not steal from the coming generations their rights to nature and wellbeing that belongs to them. That is why we also need to develop as a green value party.

On this year of our anniversary, I encourage us all to make an effort to cut a higher profile in local politics. People’s well-being and everyday life is not improved only in the parliament, but particularly locally, in the municipalities, near the people. A strong role in local politics suits our party very well, since one of the central pillars of Christian Democratic ideology is subsidiarity – making decisions near the people.

I am grateful to those brave Finns who in their day started channelling the fire of their Christian Democratic ideology into a political party. The founders of the party saw that in the old parties, the Christian values often remained decorations in their ceremonial speeches.

The foundation of society is the values it is built on. Often it is hard times that show how durable is the foundation on which our community is built. Reaching for quick economic rewards at the expense of humanity ends up costing us all a great deal. Sweeping aside the human value of those who are defenceless demoralizes the entire community. Indifference towards those who are poor results in insecurity even among those who are wealthy. Undervaluing the human rights of those who are weak, results in a loveless society. The corrosion of the foundations of the family threatens to collapse the entire future of society. In the face of these challenges, we want to be the ones who bring hope and build the future. We do not want to only repair damages but prevent them altogether. We want to build on rock, not sand.

Our party has a bright future; we have good possibilities to widen our support base and our impact on society. Our slogan “Human value is greater than market value” answers well to the Finns’ growing longing for spiritual and softer values. Our common dream is to build a community, in which everyone’s human value is respected, the weak are cared for, nature is preserved and work and entrepreneurship is valued. Christian Democracy is not needed as the brakes in the train of progress, but rather it is the headlights, and the one questioning the seemingly inevitable route. Our mission is to build a society with a conscience.

 

The Finnish Lutheran Mission, a seminar on 6 July 2013

Christians in a secular society

– The Christian view of man challenged

The parishes are selling churches! The cover of yesterday’s Iltalehti (a Finnish tabloid newspaper) told about the same development that we have in recent years seen in other European countries. Last summer I was a guest speaker at an event where the former Konnunsuo central prison was inaugurated for the use of asylum seeker’s reception center. This event touched me in a special way, because I have lived my childhood in that village and the ceremony was organized at my childhood home.

The church of the prison had been converted into a museum. The pulpit and the pews were in good condition and the church was otherwise unchanged, but the cross had been removed from the altar. The mark of the removed cross was distinguishable as a light surface against the background.

I was reminded of the church services in my childhood, when the prisoners and the personnel gathered together to hear the Word of God. The removed cross brought to my mind the powerful areas of the early Christian church, areas where the cityscape is today dominated by minarets instead of church towers – or those atheistic countries, where churches have been converted into swimming pools or theatres. That same development is now taking place in Europe and in Finland, as the attendance of worship services decreases and churches are sold due to financial difficulties.

In a little over 10 years, the faith of the Finns in basic Christian doctrines and beliefs has dramatically collapsed. According to a research by The Church Research Institute, in 1999 69 % of Finns believed in the resurrection of Jesus, while in 2011 only 36 % believed in it. In 1999 77 % of Finns believed Jesus is the Son of God, in 2011 41 %. The statement “Jesus comes back to judge the living and the dead” was in 1990 signed by 60 % of Finns, two years ago the number was 28 %. These numbers indicate that we must swim against the current even more. Although our church is still a majority church, the core doctrines and beliefs essential to the Christian faith are no longer embraced by the majority.

Churches and Christian organizations have had a much more profound impact on the stability, security and economy of society than what is usually thought. Child welfare, human dignity, appreciation of human rights, all legislation and the foundation of our civilization all have their roots in the Christian view of man. Honesty, high work ethics and respect for authorities are prerequisites for tax revenues, which enable the continuity of welfare. Well-balanced families, lasting marriages and responsible parenthood are prerequisites for a good development of children and young people.

At the moment both in Finland and Europe we are living at a stage of history where the pressure to stay away from the influence of Christian faith is strongly growing.

When Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy ( 2. Tim. 3:1-5) describes the perilous times of last days, his words are very suitable to our time also. People will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.

The norms of sexual ethics and entertainment industry are based on hedonism and the culmination of hedonism is drug addiction, which eventually destroys young people’s lives. Pleasure-seeking has become one of the most popular idols of our time. One may even be ready to sacrifice one’s health and life in order to gain pleasure. Setting self-gratification as the highest value and the meaning of life will not, however, produce wellbeing, but tremendous ill-being to the society.

