Conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives are among those demanding officials in Finland drop charges against a member of the Finnish Parliament and a bishop arrested for quoting the Bible on the grounds it offended gays and lesbians.
Member of Finnish Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola were arrested in 2019 on “hate crimes” charges. Pohjola was arrested after using a Bible verse to criticize her church's new teachings on sexual orientation, and Räsänen was arrested for publishing a 20-year-old booklet on marriage.
The pair were initially acquitted, but under Finnish law, prosecutors appealed the acquittal and they face a new trial that started Aug. 22.
In response, U.S. Representative Chip Roy (TX-21) led 15 of his colleagues in calling on Rashad Hussain, the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and Douglas Hickey, the U.S. Ambassador to Finland, to continue to plead Räsänen and Pohjola's cases to the Finnish government.
“No American, no Finn, and no human should face legal harassment for simply living out their religious beliefs,” the lawmakers wrote. “This case will have worldwide ramifications.”
“History will remember this case for either stopping the madness or as the beginning of the end as the West declares open war on Christianity,” the letter adds.
“Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are engrained in what it means to be an American. As members of Congress, we stand shoulder to shoulder with all people of good faith in condemning the legal assault on MP Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola for merely being Christians,” the letter concludes.
Co-signers of the letter include representatives Michael Cloud (TX-27), Mike Johnson (LA-4), Andrew Clyde (GA-9), Jim Banks (IN-3), Jeff Duncan (SC-3), Mary Miller (IL-15), Doug Lamborn (CO-5), Debbie Lesko (AZ-8), Michael Guest (MS-3), Andy Ogles (TN-5), Ralph Norman (SC-5), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Randy Weber (TX-14), Keith Self (TX-3) and Alex Mooney (WV-2).
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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