OPINION:
A society dominated by emotion breeds a culture unable to grapple with fact. And the unfortunate culmination of the intensification of these ideological toxins is a civilization unwilling and ill-equipped to tolerate divergent viewpoints.
We’re no doubt breeding a confounding amalgam of obsessive relativism and all-consuming selfishness. On one hand, much of our progressive culture claims to embrace an “anything goes” ethic while simultaneously rejecting biblical perspectives, particularly on sexuality.
This knee-jerk reaction to the divine is undoubtedly amping up, with social media silencing, potential legal hits and other such lines in the sand becoming increasingly more prevalent. And the conundrum is sure to continue metastasizing.
Look no further than Finland, where a politician and a faith leader are heading toward a criminal trial set to begin Jan. 24. Their offense? Both are “accused of violating the equality and dignity of LGBT people,” according to Christianity Today.
Päivi Räsänen, a member of the Finnish parliament, and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF) seem to be under fire for merely stating and defending their belief in traditional marriage.
To be more specific, Ms. Räsänen sent a 2019 tweet citing a Bible verse, appeared on a talk show to share her views on same-sex relations, and once wrote a book titled, “Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual Relationships Challenge the Christian Concept of Humanity.”
Bishop Pohjola’s organization was reportedly involved in the publication of the book.
These purported infractions would appear, by any stretch of the imagination, to be covered by free speech provisions, yet both Ms. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola are facing criminal complaints — and Ms. Räsänen reportedly could face fines or even two years in jail.
As I reported in Faithwire, the bishop has said he is confident the judiciary will act properly, but he told Christianity Today he has other well-founded fears about the reach and impact of the case.
“I do not so much fear the outcome of the court case, but the strong signal it gives to many: to be silent,” he said. “I fear self-censorship and intimidation.”
And that’s just one of the major conundrums. People have gone from fearing retribution from social media companies for sharing biblical views to now apparently worrying that the government could step in and silence — or, at the least, create fears real enough to silence.
It’s a dangerous, slippery slope that should have the whole world on alert, regardless of what one believes about marriage, the Bible or any other issue, for that matter. The idea that speech should be “free” based solely on the cultural whim of the day is diabolically problematic.
Beyond that, the Finland case specifically offers a worrying look at what America soon could be facing — the far-reaching consequences of what happens when emotions eclipse our constitutional fundamentals: free speech, free association and religious freedom rights.
Just consider what Finland’s attorney general said in a statement about the case, arguing that the politician’s comments “violate the equality and dignity of homosexuals so they transcend the boundaries of freedom of speech and religion.” The prosecutor purportedly believes the comments are “likely to cause intolerance, contempt and hatred towards homosexuals.”
If accurate and in context, that is the epitome of what happens when emotions implode the rights for which so many have fought and died. Ms. Räsänen could face up to two years in jail if found guilty, which seems unbelievable. Yet, here we are.
It’s a case to watch for a great many reasons. America is at a profoundly perilous place when it comes to the balance between equal legal rights and free speech. The key question at the center of it all is: How much do we value free speech and religious freedom?
If the answer is, “We only value the speech with which we agree,” then we’ve become a mere parody of the amazing experiment our Founding Fathers ignited.
• Billy Hallowell is a journalist, commentator and digital TV host. He is the director of content and communications at Pure Flix and previously served as the senior editor at Faithwire and the former faith and culture editor at TheBlaze.
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