The basic message of hedonism is this: you must listen to your own feelings an act accordingly. Hedonism is especially devastating to families and marriages. The fact that at the moment more than half of the firstborns and 40 % of all the children are born outside marriages, mostly in cohabitation, describes the status of marriage. When 24 000 new marriages are conducted per year in our country, 14 000 marriages are dissolved in the same time.

Children and young people are the most efficient indicator of the consequences that values of the society have. Due to a value transition in the society, we are witnessing both in Finland and in Europe a situation, in which despite unparalleled economic well-being, we have mental ill-being at an unprecedented level. The need for children’s mental health services has increased, as has depression. Custodies and the need for child care outside the home are continually increasing. An expert at a committee said that in our present-day society, the wellbeing of a child is not so much threatened by the demands parents face at work-life, but by the hedonistic choices they make during free-time.

The sharp words of Luther are suitable for our time also:”And what would it avail if we possessed and performed all else, and become perfect saints, if we neglect that for which we chiefly live, namely, to care for the young? In my judgment there is no other outward offence that in the sight of God so heavily burdens the world, and deserves such chastisement, as the neglect to educate children.”

The battle between values is largely fought with language, by capturing the concepts like love, freedom and equality into new interpretations. Is it love to give up self-indulgence for the sake of another person or to follow own desires even when it means rejecting your spouse?

The foundation of the Christian view of man is found from the first pages of the Bible, from the Story of Creation. God created man in His own image and likeness, meaning that every single person has a unique and indispensable value and a right to life. This is also the foundation for the special value human life has and the holiness of human life among the other Creation. Secondly, God created man as male and female and instituted marriage, which is a firm foundation for civilization, for continuity of society and for renewal.

Thirdly, the Story of Creation describes our wretched reality, the Fall, which is a crucial part of the biblical view of man. We are living in a time in which the core of the Christian view of man is being questioned: the special value and holiness of human life, the status of marriage between woman and man and the reality of sin in human life. The view of man described in the Creation is present throughout the Bible and completely unfolds in the message of the Cross. God gave His own Son to die on the Cross because of our sins and because created in the image of God we are valuable.

When our fifth, youngest child was born and as our whole family was marveling the new family member, our 2-year-old daughter made a wish that mommy would next give birth to a cat. I answered that unfortunately that is not possible to mommy, to which she replied that perhaps daddy could then give birth to the cat.

It seems that this girl is not the only one whose view of man is blurred. According to the biblical description, a human being is not born by accident, but God creates him or her. Among the rest of the Creation, it is the human being who is made in the image of God. This makes human life holy and we must therefore treat human life with the greatest respect.

The value of life and the right to life is usually questioned when a human being is at the most vulnerable state, that is, in the beginning of life or at its end.

Abortion is a silenced taboo in Finland, a Pandora’s Box. The consequences of opening it up are feared. Abortion, however, touches a much greater amount of people than what is usually thought. Since the Abortion Act came into effect, over half a million aborts have been conducted. Currently 10 000 pregnancies are terminated per year, which makes over 30 per day. There are hundreds of thousands of women who have experienced abortion in their bodies, the same amount of men, tens of thousands of health care professionals who have been involved in conducting abortions and hundreds of decision-makers, who are responsible for enacting legislation.

The subject includes dodging accountability, but also silent grief and guilt. At my reception an 80-year-old woman heartbreakingly told how she had suffered from guilt since her youth. Doctors and nurses know what abortion is about and many conduct their work with a conscience torn into pieces.

The value of life is estimated in terms of money, when the costs of prenatal screening are compared to the living costs of people with disabilities. There are no cures offered to the deceases found, but instead ending a life that has already begun. Although the choice of the family is emphasized in fetal diagnostics, the organizing of screening program signals that people with disabilities are not fully welcome.

When permissive abortion law was pushed forward in our country, pro-abortion advocates used an argument that fetus was just a piece of tissue comparable to appendicitis. Women had to have the right to decide of their own bodies.

After the conception there is no decisive stage of fetal development at which the fetus could be considered to have reached the status of a human being. The first signs of developing central nervous system are seen in the beginning of the embryo’s third week of life and the heart starts to operate after one week, that is, long before abortion limits. 7-week-old embryonic central nervous system has been found to send impulses to the body. In the week eight, it has been possible to register the fetal EGG, or electroencephalogram.

An abortion-age child is not a numb piece of tissue, but an individual capable of feeling pain. The Animal Welfare Act provides better protection to animals than Abortion Act to unborn child. Animals may not be slaughtered in a painful manner, but it is not permitted to even discuss the painfulness of abortion.

