Perhaps more interesting is the question of whether Folau thinks gay people actually deserve to be tortured for an eternity. Luckily, in my experience, when Christians are asked this question, most will tap dance around it indefinitely.

If Folau were to be of the opinion that gay people deserve to be tortured for an eternity, and expressed that view, then I would support his sacking. It’s what most of us would expect if he were to, say, express the view that Jews should be exterminated - even if we do like to pretend that the two are somehow different.

Isn’t it funny how expressing the latter is contemptible, while expressing the former is just religious freedom?

Just read your bigoted post Agronomist. You obviously have a problem with evangelical Christians or you wouldn't label them bigots. So, in a slightly more enlightened spirit than your own post, what gives you the right to inflict your opinion on others while Folau lacks that right(in your view)?

And please explain why you think employers have the right to dictate what their employees think about things that have nothing to do with their employment. Should your employer be able to withdraw your wage because you obviously approve of homosexual behaviour?

It’s quite interesting how certain topics can trigger such angry responses. Many people have value systems that don’t fit the common consensus but no one really cares. For instance, I could declare that sex before marriage is sinful in my view and divorce is very bad for children, so shouldn’t be allowed and guess what? No one would give a damn. People would just shrug their shoulders and say who cares what you think.
But say that you believe homosexuality is wrong and immediately you get labelled and cast as some religious fanatic who hates gays.
That raises questions I don’t think people want asked.

Big Nana,

The difference in the reactions between this scenario and your hypothetical scenario are understandable.

Firstly, there are differences between saying that certain people will go to hell for who they inherently are and saying that certain actions are simply sinful. The first difference is that the former is not a choice while the latter two are. The second difference is that most Christians nowadays don’t believe that divorce and sex before marriage are sins that will condemn an individual to hell because most of them are guilty of at least one of them. The heterosexual Christian majority, on the other hand, know they will never be gay so they are happy to go with what the Bible says in that instance.

Secondly, most people are taking Folau to mean that gay people are deserving of hell simply for being born the way they are. While this is a reasonable assumption, it is, in my experience, not the case for most Christians, which is why I raised the question in my last post.

AJ, why did you bring religion into this? I never mentioned religion specifically because many people hold these type of views without being religious.
And nowhere did I mention hell or punishment. My example was just that some people believe homosexual behaviour is wrong.
I wasn’t referring to any specific views held by a certain person, I was just speaking generally.
As for not having a choice, people always have a choice. You can choose not to divorce or not to have sex before marriage or not to have sex with someone of the same sex.
Once again, these are just general examples, to point out the massive difference in response.

Graham,

You have provided a penetrating and honest assessment of the Folau statement about homosexuality and lack of religious freedom in Australia. I commend you for this incisive critique of what is going on with Rugby Union, Qantas and other opponents of Folau's statement.

However, I consider Folau could have stated it more sensitively. He could have explained it like the apostle Paul did: All people who do wrong and do not repent of their sins will not enter God's kingdom. This includes those who worship idols, commit adultery, practise homosexuality, are thieves, greedy people, drunkards, liars and cheats. All of these sinners will not enter God's kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

The good news is that such Corinthian believers were like that but had been cleansed of that filth and changed through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:11).

Folau is a sportsman and not a theologian or pastor. What he said, although offensive to some, is consistent with what the Scriptures conclude about all unforgiven sinners, including homosexuals.

All Christians should be permitted in a democracy that promotes free speech and freedom of religion, to be able to engage in plain talk about their Christian faith.