When Christian Conviction Becomes “Hate Speech”
The Finnish Supreme Court has wrongly equated peaceful Christian expression with hate speech, undermining the distinction between deeply held belief and genuine incitement to harm.
Responding to:
Finland’s Supreme Court ruling against a parliamentarian for a 22-year-old church pamphlet.
The core disagreement: The Supreme Court of Finland has wrongly determined that the Christian teaching regarding sexuality constitutes hate speech; I contend it is protected, peaceful expression.
Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish MP since 1995 and former Minister, faced criminal charges after a 2019 post that questioned her church’s support for an LGBT event and quoted Romans 1:24–27. Prosecuted under Finland’s “agitation against a minority group” law, she was acquitted in 2022 and 2023. However, the Finnish Supreme Court accepted the prosecutor’s appeal against both rulings and, in a 3–2 decision on March 26, found her guilty on one charge linked to a church pamphlet on marriage and sexuality.
WHERE THEY GO WRONG
The central flaw in this prosecution is a form of moral blindness: the inability to distinguish between peaceful religious expression and genuine hate speech. Räsänen’s statements were rooted in longstanding Christian doctrine, not incitement or hostility. Both lower courts recognized this, issuing unanimous acquittals and explicitly finding no basis in the evidence to alter their judgments. The charges centered on a 2004 church pamphlet, a 2019 radio discussion, and a Bible quotation—none of which incite harm or violence. The repeated appeals indicate a shift from justice to signaling, where expressing orthodox religious beliefs is reframed as inherently harmful.
This case must also be understood within a broader European trend. The European Commission is pushing to make “hate speech” an EU-level crime—placing it alongside terrorism and human trafficking—raising serious proportionality concerns. According to Office for National Statistics and European Parliament data, 190 people have died from terrorism in the UK since 2006 and 374 across the EU between 2014-2019 in acts involving brutal premeditated violence and trauma. Can we really compare the two? One brings harrowing consequences—families losing loved ones without a goodbye and others left with lifelong debilitating conditions. The other? A tweet that, at worst, hurt someone’s feelings. Conflating them dilutes serious crimes and risks restricting freedom of expression and religious liberty.
“I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression. I stand by the teachings of my Christian faith, and will continue to defend my and every person’s right to share their convictions in the public square.” - Päivi Räsänen after receiving the judgment. (Source ADF International)
THE REAL STORY
The real story is that the boundaries of permissible belief in modern Europe have been narrowed to exclude orthodox Christian teaching. Räsänen is not advocating harm but articulating a traditional religious (and commonplace) position. Her prosecution is the story of how Europe has fallen prey to an ideological lobby which seeks to usurp the Europe that once was. This isn’t just a battle of political persuasions; this is the generational showdown for Europe’s soul. For those who hold the Scriptures to be true, we are not dealing with “flesh and blood,” but with those powers who despise the good, the true, and the beautiful. It doesn’t matter that Räsänen is a doctor or a mother of five. All the goodness she offers can be cast aside for the great crime of being a Christian.
WHY THIS MATTERS
This case has implications far beyond Finland. If peaceful religious expression can be prosecuted, the scope of free speech across Europe narrows significantly. Under instruments like the Digital Services Act, national rulings can influence content moderation across the EU. If the current trajectory continues, Christians will be censored. And without this one fundamental freedom—speech—all other freedoms are under threat.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Päivi Räsänen is not a criminal. Her case is not merely legal but spiritual, testing whether faith can still be lived and spoken openly in Europe. What is at stake is whether conscience before God remains protected, or whether belief must be silenced. This is about more than law; it is about whether the soul of Europe still has room for Christ.
Daisy Inglese is Senior Editor of Faith & Family at Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Follow her on X @daisymaeinglese.
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Very well articulated! We need to wake up as the Body of Christ to challenge the outright assault on our faith where even quoting the Bible can be seen as hate speech.
Acquitted twice, but they still went after her. Tells you all you need to know. Normally it only the guilty findings that keep getting appealed, not the not guilty. Not a good omen (have there been many?) for the Nordic nation.