Abortion is advocated by claiming that the fetus is not a human person, although starting from the conception it is biologically a human being. Criteria for personhood in these contexts are consciousness of oneself, realization of past and future and communication skills. These features describe typical human characteristics, but are arbitrary for conditions of personhood. Newborns or few months old babies, profoundly mentally handicapped or adults with dementia do not meet these criteria.

Finland and Sweden are the only Western European countries where health care professionals do not have a statutory right to refuse to conduct abortions or to give statements related to abortion due to personal conviction. It is untenable to defend the lack of freedom of conscience by claiming that freedom of conscience would undermine the realization of abortion rights. This has not happened in any other country.

The European Council called in 2010 that all member states must ensure medical personnel freedom of conscience to refuse to conduct abortion or euthanasia. Both the World and the Finnish medical association have required the same.

The question of when human life begins is serious also from the perspective of the Christian view of man, because the holiness of human life is based on the fact that every person is created in the image of God. The humanity of the Son of God did not begin when He was born in a manger in Bethlehem, but when He nine months earlier was conceived in the womb of Mary. If God saw that a tiny embryo was enough human for Him to take that form, how can we question the unborn child’s right to life?

Sifra and Pua were two brave Israeli women in midwifery practice in Egypt in the time of the birth of Moses. The king of Egypt tried to harness them in his plan to slay all Israeli baby boys. The midwives, however, feared God and let the boys stay alive.

We should not remain silent about abortion, but when discussing it we need, above all, message of grace and forgiveness extending even beyond the borders of death. Here Christians have the privilege to boldly present the Law and Gospel and simultaneously defend every person’s right to life, created in the image of God.

Almost 80 % of the Finnish people have expressed support to euthanasia. Would it now be order for the explanation of the fifth commandment? Euthanasia does not mean ending inefficient treatments, but ending the patient’s life, for example, with lethal injection.

Palliative care is more advanced than ever before in our history. Pain and anxiety can be controlled and a suffering patient can be sedated, put into sleep. Death cannot be viewed only from the perspective of individual’s choice. Death has very much a communal aspect. A suicide excruciatingly touches tens, even hundreds of people’s lives. The same applies to euthanasia, which is defended with an argument that people should have the right to decide their moment of death.

During my medical education I encountered an elderly person, who told that after she was paralyzed, she got depression and asked from the doctor: “What use are we frail, elderly people to anyone? We should die.” She got an answer: “You perform the greatest task in the society, for you teach us what it means to love your neighbor.” I understood the message. Our neighbors who are dependent of care can in their helplessness bring up those values of our community that in the end are the key factors for prosperity. A society that is build up on the values of loving your neighbor, appreciating human dignity and mutual care will make it through hard times. History shows that a society disregarding these values collapses – think of the Nazi-dominated Germany.

Euthanasia Law would signal that the lives of disabled and sick people are of no value. In Holland the most significant reason to require euthanasia is not pain but loneliness and fear of dependency. A wish to die often includes the question: “Am I useless?” This question must not be answered with lethal injection but with affection and high-quality palliative care.

Demands for euthanasia are the fruit of our times’ value transition. Superficial pleasure-seeking culture drives people to escape the finiteness of life to death. If the purpose of life is defined by self-gratification, the limitations that an illness or a disability brings seem to destroy the meaningfulness of life altogether. It is difficult for us moderns to accept that weakness and suffering are part of life.

“If God is dead, then all is permitted”. This is how writer Dostojevski expressed the connection between moral and relationship with God. True ethics, which distinguishes right from wrong, comes from person being responsible for his or hers actions before an authority higher than human, before Creator. If God does not exist, then man determines and is the measure of moral. Ethics becomes relative and it varies according to the situation. Who can then ultimately decide whether ending another person’s life is wrong, with regard to, for instance, terrorist-attacks, ethnic purifications or abortion?

A logical conclusion deriving from this thinking is that among the animal kingdom man does not have any special moral status and value. Thus the value of a person’s life would mainly be determined by how high-quality and advanced life he or she leads and how much he or she is of value to other people.

In “Animal Liberation”, a best-seller known as the bible of animal activists by Peter Singer, it is stated: “There will surely be some nonhuman animals whose life, by any standard, are more valuable than the lives of some humans. A chimpanzee, a dog or pig, for instance, will have a higher degree of self-awareness than a severely retarded infant or someone in a state of senility.”

From these thoughts Singer finds moral legitimacy for killing newborn children with disabilities, for abortions and for euthanasia, that is, for killing lives he considers less valuable.

