Jesus and Mahdi on Trial?
Jesus and Mahdi on Trial?
Eckhart Christopher Hopkinson
Persecution of Paivi Rasanen
Paivi Rasanen, the Christian democrat MP and Finland’s former minister of the interior, has been prosecuted for expressing verses from the Bible. She went on trial on January 2022 for charges related to her comments on three separate occasions:
1- An article about the contradiction of homosexual relationships with the concept of humanity (Male and Female He Created Them), published online in 2004
2- A radio interview in which she discussed what Jesus would think about homosexuality.
3- A tweet posted by her, accompanied by a photograph from a Bible passage (Romans 1:24-27) describing homosexual acts as “shameful” and “unnatural” in 2019.
Each charge could result in either a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years if she is convicted. She says: “For Christians, the Bible is the Word of God, and we must have the possibility to agree with it. Otherwise, we will eliminate all freedom of religion. A conviction based on the Christian faith is more than a superficial opinion. Why should I renounce my faith in a courtroom? I will not back down from my conviction based on the Bible, and I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts.”
“That it is about saving people for eternal life,” she told reporters. I 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,” said Paivi Rasanen. The court on Jan 22 was adjourned until Feb 14.
Bishop Juhana Pohjola, the representative and board member of the Luther Foundation Finland, is also prosecuted on the charge of publishing Dr Paivi Rasanen’s booklet on the Luther Foundation Finland’s website and on the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
Paivi Rasanen prosecuted for expressing Jesus and Bible views on Homosexuality
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End of Time Marshalling, Jesus on Trial Again?
The result of this trial is mainly important as a kind of test case. If the Christians and Muslims do not have the freedom to teach according to holy writ, why the homosexuals have the freedom to launch noisy campaigns? If the latter have the right to do that, why the Christians and Muslims should be prosecuted for the expression of their beliefs? Why does Paivi Rasanen have not the right to express Jesus’ views and why do Muslim women have not the right to wear Hijab?
The important question is that what will happen at the end of time or are we at the end of time? Based on Christian and Muslim beliefs, Jesus will have a second coming. Based on Muslim beliefs, the appearance of Mahdi will definitely happen (the 12th Imam in Shia Muslims beliefs). They will try to guide people to a better life. They will undoubtedly condemn “homosexuality”. What will be the reactions of modern societies to them? Persecution of Paivi Rasanen shows that they might persecute Jesus. The history will be repeated. Those who claim that they welcome Jesus’ return will marshal against him. That’s what is going on in Europe right now.
Finland’s top prosecutor’s office essentially put the Bible on trial, an unprecedented move for a secular court, said Paul Coleman, a human rights lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom International who is assisting in the Finns’ legal defense. Coleman said “it was very surreal” to watch Rasanen, a medical doctor and pastor’s wife, and Pohjola be grilled by secular prosecutors about details of Christian theology in a secular court.
Christians believe that Jesus and Muslims believe that Mahdi (with Jesus) will emerge at the end of time to fulfill their mission of bringing peace and justice to the world. Christianity and Islam explicitly condemn homosexuality in their scriptures and consider same-sex sexuality to be sinful and contrary to natural law. You can consider this a prophecy but modern societies with modern values have shown that they will prosecute Jesus and Mahdi because they will not accept all the modern values and laws. Mahdi and Jesus will say we guided you through Quran and Bible to get prepared for your eternal life but you developed your own legislations and forgot your goal of life and now the world needs reforms. That is exactly when parts of the modern societies (part of pro homosexuals in this case) start marshaling against them.
Modern Laws against Bible and Quran
The International Lutheran Council has described the decision to prosecute Räsänen and Pohjola as “egregious.” It said: “The vast majority of Christians in all nations, including Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, share these convictions. Would the Finnish Prosecutor General condemn us all?”
Why should anybody stand trial for publicly stating the Bible’s or Quran’s teachings on sex and marriage? In the case of Paivi Rasanen, prosecutors described quotations from the Bible as “hate speech.” I believe that this is a coordinated plan for invading Scriptures in the name of modern legislation. Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad have common teachings in this case, they both prohibited homosexual relations. Bible and Quran both condemn homosexuality.
When the men of Sodom wanted to have sex with the men who came into Lot’s home, men who were angels (Genesis 19:1-11), then Lot said “you approach men lustfully in place of women, you are a people who exceed the bounds (Quran, chapter 7, verse 81).”
Jesus affirmed the covenanted union of one man and one woman as the only normative expression of human sexuality (Matt. 19:5 AT; par. Mark 10:7–8). This is completely in agreement with Islam and Prophet Muhammad’s teachings that generally promote a positive attitude to sexual pleasure but only between members of the opposite sex who have to be joined in marriage. Quran says: “whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors (Chapter 23, verse 7).”
