[5] On 12 October 2010, Räsänen was one of the participants on a live TV debate on Ajankohtainen kakkonen's Homoilta special, with the topic of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.

The church membership resignations were attributed by the media as a protest against her and then-Minister of Culture and Sports Stefan Wallin.

[12] Räsänen responded to the criticism, saying her comments were misinterpreted, since she did not consider religion as the main criterion for asylum seekers' admissions, but instead she wanted to highlight the benefits of refugees' integration through religious connections.

[13] In practice, as minister in charge of immigration affairs Räsänen has advocated for increasing the number of refugees taken in by Finland, especially from Syria.

[15] During parliamentary proceedings for Finland's application to join NATO, Räsänen stated:[16] At great turning points in history, it has taken determination and courage to act, but also humility in the face of the unknown.

[18][19] In 2019, she was investigated for incitement after criticizing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland's official participation in LGBT Pride celebration events.

[20] In April 2021, Finnish Prosecutor General Raija Toiviainen announced that three separate charges of incitement against a minority group were being filed against her.

[30] Five senators from the United States (Marco Rubio, James Lankford, Josh Hawley, Mike Braun and James Inhofe) warned the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom that the decision to prosecute them risked creating a "secular blasphemy law" to prosecute Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

[32] The District Court found her and Pohjola not guilty of all charges and ordered the prosecution to pay their legal costs[33] on 30 March 2022.

[34] In response to the ruling, the prosecutor Anu Mantila stated that the District Court "interpreted the statements differently than the prosecution and that's why they viewed that the limits of freedom of speech weren't breached ...