Human life is holy and it must be untouched, because God created man in His image. The Creator of the universe has given an enormous value to each person’s life. No one has deserved life, but life is always a gift and it must be treated as such. Only God, the giver of life, has the right to take this gift away.

The holiness of life reveals the core message of Christianity. The message of the Cross is foolishness, if the life of man is not sacred and human dignity absolute. Surely God did not give His greatest treasure, His own Son, to die on the Cross on behalf of some random-born creatures, but on behalf of uniquely precious persons created in His image and likeness.

In the autumn the Parliament is likely to examine the so-called citizen initiative for Equal Marriage Law. The most significant, practical consequence of a gender-neutral marriage law would be the adoption right for same-sex couples. We live strange times, since the most natural things in mankind’s history, motherhood and fatherhood, have to be defended as if they were an invention of some religious extremists.

When the Parliament had a discussion of single women’s and women couple’s right to infertility treatments, one question supporting this right stayed in my mind: “Why should the motherhood of a woman be determined through man?” The connection between motherhood and fatherhood has been self-evident, a biological fact, since the beginning of mankind’s history. Man and woman are interdependent in many ways more or less, but in reproduction this dependency is 100 %.

Marriage between man and woman has become a politically incorrect concept. Sex-specific nature of masculinity and femininity is, nevertheless, an essential part of the Christian view of man. In the Christian view of man matrimony has a unique position; it is the only relationship between persons which was instituted in the Creation. In this respect the Western, post-Christian world is now facing a rapid value transition. These values have been prevalent throughout the long history of the Christian church.

As a newly elected Member of Parliament in 1995, I attended a discussion of SETA (LGBT rights organization in Finland) in the Parliament. A representative of the organization told a strategy by which a gender-neutral marriage could be implemented step by step. The goal was to make civil partnership of same-sex couples official and enable couples to get infertility treatments, give adoption-rights first within the family and then legalize external adoptions, after which gender-neutral marriage could be implemented. Their program has progressed according to the plan.

The necessity of each step has been justified by the previous one. Many MPs told that they voted for the law on civil partnership only on the condition that it would not affect children. Infertility treatments for women-couples were demanded because we already have couples living in registered partnership hoping for a child. Adoptions within family were considered necessary, because the female couples could now together with the help of infertility treatment get a child with no legal father.

The ultimate goal of civil partnership law, homosexual adoption law and gender-neutral marriage law is to influence the attitudes of society, so that homosexual orientation would be recognized as equal with heterosexuality as a way of conducting one’s sexuality. It aims to eliminate accusing attitudes from the environment and guilt related to homosexual relationships.

The church is not guilty of discrimination, if it has the courage to use the word sin when speaking about extramarital sexual relationships. Instead the church is guilty of discriminating homosexuals, if they are not given the possibility to hear the whole truth of God’s word including both the Law and the Gospel. God loves homosexual persons so much that He wants to draw them through the Word into communion with Christ and make them partakers of the Gospel. At the same time there should be more space and love in the church for those who suffer from homosexual emotions or other sexual deviances.

Discussion has emphasized the differences between social gender and biological sex – experienced and juridical gender. By emphasizing the internal experience we have detached from biological reality.

The inner experience of man has become the indicator for reality. People are advised to follow their inner world of experience, to hear their heart’s voice. The line between right and wrong is drawn based on one’s own, subjective experience. The inner experience of man would function as the indicator of right and wrong, if we forgot one key fact of mankind – the Fall.

The Christian view of man holds it firmly that man is utterly fallen. We are valuable created in the image of God, but also evil and sinful. That is the biggest marketing problem of the Christian view of man. We do not want to hear or admit that we are sinful and fallen.

A panel-discussion concerning prostitution at a pub in Helsinki’s Kallio district comes to my mind. Few years ago I was invited to the panel as the only opponent of prostitution. The discussion was led by media-persona Wallu Valpio and the other panelists were supporters of legal prostitution in one way or another. Many media representatives were present. A professional in the field, a street prostitute, did not, however, get vacation from prison on time, and she was quickly filled in by her colleague, Iiris. Iiris, who had for two decades earned her living by offering sex at the streets of Kallio, astounded the audience and the panelists. She did not take sides with the supporters of legal prostitution and defend the prostitutes’ right to their profession, but told us she had ended to prostitute. This she had done because from the beginning she had understood it to be against the will of God. She told she had become a believer and said: “But I could not come out of prostitution with the Law of Moses, but by the blood of Jesus Christ.”

Tears in her eyes, Iiris told us she grieved she had seduced many husbands and fathers and summoned up her message: “ The only right place for sex is marriage, where one goes as a virgin and where one stays faithful until death.”

