Public Affairs and Religious Liberty News, March 7, 2022

Public Affairs and Religious Liberty News, March 7, 2022

These news briefs are compiled and shared by the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) to be a useful resource of current events.

This week:

A former Finnish MP is on trial for hate speech after posting comments, including a Bible text, condemning homosexuality. The Finnish courts will likely decide on whether citing the Bible can be considered a hate crime in certain instances and the outcome of this case will have implications concerning the freedom of speech and religion.

This story is available from the Inter-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists at: “Illegal to Quote the Bible? Finnish Politician Fights Threat to Free Speech, on Trial for Posting a Bible Verse”

Manila Adventist College (MAC) was recently chosen by the Philippine Supreme Court to be a testing center for the bar exam for aspiring lawyers. The Supreme Court is also allowing MAC to adjust the Friday testing schedule to accommodate Sabbath keeping.

This story is available from the Southern Asia-Pacific Division at: “Philippine Supreme Court chooses Manila Adventist College as one of the local testing centers for Bar Examination for years 2020-2021”

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Seventh-day Adventist church has been engaged in corporate prayer for those living in Russian and the Ukraine and has been providing assistance to those fleeing this violent situation. A non-comprehensive list of articles from the week is available below.

oFrom Adventist News Network: “An Urgent Call for Prayer”

oFrom Adventist News Network: “ADRA Calls For Peace For The People Of Ukraine And Mobilizes To Relief For Millions Of People Impacted By The War”

oFrom ADRA International: “ADRA Partners With Hope Channel International to Deliver Aid to Ukraine”

oFrom Adventist Review: “Adventist Schools in Ukraine Are Doubling as Places of Refuge Amid Attacks”

oFrom the Inter-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists “ADRA Romania and the Seventh-day Adventist Church show solidarity with those affected by the war in Ukraine”

For more information about any of these stories please contact Jennifer Gray Woods, director of government affairs and associate director for Public Affairs and Religious Liberty at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters at [email protected]