Thread by @RepChipRoy

Christians are on trial in Finland for…

*checks notes*

“Being Christian”

You will not believe what is going on in Finland as two Christians @PaiviRasanen and Bishop Pohjola stand trial for publicly confessing Christ.

We'll break it down for you.

🧵Thread🧵 1/

Since the Summer of 2019, @PaiviRasanen and Bishop Pohjola have faced targeted harassment for living out their Christian faith; now, they’re facing criminal charges and years of prison time.

Why?

Paivi faces three charges of so-called “ethnic agitation” for expressing her belief in the teachings of the Bible by having published a pamphlet on marriage in 2004, for taking part in a discussion on a radio show in 2019, and for a tweet with a picture of a Bible passage.

Bishop Pohjola faces one charge for hosting Paivi’s booklet on his church’s website.

It is worth noting that while police were interviewing them, they were told that if they retracted their statements, they would not face charges.

Additionally, Finnish police recommended against pursuing charges in 2 of the 3 charges against Paivi.

If convicted, they could face up to two years in prison.

But, according to court reports – the prosecutor is seeking heavy fines rather than jail time.

After enduring three years of countless interviews with police and what can only be described as legal harassment, Paivi and Bishop Pohjola’s trial began on January 24th.

The trial began with the prosecutor reading unrelated Bible verses as examples of “bad” speech.

The judge ended the trial after 9 hours when the prosecutors tried extraneously cross-examining Bishop Pohjola on his theology.

While most Americans were asleep, final arguments were heard today (2/14) in Finland.

The judge ended the trial after 9 hours when the prosecutors tried extraneously cross-examining Bishop Pohjola on his theology.

While most Americans were asleep, final arguments were heard today (2/14) in Finland.

Therefore, she must bear the consequences and be more responsible for her “crimes” through a criminal conviction.

The defense argued this trial has become a theological debate on what is sin and pointed to case law throughout the European legal system that protects their rights.

The prosecutor is targeting the very core of Christianity. If Paivi and Bishop Pohjola are convicted, it will become illegal to teach and speak about Christian beliefs in a country like Finland.

We all know where this is going.

A conviction in Finland puts Christians around the world on notice. In America, we must be ever more vigilant. We must speak out and speak the truth.

Keep in mind: We’ve already seen Christians on trial for living out their faith here in America e.g. Jack Philips and Masterpiece Cake Shop & football coach Joseph Kennedy

adflegal.org/case/masterpie…

nytimes.com/2022/01/14/us/…

Christians across the world have a duty to stand together against persecution. Rep Roy is proud to have led a letter to @USCIRF highlighting this case alongside his colleagues.

thefederalist.com/2021/11/10/law…

Last week, he sent a letter of Christian solidarity with 9 other members to @PaiviRasanen and Bishop Pohjola ahead of final arguments.

You can read that here:

https://twitter.com/PaiviRasanen/status/1492532020739674116?s=20&t=TX1jgzDWszolYwcPcYtE3w

Bottom line: We must be vigilant about defending our freedom, and we must continue in unceasing prayer for @PaiviRasanen and Bishop Pohjola - even after this specific court case is decided.

A decision is expected on March 30th.

End/