respect is due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights of others.
I'd say Folau has showed respect by expressing his beliefs without singling out homosexuals from others that he thinks are destined to go to hell irrespective of their sexual preferences. Unless his contract says he's not entitled to express his religious beliefs, he should be OK.
If it says otherwise, he should be OK anyway, if there's any justice in the world

How come nobody's come to the defence of thieves, drunks and fornicators ?

The fox on the run says, ok by her if Folau signs away his rights!
Well, it's not really.

Convention has it, its the employers right to insist employees make no public comment on internal business affairs.
That rule is fair and just.

Australians as citizens though, have a right to practice and live out their religious beliefs.
That right is called freedom of religion.

Quantas (and thus by extension, Alan Joyce the CEO,), have no right to remove that privilege from an Australian citizen.

Dan

Dear Loudmouth,

You asked; "How come nobody's come to the defence of thieves, drunks and fornicators ?"

I suspect it is because for most people sexual attraction toward a particular gender is not something they have a choice over.

I certainly have control over my fornication, and my drunkenness, but both are biologically imprinted on me (well I reckon they are). So how is that different from homosexuality Steele? I don't accept that being gay is solely biological, but even if it were, how is it different from these other behaviours? I can choose not to act on the impulse.

Christianity, and Judaism, believes that man is in a fallen state and needs to rise above it. And most of us try to rise above our default state all the time. We spend inordinate amounts of money on education, and health, to try to make people better versions of themselves. Gym memberships would be zero if everyone accepted that how you are today is how you should want to be.

Folau wants us to be better. You just don't agree with his definition of better. That is not a basis for bouncing a guy from a job he is probably the best person he can be at.

Dear GrahamY,

You write;

“I certainly have control over my fornication, and my drunkenness, but both are biologically imprinted on me (well I reckon they are). So how is that different from homosexuality Steele? I don't accept that being gay is solely biological, but even if it were, how is it different from these other behaviours? I can choose not to act on the impulse.”

And Paul felt it was better not to marry seeing the sexual act problematic with a proper worshipping of Jesus.

“Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

This is Christian teaching. So if sex gets in the way of 'devotion to prayer' why haven't you chosen not to act on the impulse?

You said;

“Christianity, and Judaism, believes that man is in a fallen state and needs to rise above it. And most of us try to rise above our default state all the time.”

And there many of us, over half the nation in fact, decided we would be better people if we moved past our traditional views about homosexuality and removed the constraints on same sex marriage.

You said;

“Folau wants us to be better. You just don't agree with his definition of better.”

Agree. But more than that he wants to enjoy a fundamentalist mindset where the belief in the inerrency of the Bible presents a path stripped of doubt and nuance.

“That is not a basis for bouncing a guy from a job he is probably the best person he can be at.”

I'm not sure you are as familiar with fundamentalist Christianity as I am. There will be part of him which will be reveling in what he has chosen to 'sacrifice'. However what bounced him from his job was, as I outlined in my earlier post to you, people and organisations threatening to withdraw their custom from his employer. Simple as that.