Be Glad You Don't Live in Finland

We have been following the never ending case of Finland's Päivi Räsänen for ages as the State continues to try to silence Christian witness.

From GBN news,

A politician from Finland has been found guilty of hate speech over a 22-year-old church pamphlet.

The Nordic country's Supreme Court delivered a split verdict in the long-running case against parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen, finding her guilty of hate speech over a church publication from 2004 addressing marriage and sexual ethics.

The Supreme Court simultaneously cleared the veteran politician unanimously regarding a social media post from 2019 that featured a biblical passage.

Ms Räsänen, who previously served as Finland's Interior Minister, is also a qualified medical doctor and grandmother to twelve children.

Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola was convicted alongside her for the pamphlet, which was originally written for their church more than two decades ago.

Kristen Waggoner, CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, warned that punishing peaceful expression rooted in religious conviction "undermines the very foundation of free societies".

According to the court's findings, Ms Räsänen and the Bishop were found to have "made available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation".

The judges noted, however, that the material did not encourage violence or contain comparable threatening incitement to hatred.

The court declared: "It must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred.

"The conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offense".

The politician had previously been cleared of all charges unanimously by two lower courts, before the prosecution mounted a third appeal to the Supreme Court.

The original proceedings saw her face trial in early 2022, and again in 2023, over three matters - the tweet containing scripture, a radio discussion from 2019, and the church booklet.

The Supreme Court only considered two charges, as prosecutors did not challenge the radio debate acquittal.

The ruling follows the court's hearing of the case in October 2025.

The conviction falls under a provision of Finnish criminal law categorised within the section covering war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically for making and maintaining public access to material that insults a group.

A crucial factor in the conviction was that Ms Räsänen continued sharing the pamphlet on her personal websites and social media accounts in 2019 and 2020, after investigators began examining the matter.

She has been ordered to pay criminal fines amounting to several thousand euros, with the offending material to be removed and destroyed.

Ms Räsänen is now seeking legal counsel about potentially taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights.

She said: "I am taking legal advice on a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. This is not about my free speech alone, but that of every person in Finland.

"A positive ruling would help to prevent other innocent people from experiencing the same ordeal for simply sharing their beliefs".

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, which coordinated her legal defence, welcomed the tweet acquittal, but condemned the pamphlet conviction.

"The conviction for a simple church pamphlet published decades ago before the law under which she has been convicted was even passed is an outrageous example of state censorship", he said.

"This decision will create a severe chilling effect for everyone's right to speak freely".

I am so glad that I don't live in Finland.  

Maybe the readings for this Sunday are out of order

This Sunday's reading speak of the resurrected Jesus. The Psalm for today gets overlooked so often, and gets chopped up in the Revised Common Lectionary, that I took a second look at it in its entirety. I found that it should probably be read after one reads the New Testament readings. See if you agree.

Psalm 116 Dilexi, quoniam

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of

my supplication, *

because he has inclined his ear to me whenever

I called upon him.

2 The cords of death entangled me;

the grip of the grave took hold of me; *

I came to grief and sorrow.

3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *

"O Lord, I pray you, save my life."

4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *

our God is full of compassion.

5 The Lord watches over the innocent; *

I was brought very low, and he helped me.

6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul. *

for the Lord has treated you well.

7 For you have rescued my life from death, *

my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord *

in the land of the living.

9 I believed, even when I said,

"I have been brought very low." *

In my distress I said, "No one can be trusted."

10 How shall I repay the Lord *

for all the good things he has done for me?

11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *

and call upon the Name of the Lord.

12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *

in the presence of all his people.

13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *

is the death of his servants.

14 O Lord, I am your servant; *

I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;

you have freed me from my bonds.

15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *

and call upon the Name of the Lord.

16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *

in the presence of all his people,

17 In the courts of the Lord's house, *

in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

It seems to be an appropriate prayer of thanks, and a pledge to follow Him who has rescued us.

Hallelujah!

Add autism to the list...

From Live Action,  

A teenager diagnosed with autism has been euthanized in the Netherlands, and experts are warning of similar dangers in other countries.

Key Takeaways:

• A Dutch teenager between the ages of 16 and 18 was euthanized less than five years after being diagnosed with autism.
• He described his life as joyless and remained in bed all day, but his doctor still approved the euthanasia. His mental health difficulties appeared to stem from many of his struggles related to autism.
• Euthanasia for psychiatric reasons has drastically increased in the Netherlands since it was legalized.
• One psychiatrist pointed to the case as a "wake-up call" for Canada, where euthanasia laws are even more lax.

What diagnosis is next?  

Believe it or not

This Sunday's Gospel reading is from John 20:19-31 which contains the story of "doubting Thomas."

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. 

I once was in a Sunday morning adult class in an Episcopal parish in which the leader of the group accused me of believing in "a walking cadaver" because I believed that the resurrected Jesus really did appear to and eat with the disciples.  

Why else would they die for their belief that it happened?

I was at a total loss for words at that point. No one spoke up to defend me or the Gospel. 

Eventually I had to shake the dust from my feet and leave that place.

The King and Easter

 This from The Evangelical Times,

There has been a minor storm in a teacup this Easter. King Charles III hasn’t issued an Easter message this year, even though he sent warm greetings to Muslims at the start of Ramadan. The charge, implied or explicit, is that we have a ‘Christian’ king who seems more eager to acknowledge other faiths than his own.

