The Courage of Her Convictions: An Interview with Päivi Räsänen
“I never thought that citing the Bible and agreeing with it could be criminal.” — Päivi Räsänen
“I never thought that citing the Bible and agreeing with it could be criminal.” — Päivi Räsänen
The numbers of Nigeria’s dead and displaced on account of recent violence vary widely, but in October of last year, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International) was reporting anywhere between 3,000 and 36,000 people had been murdered.
Beyond her personal case, Päivi Räsänen is well aware that her struggle is much broader: “It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.”
Are Nativity scenes deprived of their spiritual essence even worth preserving or is a cultural Nativity scene not apt to just become another aspect of a commercialized Christmas, preserved primarily for atmosphere, nostalgia, and economic value?
This is true individuality and true solidarity: We are all free lords subject to no one, yet also dutiful servants subject to everyone. Why? Because of the equal status of all human beings before God. We are all unworthy sinners, yet we are all worthy of salvation through trust in God. Thus, regardless of our earthly status, we all possess equal and inviolable dignity as individuals. And we are all called to solidarity in service to others.
Canadian-Lebanese writer Nader Moumneh’s 2018 book fills a useful niche in that it is a sympathetic and detailed overview of the main Lebanese Christian military-political formation born during the Lebanese Civil War, a formation that became a leading Lebanese nationalist political party after the war ended.
Christians are being driven out of their communities, particularly in Nigeria’s north and middle belt, bit by bit, and many of the villages are being abandoned. This is what has been called a “slow-motion genocide.”
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