Iiris completely confounded the organizers of the panel. Silence came and the chairman of the panel Wallu Valpio stated that nothing else can be said to this except “amen”. Nobody could anymore really defend the right to prostitute. Spoken by Iiris, the ethics of marriage from a Christian perspective was hundred times more convincing than coming from my mouth. She in fact revealed the fact that in the end each person’s conscience bears witness to the Christian view of man. Even those who use or sell sexual services know deep down in their hearts the wrongfulness of their actions, although they can harden the voice of their conscience. On the other hand, only at the Cross and because of the grace the Cross gives to us have we courage to face and confess our sinfulness.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21) Christ took all our sins, our evilness and the punishment, death, upon Himself at the beautiful exchange that took place on the Cross. On the Cross He gives us His sinless life, holiness and righteousness, which leads to eternal life.

Message of the crucified and risen Christ is the power that has carried Christianity through centuries, through hardships and persecutions. Message of the Cross has motivated many to spread the Gospel to nations, also in challenging and dangerous circumstances. The Cross has been so loved that many have rather died and confessed their faith in Christ than denied it. If Christianity is converted into a museum and the Cross removed, no message pointing to the future anymore exists. Apostle Paul said: “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

In Romans 12:2 Apostle Paul exhorts: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” It is good to examine and be aware of which values at any given time are contrary to the Word of God, because too easily we just go with the flow. The Christian church has at all times been forced to live contrary to the spirit of the time in one way or another.

Certainly all of us have come across situations in life, where we have had to consider whether we have the courage to act contrary to general public opinions or norms, peer pressure, and sometimes even the law, if these contradict the Word of God. In the Acts, it is described how the authorities refused to allow the apostles to preach about Jesus. Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) They continued their work despite prohibitions.

Martin Luther explains in his sermon Jesus’s teaching about giving the emperor what belongs to the emperor and giving God what belongs to God: “The emperor or temporal government is our master; that is true, but nonetheless he is not our only master. For we have an additional Lord, who is greater, namely, our Lord God in heaven. Now if one of these two lords must be incensed by our becoming disobedient to either God or the emperor, it is better to anger the emperor with our disobedience than to anger God.” This is according to Luther.

It says in the book of Proverbs: ”Buy the truth, and do not sell it!”. This tells us that truth usually comes with a price. One often has to pay for following truth, confessing truth and speaking it. Instead, however, people are tempted to sell the truth, to acquire advantage for oneself by yielding to popular, false ideas and by distorting the truth. Yet the Bible exhorts: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it!”

Martin Luther handled the issue of “Consequences of faith” aptly: “If you believe, you speak. If you speak, you must suffer. For faith, confession and Cross belong together and are the part of a true Christian.”

If we neglect this right, the space for speaking will eventually get smaller. The more we keep silent about the teachings of the Bible on the painful issues of our time, the more powerful is the rejection. If there are not enough skiers on a ski track in a snowstorm, it gets difficult to proceed. We need people who ski before us.

Warning the Thessalonians about difficult times and deceivers, Apostle Paul gave them an exhortation in the same chapter (2 Thess. 2:15.): “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” Our time challenges us to commit to the Word of God, to be judged by its Law and on the other hand to be freed by its glorious Gospel. We are especially called to stand firm in those parts of the Scriptures that contradict the spirit of the time.

It was reported in the media that a clerk working at a prison forgot to tell a prisoner that he had got reprieve from prison. The clerk was charged because the prisoner had had to spend extra days in the jail although he had already been pardoned. How much more significant is the mission of each person owned by Jesus. In one way or another we are called to take forward the message that sins are reconciled and sinners are pardoned! Both far in missionary countries and near in our neighborhood or at workplaces many are living imprisoned by guilt, without the freedom Gospel gives and without the hope of eternal life.

Apostle Paul challenges us to boldly present the Gospel. When speaking of our lives, he even dares to bring up a parable about “shining stars” in the midst of a twisted and perverted generation. “Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” (Phil 2:16). There is no light in us Christians ourselves, but the Word of God is the light shining in the dark.

President Kyösti Kallio called our whole nation to pray in Christmas 1939, during a difficult time in our history: “Our ancestors have over the centuries, in tribulations, persecutions and in the days of peace, drawn life, strength and comfort from the Bible. At the present time our nation needs the creative power of the Word of God. Let us adopt with a humble faith the blessings of it. ”Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

This same challenge, dear friends, is topical to us even today. I wish you all courage and wisdom to uphold the unchangeable message of Jesus Christ, who influences and changes the lives of individual persons, communities and whole nations.