The trial of a Finnish MP and bishop concluded on Monday, with a judgment expected to be handed down in March.
Päivi Räsänen, a committed Christian and former Finnish Minister of the Interior, faces three criminal charges after publicly sharing her beliefs on marriage and sexuality, including on Twitter.
Bishop Juhana Pohjola is facing one charge over a marriage pamphlet he produced with Räsänen in 2004 and which he refused to remove from his church's website.
They have pleaded not guilty.
The second and final hearing was held on Monday, where the prosecution argued that there are limits to the expression of religious beliefs in the public sphere.
"I emphasise that freedom of thought and conscience is unrestricted. This court does not address the religious views of the Bible and homosexuality. It is addressing the expression of these views," they said.
They also argued that the use of the word "sin" could be "derogatory" and "harmful".
In their closing statement, the prosecution claimed, "The Bible isn't on trial here, but Räsänen's words are ... The apostle Paul isn't on trial here, but Räsänen is."
Around 3,000 people were outside the court in Helsinki on Monday in support of Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola.
ADF International, a religious freedom advocacy group, is supporting the pair.
Its executive director Paul Coleman likened the case to "a modern-day Inquisition or heresy trial ... against the new sexual orthodoxy of the day".
Lorcán Price, Legal Counsel for ADF International, said, "This prosecution for hate speech has turned into a theological trial of what Christian beliefs can and cannot be expressed in Finland.
"It is incredible this trial is happening in a modern European Country and not in a religious theocracy."
