Israel Folau is being selective in his biblical quotes
Maybe Israel Folau could explain why he adheres to some teachings of the Bible but not others (“Faith comes first for unrepentant star Wallaby”, 15/4). Does he believe in selling one’s daughter into slavery (Exodus 21:7), or slaves obeying masters (Ephesians 6:5)? Stoning one to death for working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2)? Women not permitted to speak in church (Corinthians 14:34)? Not wearing clothes woven from two materials (Leviticus 19:19)? Not eating shellfish (Leviticus 9:10)?
The Bible was written when people thought the Earth was flat. It has been relied on to justify opposition to women’s suffrage, interracial marriage, and school integration.
If Christians have moved on from many of the outdated prohibitions prescribed in the holy book, surely they can agree with modern science that homosexuality is a genetic condition, God’s own creation deserving equal dignity and respect.
Jesus made few admonitions on same-sex relationships, but abundant references about love and care for the disadvantaged.
Perhaps that’s a hint of where Folau’s focus should actually reside, and judge people not by their sexual orientation, but by the content of their character,
Israel Folau says that, among others, drunkards will go to hell. Surely in the rugby world he has played alongside players who heavily imbibe alcohol. What does he think of them? What do they think of him? Is he too spineless to tell it to their faces?
Perhaps he’s the one who should go to hell for spruiking his so-called religious beliefs on social media at the expense of others.
Israel Folau is the victim of a repression of his rights to believe and express his views freely. He is being victimised, not because he has discriminated against an individual or slandered anyone by name, but because he has dared to challenge a prevailing opinion.
In his opinion, homosexuality is misguided and will have its consequences. But homosexuals seek to stifle any opposition and use all the available weapons at their disposal, such as the proposed sponsorship ban by Qantas. While Folau might have expressed his views in better language, he should be free to speak about ethics or morals provided he does not insult or name anyone.
Rugby in particular and sport in general have more important things to do than go after Folau. Society should protect free speech.
Why is it that only homosexuals have objected to Israel Folau’s comments on the Bible’s views — which incidentally are also condemned in the scriptures of Islam and Judaism. Other sinners mentioned such as drunks, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters have accepted his comments placidly if not with outright endorsement.
Perhaps these groups privately acknowledge their wrong-doing in their consciences.
Many will recall the inspiring film Chariots Of Fire, set during the 1924 Olympics in which British runner Eric Liddell puts his faith first by refusing to compete on the Sabbath. While not as grandiose an act, Israel Folau’s stance embodies the difficulty of standing by what is essentially a biblically orthodox position in a largely secularised society that is quick to label any disagreement with the gay lifestyle as homophobic.
While Folau’s point of view could have been more tactfully expressed, there is a distinct hypocritical stance being taken by Qantas with its condemnation of him and threats of pulling sponsorship of the Wallabies.
This is the same airline that flies to Indonesia and United Arab Emirates, nations where gays are publicly lashed and imprisoned.
Furthermore, Qantas has been at the forefront of corporate social engineering in Australia by directing its employees to wear pro-same-sex marriage insignia before the 2017 vote, and other such activities.
When a leading business such as Qantas determines the parameters of acceptable free thought and speech while spending sponsorship dollars, it has to be expected that others who do not toe the trendy politically correct line will inevitably take the same liberties in similarly expressing a cultural conviction such as Folau’s.
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