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Support Finnish Politician Jailed for Posting a Bible Verse!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadly, in today\u2019s culture, it is an ever growing trend for those not following the status quo to face persecution and in some cases, imprisonment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The latest recipient of this kind of persecution is Finnish parlimentarian P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen who is facing jail for posting a Bible verse on her personal Twitter account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply because R\u00e4s\u00e4nen expressed her sincerely held beliefs publicly, the police launched an investigation and subjected her to a four-hour interview. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen now faces a maximum penalty of two years\u2019 imprisonment for the crime of so-called \u201cethnic agitation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sign our petition demanding the The Finnish Prosecutor General drop the charges against P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen immediately.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It all began in June 2019 when the church board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland announced its official partnership with the LGBT event \u201cPride 2019\u201d. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen questioned her church\u2019s leadership on this decision on social media, attaching an image of a Bible passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The prosecution has also dug up a secondary charge which finds fault with a pamphlet she wrote in 2004 \u201cMale and female He created them \u2013 Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third charge stems from R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s views on a Finnish Broadcasting Corporation radio station on the topic of \u201cWhat would Jesus think about homosexuals?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite facing jail and ongoing persecution, R\u00e4s\u00e4nen has shown indomitable strength:<\/strong> \u201cI will defend my right to confess my faith, so that no one else would be deprived of their right to freedom of religion and speech. I hold on to the view that my expressions are legal and they should not be censored. I will not back down from my views. I will not be intimidated into hiding my faith. The more Christians keep silent on controversial themes, the narrower the space for freedom of speech gets.<\/strong>“<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Add your name: demand the three “hate speech” criminal charges against Finnish Member of Parliament, P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen be dropped immediately. Voicing one’s deeply held beliefs as found in the Bible should not lead to punishment including imprisonment.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is critical. Not only is Mrs. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s freedom at stake, but also yours and mine.<\/strong> The very definition of what it means to live in a free society is one in which the state should not be allowed to dictate what you can or cannot say and think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And while you may not live in Finland and think you are safe in your homes in the Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom, there are plenty of cases of Christians facing persecution right here in our own countries.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Canada, we’ve seen provinces ban all pro-life expression around abortion clinics. We’ve seen school board trustees penalized for expressing biblical teachings about homosexuality. One might even remember that Jordan Peterson originally came to prominence due to his freedom of speech being suppressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is our duty to stop this persecution in its tracks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Freedom of speech and Freedom of religion are a fundamental human right (as found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights articles 18 and 19, and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union article 11) and part of that includes the ability to express one\u2019s sincerely held beliefs and not only that, but also practice them. In this case R\u00e4s\u00e4nen is simply following Biblical teachings. She is not being malevolent, violent or malicious to those with disagreeing views. Her only \u201ccrime\u201d has been expressing publicly a view which is not popular in our modern society.<\/em> When you look at the underlying issue even deeper, it\u2019s nothing more than effort to silence those who speak the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Punishing individuals such as R\u00e4s\u00e4nen sets a very dangerous precedence apart from the fact that it shuts down honest, open public dialogue. It effectively makes following Jesus a criminal act and expressing Biblical teachings, \u201chate speech\u201d – all based purely off the arbitrary definition of what one can take \u201coffence\u201d to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sign our petition today stating that Christians like P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen should not be prosecuted for expressing her beliefs by tweeting a Bible verse.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks for all you do,<\/p>\n\n\n\n James Schadenberg and the entire CitizenGO Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Support Finnish Politician Jailed for Posting a Bible Verse! Sadly, in today\u2019s culture, it is an ever growing trend for those not following the status quo to face persecution and in some cases, imprisonment. The latest recipient of this kind … Continue reading
\u201cI cannot accept that voicing my religious beliefs could mean imprisonment. I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering or insulting anyone. My statements were all based on the Bible\u2019s teachings on marriage and sexuality,\u201d<\/em> she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n