Peter,

So Folau’s warning about that list of sinners destined for hell unless they repent ‘was immoral’, as are the ACL’s ethics?

In determining the boundaries of morality, you called on the views of Kant’s categorical imperative, moral theories on virtue, Dalai Lama, 2 passages from the Book of Proverbs in the OT, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophies, etc.

You left out a large chunk of the boundaries of morality by failing to include the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20). Nine of the 10 commandments are in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7).

You want to have morality that includes the ‘do not harm’ theme. There is more to the boundaries.

<<Israel Folau’s attacks against homosexuals, supposedly drawing on his Christian faith, are based on the old testament.>>

This is false. Folau is a rugby player and not a NT scholar. In his rambunctious footballer way he paraphrased 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Cor+6%3A9-11&version=ESVUK.

Then he included the essence of 1 Timothy 1:15, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost”.

<< Homosexuality, although rare, is a natural occurrence in the human race. It is not a wrong.>>

False again. 1 Corinthians 6:10 states that homosexuality is ONE of many sins, if not forgiven, will prevent the person from ‘inherit[ing] the Kingdom of God’.

<< Israel, in continuing his discrimination, has not behaved in an acceptable moral manner.>>

In my understanding, this is false also. Folau has properly warned wrong doers about their eternal destinies. That could hardly be called immoral!

<< Paul was not one of the apostles, repeating the teachings of Jesus Christ>>

That’s contrary to Scriptures: ‘For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth’ (1 Timothy 2:7). He was not an apostle in the sense of the 12 apostles of Jesus but for you to say he wasn’t an apostle who repeated the teachings of Jesus, is false.

Why? In 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 Paul stated what Jesus taught. See: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A+23-26&version=ESVUK.

As usual the bible thumping hypocrites are tying themselves in knots cherry picking bits from their sacred text which support their political / social agenda of the moment, (something they are very skilled at) thus ensuring the survival of their particular brand of faith. The freedom to say anything carries consequences. In Izzy's case, what he said has real consequences for vulnerable young people. By refusing to recognise or accept those consequences, Izzy has and continues to act immorally. If christians claim his words were an act of love, I sincerely hope that their god is around to protect them when they say something hateful.

Quoting various alleged biblical text as if it were truth or the writer was a divinely inspired apostle when he or she could be anybody or even one of the pagan sun worshipping Conttitine'spersonal appointees?

Proves naught but the brainwashed beliefs of those who quote this or that, alleged biblical text, as if it had a foundation in truth as opposed to messages mean to control a body of believers.

Who like most ancient illiterate people, ready to believe anything and the very worst of their fellow (different) humans.

Quoting any biblical text as if it were divinely inspired truth is fraught. And merely identifies the text reliant quoter as another brainwashed believer, mired in stone age, medieval superstition based entirely on unproven/unprovable, myth and legend. And in vogue when scholars and men of letters, also believed and taught flat earth theory.

Even threatened Galileo with excommunication for stating we were not at the centre of the universe but like all the planets revolved around the sun. And threaten by a cadre and cohort that included burning Saints at the stake and Bishops at the head of sword welding blood-lusting armies. And boy buggerng, baby raping clergy.

And a sty in the eye of God! Who now, like "Saint Folau", think they speak for God and set themselves up to lecture the rest, i.e., your God-given natural instincts are wrong and sinful!

And never ever handed such or divinely inspired, save if you exclude his inculcation from birth by his bible bashing parentage/tribe!
Alan B.

'Homosexuality, although rare, is a natural occurrence in the human race. It is not a wrong.
runner,
Immorality, wrongdoing, wrong, wickedness, badness, evil-doing, evil, iniquity, villainy, venality, impurity, corruption, corruptness, misconduct; sin, sinfulness, ungodliness, godlessness, unholiness, unrighteousness, profanity; depravity, degeneracy, turpitude, sordidity, perversion, pervertedness, dissolution, dissipation, debauchery, decadence, lasciviousness, lewdness, lechery, lecherousness, degradation; crime, transgression, offence, immoral act, evil act, act of wickedness, fall from grace; archaic trespass; rare peccability, peccancy. ANTONYMS virtue, righteousness.
So, they're not wrong either ?

Peter Bowden's article criticizing Israel Folau is immoral.

Morality is simply the generally agreed upon limits to personal behaviour necessary to live within any peaceful, functioning community. These moral values become the basis for written law. But morality constantly changes as changing circumstances alter the fundamental premises upon which any moral value is based. Peter talks about a "universal morality." There ain't no such animal, Peter. By even claiming that there can be a "universal morality", Peter, you are no different from the most fundamentalist ideologue from every religion and ideology ever invented. Pol Pot thought he was moral. So too, ISIS, the Inquisition, the Nazi Party, and the Greens.

The weirdest thing about the continuing furor over Israel Folau is the complete double standard studiously ignored by his critics, like Peter Bowden. When Malcolm Fraser invited "moderate" Islamic leader Sheik Shady Suleimon (no pun intended) to dinner, the good sheik informed Turnbull that homosexuals should be executed. This particular moral value is universally advocated by all Muslim leaders. Yet the good sheik's comments did not get any where near the media mileage as Israel Folau, who did no more than say that certain classes of "sinners" (including homosexuals) should repent, or they will go to hell. Where is an article from Peter Bowden's condemning Islam? Nowhere, that's where. Islam always get's a free pass from the "ethicists" like Peter, who exhibit selective myopia, and want to impose their own particular brand of morality on the majority.

If Israel Folau had given a press conference demanding that homosexuals should be executed, the whole loony left would have been running around, frothing at the mouth in red faced apoplexy. But he did not. He expressed an opinion. He basically said that he did not approve of a group of people's collective behaviour. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people disapprove of my behaviour in shooting rabbits, foxes, goat cats, and pigs, as well as eating meat. That is their privilege. They think I am immoral, and I think that they are lunatics. I disapprove of homosexuality. That is my opinion.

There's a lot of heat being generated with a Bible verse being
bandied around by everyone from sports heroes
to journalists saying that homosexuals (among others)
will go to hell. But what if the
Bible verse they so casually quote doesn't
mention homosexuals
at all? Are the journalists actually doing
their job responsibly?

Why aren't church leaders and theologians saying, " Hang on a
minute your translation from Greek to English just may not be
correct."

We need to bring in some balance to this
heated debate by emphasising the
importance of freedom of speech and the
right of diverse religious beliefs. This is
also an invitation to reflect on the appropriate
edges to this freedom. When does freedom of
speech tip over into hate speech?

Someone wrote on the web that:

" One of the perks of being an atheist
is that you get to decide how to be a good
and loving human all by yourself. If you find
yourself preaching bigotry, intolerance or
hatred it's all on you. You can't excuse it
by saying you read it in a book."