I previously wrote about Finland’s prosecution of Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen for raising objections to homosexuality. She has now been convicted with a decision this week from the Finnish Supreme Court. Free speech is now in a free fall in Finland.
Räsänen is a Christian Democratic member of parliament and former Minister of the Interior. Räsänen is also a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and is married to a pastor.
She was critical of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for its support of the Helsinki LGBT Pride events in June. She spoke out against the involvement while highlighting a quote from Romans 1:24-27 , which reads:
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
In the United States, this would of course be entirely protected as the exercise of religious freedom and free speech. However, the former Interior Minister was accused of “hate speech” against LGBT+ people over a 2004 publication, a 2018 radio appearance, and a 2019 social media post that included a Bible verse.
While she was acquitted by the District Court of Helsinki and the Court of Appeal, the case was eventually brought to the Finnish Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has now voted 3-2 to convict her for being “derogatory towards homosexuals on the basis of their sexual orientation.”
In a statement, the Court declared that “Räsänen’s statements were in this way derogatory towards homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation. However, certain other passages referred to in the charge were not held to be derogatory.”
The Court imposed fines on Räsänen and the manager of Luther Foundation Finland. Notably, the other person named in the filing is bishop Juhana Pohjola, who published the pamphlet. Pohjola reportedly leads the 2,749-member church, as well as being the chairman of the International Lutheran Council.
It also ordered both to take down the “unlawful passages” in the publication.
The Court did uphold Räsänen’s acquittal on a charge stemming from a 2019 social media post in which she posted a picture of Romans 1:24–27.
Räsänen stated that she may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, stressing:
“Freedom of speech is needed precisely when we disagree on things. I hope that despite this decision, constructive discussions can be held, even on difficult issues, under the protection of freedom of speech and religion.”
In Rage and the Republic, I have a chapter on “Why Big Fierce Rights Are Rare” that specifically discusses the collapses of free speech and other rights in Europe. This case is just another example of how our European allies are abandoning core Western principles from free speech to free exercise.
Given the sweeping economic changes unfolding in this century, those rights will be even more important in the years to come. In countries like Finland, the population will enter these uncertain times with even more uncertain rights.
Freedom of speech is unqualified and absolute.
Freedom of speech means freedom of speech and nothing but freedom of speech.
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“…courts…must…declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void.”
“…men…do…what their powers do not authorize, [and] what [their powers] forbid.”
“[A] limited Constitution … can be preserved in practice no other way than through the medium of courts of justice, whose duty it must be to declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void. Without this, all the reservations of particular rights or privileges would amount to nothing … To deny this would be to affirm … that men acting by virtue of powers may do not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.”
– Alexander Hamilton
The first paragraph in the article characterizes the MP as “raising objections to homosexuality.” But I wonder if that is simplistic in failing to understand that her objection is to the church’s approval of homosexual conduct as contrary to its foundational book, the Bible. A person who has no desire to be derogatory towards a group of people can still object when their faith strays from scripture.
Another point on the scripture quoted above: a careful reading of Romans 1:18-32 reflects that while homosexual conduct is portrayed, it is not cast as the foundational sin. Rather, suppressing the truth and worshiping creation rather than the Creator is. As judgment for that, God “gives them over” to unnatural lusts. In brief, homosexual desires are portrayed, not as the sin itself, but as a judgment for a sin. Giving people over is a well known phrase in the Bible that means after a certain amount of stubborn rebellion towards the things of God, God eventually says “okay, have it your way, I won’t try to restrain you anymore, you may continue on without me, and reap the consequences of that kind of life.” The sin (purposeful alienation, initially from God) results in a fitting judgment (alienation from self).
So if someone says, “will God judge society for all the homosexuality?” say, “no, all the homosexuality is God’s judgment on society.”
Off Topic
Breaking News – Martha Stewart’s officially back on the market!!!
Martha Stewart, 84, details what she’s looking for in a man
Martha Stewart, rightfully so, has high standards when it comes what she’s looking for in a partner.
The 84-year-old lifestyle maven said in a new interview that “lots of things” could make a man a “catch” for her — including “nice teeth and a nice smile.”
By: Audrey Rock ~ March 27, 2026
https://pagesix.com/2026/03/27/celebrity-news/martha-stewart-shares-what-shes-looking-for-in-a-man/
Oh Happy Days!
BAN FOR LIFE!
Unauthorized OT and egregiously uncivil, inane, insolent impudence.
On this blog there are really two kinds of participants. Some add substantive arguments to the debate; others merely critique the debaters with no real engagement on the merits. If we take free‑market principles seriously, the simplest remedy is not more rules or more outrage, but the selective withdrawal of our attention. Those who wish to argue in good faith can engage one another and build on each other’s points. Those who offer only content‑free sneers can be left to speak into the void. We will soon see who is as interested in feeding the trolls as they are in providing substance.
For my part, I intend to stop feeding them, even when I am tempted to make a point. If something is worth saying, it can be framed as a general comment to the readership rather than as a direct response that rewards bad‑faith behavior with attention.
OLLY
Of course, your suggestion is premised on the idea that you are one of those who make “substantive arguments”.
From my perspective, most of your comments are convoluted and nonsensical gibberish that are largely self-contradictory and disconnected from reality. You appear to use terminology that you have invented for yourself, the meanings of which are completely opaque to any rational, informed observer, and thus you construct a monumental edifice of your understanding of the Constitution and governance that completely escapes any reasonable discussion because no one else can understand what you are actually saying.
Of course your fellow MAGA cultists lap up your nonsensical diatribes in the belief that you are making profound observations about the state of the Republic. Unfortunately this is a reflection of the stupidity of the regulars here who are incapable of rational, intelligent thought, which of course also explains why they have fallen into the MAGA cult, rather than a recognition of your “profundity”.
Olly, good points. One can usually tell if an anonymous is a low-IQ garbage troll whose moronic comments are not worth one’s time, as there are several giveaways they’re too stupid to avoid using, such as “MAGA cultists” and “Turls” (to pick a couple at random).
Is it lawful in Finland to derogate heterosexuals? They do sinful things in the bedrooms and other places. But I only know this second hand.