GAY TRUTH

“Hate speech” needs to be defined with respect to the Israel Folau saga.  It can be defined as “abusive or threatening speech or writing against a particular group”, but as with many other terms that have been hijacked by LGBT ideology, this is also equated to hating the person or group to whom the speech or writing is addressed – even if not to a specific person or group but simply expressed as a point of view or belief in something. Best illustrated (still) by the lawyer in the 2002 “two Dannys case” who said in effect “it doesn’t matter that what you said is true – not even when you have quoted from the Koran – it is how you made my client feel.” Hate was not an issue in that instance and is not an issue now with Israel Folau. Nor is abuse, nor personal threat.  A term that would better reflect what the LGBT lobby accuses him of would be “speech that may result in a listener feeling offended or hurt”. It can be shortened to “speech that may result in hurt” or “s...

Israel Folau and I don’t have much in common, but two things we share. The first is that we are both committed Christians within the evangelical tradition of faith. We take the Bible seriously as a book inspired by God. That helps me to understand Folau’s desire to share his beliefs ― his heart, his motivation, his passion. The second thing we have in common is that neither of us is theologians. Nevertheless, I do have to agree with Folau’s apparent view that any particular category of a sinner is going to hell because their identified sins are egregious. To be sure, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul does give a list of wrongdoers who will not inherit the kingdom of God, and Folau was paraphrasing this passage.  However, passages of this kind are only open to one interpretation. It is in the first eight chapters of his letter to the Romans that Paul sets out in a systematic way the Christian gospel. In Romans 3:23 he wrote that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God....

On April 10, Israel Folau posted on his Instagram account the following message: “Warning: Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators: Hell Awaits You. Repent! Only Jesus Saves.” Next to this big, bold statement was the message: “Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him.” This eye-catching text was from the Bible, a loose paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” If someone else had posted this it would almost certainly have slipped under the radar. But Folau was being watched. Partly this is because of his brilliance as a footballer. He holds the record ...

Israel by posting Bible verses on social media was found to breach of the code of conduct by a three-person RA tribunal, and, on 17 May 2019, the  announcement by RA  that his contract had been terminated. He is reported as having commented: Folau said he was “deeply saddened” by the decision and is considering his options. He said in a statement: “It has been a privilege and an hour to represent Australia and my home state of New South Wales, playing the game I love. “I am deeply saddened by today’s decision to terminate my employment and I am considering my options. “As Australians, we are born with certain rights, including the right to freedom of religion and the right to freedom of expression. “The Christian faith has always been a part of my life and I believe it is my duty as a Christian to share God’s word. Upholding my religious beliefs should not prevent my ability to work or play for my club or country.” What, then, are his legal options? He has i...