The optics are awkward. The monarch did indeed publicly wish Muslims a “blessed and peaceful Ramadan,” and even marked Eid with a message of goodwill. Meanwhile, an Easter communiqué was conspicuous by its absence. In a nation with an established church, that has raised some eyebrows. But before we reach for the smelling salts, a question must be asked: Does it really matter?

Some Christians appear to have invested more spiritual significance in a Buckingham Palace press release than it can possibly bear. What, after all, is an “Easter message” from the Crown? In recent years it has tended toward the anodyne: carefully balanced, interfaith-conscious reflections on “love,” “hope,” and “shared values.” Perfectly pleasant. Entirely harmless. And, if we are honest, often theologically thin...

...The New Testament offers no hint that the advance of the gospel requires endorsement from the palace. Christ builds His church. Not kings. Not governments. Not communications teams drafting seasonal greetings. Indeed, history suggests that the church is often strongest when it is least entangled with the machinery of the state. So yes, it is worth noting inconsistency. Yes, it is legitimate to question priorities. But it is a profound category error to imagine that a missed royal message constitutes a spiritual crisis...

...There is a curious irony in all this. Some who are rightly wary of theological compromise seem suddenly anxious for a royal message which, in all likelihood, would have embodied precisely that compromise—broad, inclusive, and carefully non-offensive. Is that really what the church needs? Another wishy-washy reflection on spirituality, trimmed to fit the sensibilities of a pluralistic age? Or does it need what it has always needed: bold preaching, faithful witness, and confidence that the risen Christ reigns—whether or not the King says so?

The British monarchy has its place. It may even, at times, speak helpfully into the nation’s moral life. But it is not the engine of the church’s vitality. So let us keep things in proportion. By all means, note the inconsistency. By all means, engage in public debate. But do not confuse the absence of a royal Easter message with the absence of Christian witness.  The former may come and go. The latter must never cease. For the church’s strength does not lie in the favour of King Charles III—but in the power of the risen Christ, who needs no endorsement from any earthly throne.

Well put, but it still seems like a royal snub of our real King as opposed to an endorsement of a false prophet.

 

He is risen!

 Happy Easter everyone!

Assisted Suicide Rejected in Scotland While Spain "Euthanizes" mentally ill 25 year old woman.

 From March 18. 2026

By Dave Doveton, Anglican Mainstream,

Yesterday, in Holyrood, MSP’s voted to reject the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

This indeed is a tremendous victory for all those who worked in the campaigns against this proposed dark legislation. It is encouragement for us all, especially Christians standing for the truth in the public square. Even when odds seem stacked against us with celebrities, media personalities, and influencers in the culture at large supporting assisted suicide.

It is also a victory for the terminally ill, and those in palliative care, the elderly in general – who all would have faced pressure under this legal regime to ‘go along’ with what a new legal regime was now telling them was the ‘right’ thing to do.

Along with proposed changes to the abortion legislation, this is a struggle against an encroaching ‘culture of death’ which must and can be beaten with perseverance and faith in the God of life, and his son Jesus Christ who came ‘that we might have life, and life abundant’.

Two truths are paramount in this debate;

The nature of true compassion:  Mike Judge has summed this up well, ‘True compassion does not mean helping someone to die, but committing ourselves to care for them in life.’ That statement captures a truth which modern society often forgets. Compassion is not measured by how quickly we remove suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but by our willingness to bear one another’s burdens.

The Christian doctrine of man: The fact is, encouraging suicide is to encourage an attack on the image of God, as every human being is made in his image.

Finally, these victories help not only the citizens of Great Britain, but also those of many other countries where assisted dying is being vigorously promoted, and legislation proposed.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory.

Meanwhile, in Spain this case from Fox News illustrates what could have happened in Scotland,  

Noelia Castillo Ramos, 25, died Thursday after receiving euthanasia in Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, following a legal battle of more than a year. 

Castillo Ramos' parents divorced when she was 13 and spent almost four years in public tutelage centers when she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) — a serious psychiatric condition often leading to severe depression, suicide ideation and a tendency to addiction.

By her own account, in an interview she gave before dying to Spanish TV channel Antena 3 she tried to commit suicide at least twice despite being under intensive psychiatric care. In her first suicide attempt, she took several pills and ingested a toxic automotive liquid, but was saved by her mother, who took her to the hospital for a gastric-intestinal cleansing procedure.

Things got worse for her when she left the home and ended up being sexually assaulted multiple times when she was about 20. First, she was sexually abused by a former boyfriend after taking sleeping pills. Soon after, two men attempted to rape her while in a nightclub, leaving her deeply scarred, and as reports indicate, this led her to a care home for worsening psychiatric symptoms.

There, she was gang-raped by three men. With her mental state deteriorating, she attempted suicide by jumping out of the fifth floor of a building.

Multiple reports and social media posts originally indicated that the three rapists who assaulted her were immigrant minors under the care of the state – something the Barcelona-based newspaper El Periódico says is false.

Many Spaniards have reacted angrily the court's authorization for her to receive euthanasia, accusing the leftist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of not providing the girl with adequate medical care, opening up the country to mass migration, lack of policing and ultimately handing down euthanasia as a solution to her case.

I have treated many people who attempted suicide, and I believe that there is hope for everyone of them to recover given time, love, support, and therapy. Jesus can heal even the mentally ill as recounted in the Bible. Why not give Him a chance?