Swedish law showed more mercy than Aake Green has shown. It has taken a few years to get to this point.

The 63 year old pentecostal preacher has been in the media’s sight’s since sending out a copy of a sermon he preached on homosexuality in 2003. He was charged with hate speech, convicted and sentenced to 30 days in jail. He was acquitted on appeal yesterday.

The Goeta Appeals Court said that while Aake Green’s views of gays can be “strongly questioned,” it was not illegal to offer a personal interpretation of the Bible and urge others to follow it.

“The purpose of making agitation against gays punishable is not to prevent arguments or discussions about homosexuality, not in churches or in other parts of society,” the court said.

Green received attention in the US when Fred Phelps Westboro group called Green a “Christian martyr.”

Gerhard Robbers of the European Consortium for Church and State Research says the Green case illustrates the subtle distinctions in European attitudes toward regulating speech. Europeans defend free speech, he said, but are unlike Americans, who set free speech on a pedestal above all other rights. He says Europeans consider free speech as one right among many: “I would think that the Swedish case would be on the front line. It is probably not the average thinking to say that the preacher must not say [what he said in the sermon]. He may have well been able to say that in Germany. He may have well been able to say that in France. Sweden takes more interest — let me say that — in protecting certain minorities than other countries would do.”

Robbers says Green clearly was free to preach that he believes the Bible condemns homosexuality. But, Robbers says, when his sermon continued with inflammatory language such as “cancer on society,” Green arguably went too far: “My personal view is that I certainly strongly disagree with what the minister has said. But I think that he should have been able to say that without having been punished. But that’s my personal view. That would not necessarily be the view of the law.”

Robbers says Europeans are probably thinking of similar situations involving other religions and their leaders: “I think in the background of the case, in European minds, is that hate speeches by Muslim preachers would also give rise to legal prosecution, if you like.”

A english translation of the sermon Green preached and sent out to the media is here.
In the interests of fair disclosure, I read about half of it. That was enough, thanks.