Also, Leviticus 20:13 (cf. 18:22) declares if a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (1st Shia Imam) even asks people to follow preventive measures: “Men shall not lie with men under one cover and women shall not lie with women under one cover (Tuhaf ul-Uqoul, p122).”
Imam Reza (8th Shia Imam) says: “The reason for the prohibition of men homosexuality and women homosexuality is because of the created inherent nature of women and the natural disposition of men, since they have been naturally created for the opposite sex. Sexual relationships of men with men and sexual relationships of women with women will lead to generation cut off, dysfunction of plans (individual, family, and social plans), and ruin of the world (Ilal al-Sharayi-v1-p547).”
Islam Prophecies about Sexual Relations
Prophet Muhammad and Shia Imams (12 Imams) have prophecies about the end of time. Shia Muslims believe that the future is present with Prophet Muhammad and 12 Imams and they know everything because they have received their knowledge from god. The references show that more than 1400 years ago, they have interesting prophecies (if Shia Muslims name it prophecy) about the time that new sexual revolutions will emerge. They are not informing people of only a change but they are talking about deviations and unnatural things that happen in the future (at the end of time).
Prophet Muhammad has foreseen that a day will come when many things change:
“Men have sex with men and women have sex with women.” (Kashf al-Ghumma, v3, p324)
“My (Islamic) traditions are heresy with them and the heresy is tradition with them (Bihar al-Anwar, v22, p453).”
Ali ibn Abi Talib, the successor of Prophet Muhammad foresaw that:
“Woman marry women and makes herself up like a bride going to her husband (Bisharah al-Islam, p77).”
These prophecies have all come to reality. I see the day that those who are now defending homosexuality try to legitimate incestuous relationships, because there is another prophecy by Imam Jafar Sadiq (6th Imam) which says:
“People will have incestuous relationships (Al-Kafi, v8, p36, p42).”
I don’t like to talk about bestiality. It seems that there is a deliberate plan in modernization to legitimate boundless sexual relations.
Antireligious Activities are Supported by Ingratiating Politicians
Modernization has a clear coordinated plan for fading the religious teachings. There is an attempt to fade religious norms as modernization progresses. They need the decline of religious beliefs and practices, the privatization of religion and the decline of the social significance of religious norms to turn their lustful desires into values and laws. They aim at a society in which religious norms are unlawful and lustful actions are values and rights. They started with the freedom of boundless sexual relations outside the marriage, then they continued to denigrate Jesus Christ, Saint Marry, and Prophet Muhammad by writing derogatory articles, drawing insulting cartoons, and making offensive statues. They are now trying to support homosexuality and try to diminish and fade the Jesus teachings in Christian countries. Their next step is to condemn Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad and prohibit the expression of the religious beliefs as they are doing about wearing Hijab or talking about Jesus views on homosexuality. I foresee the future modern values that try to legitimate incestuous relationships and bestiality as a sign of freedom and modernization. They are usually supported by ingratiating politicians and if one tries to criticize one of the mainstream narratives or publish facts against their doctrines he/she will be banned or as they like to say “de-platformed”.
Which is right?
Which one is right? The modern legislations or the holy scriptures? Which one should we accept today? Whether the bans contained in the scriptures should affect legislation or whether the influence of religious sexual ethics should be faded in the course of modernization. For years it has been tried to limit the binding force of Biblical bans for Christian societies. Some try to fade the significance of Biblical bans that no longer correspond to current values in the course of modernization. Prophets say that if people follow undistorted religious teachings, they will have a better life in this world and will have a wonderful “life” in the afterlife. Muslims believe that Quran has been divinely protected from any alteration or change. Islam says that it has plans and laws inseparable from its revelation applicable to all aspects of human life and human society. Shia Muslims believe that there are 14 infallibles (including Prophet Muhammad) who never make a mistake. They guide people along with the holy Quran.
Religions say that Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad are the Prophets of God and their teachings have been received from God who guides humans on how to live to get prepared for their eternal life. But secularism says as modernization progresses, wherever needed the religious norms should be faded and the religious beliefs should be declined.
Which one is closer to the truth?
While the religions have their holy texts which are the written word of God, the modern values are formed by politicians, lawyers, campaigns, etc. Which one should we (ordinary people) follow? The teachings of the Prophets who know the beginning and the end of the humans or those who create legislation and do not know their effect on the humans’ life in even near future in this world (I do not talk about the afterlife because they know nothing about it). Do they know the consequences of their decisions? Who deserves to decide about such things? History proves that Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad and Mahdi are the symbol of humanity, intelligence, forgiveness, truth, knowledge, foreknowledge, perfection, kindness, love, compassion, peace, and mercy for all humanity. While minorities’ lustful desires might gather them to launch campaigns and politicians who seek popularity try to turn them into legislation. They even override the scientific facts because of the political objectives due to pressure from activists. Which one is more probable to bring prosperity for human beings?
