I have often been a critic of the ABC for its lack of diversity. And I remain one.
But I must give credit where it is due and yesterday I was invited to be a panel member on the Focus program hosted by Emma Griffiths. The reason: to debate freedom following the broo-hah-hah that has erupted over Israel Folau’s entirely unsurprising view (for a Christian) that unrepentant homosexuals will find themselves in hell.
Click on the image below to listen to the program (trigger warning: you will be taken to the ABC website).
And yes. We now live in a society where it is ‘normal’ to ask whether it is acceptable for a rugby player to be disciplined for believing in hell.
And here I was thinking that equality had taken Western civilisation to new heights of freedom and tolerance…
April 18, 2018
This is a non issue. Israel was not commenting on anyone’s life style.
He was merely stating his belief as to the fate of homosexuals after their lifestyles are completed, unrepentant, when the life part of their – styles- is over. viz what he believes will happen to them in the hereafter, not on earth but in hell.
Would he be ostracised for saying that he believed they would go to the planet Mercury instead? (I understand it is pretty hot there as well!)
April 14, 2018
Yes full credit to Emma Griffiths for trying to present a variety of views. It astonishes me though is that this is even a topic of discussion. What I want journalists to ask is, who raised this as an issue with Rugby Australia? Qantas? How were RA and Qantas made aware of it? Who was the person who asked the question on instagram? And did other sponsors get phone calls from Qantas? Has there been any instance of any person actually being hurt disadvantaged or otherwise by Folau’s answer to that question? When did rugby Australia get the moral competence and authority to pronounce on heaven and hell? Is rugby Australia a religion now?
Anyway are people so ignorant of Christianity these days that they don’t even know basic Christian teaching that has been around for 2000 years? What next, are we supposed to ban Dante’s Inferno and movies like the Exorcist? Should we perhaps be destroying the Sistine Chapel because it has a big picture of The Last Judgement?
The drive to reduce everything to “rights” was also chilling. Even the Anglican dude who made many valid points, was nevertheless still espousing a view that one must be dialogued into submission because (a hypothetical) someone might of had their feelings hurt about something they don’t believe exists. But these cry babies no doubt should be considered up to the task of defending Australia in our armed services. duch incoherence. Harden up people.
It was also very telling that people had no idea as to what sort of Christian Israel is. A particular caller who claimed to be part of the same church even though she left it like 12 years ago (I suspect she read it somewhere he was once a Mormon -is he still?- and found her “in” to let fly her bee in her bonnet). I must admit that particular call made me think of the story about King David who chose to be judged by God rather than by men even so it was likely that God’s judgement would be more severe. At least God’s judgement would be true.
Finally it was astonishing to find out about antidiscrimination law vs wife beating.
Good on you for walking into the lion’s den, Bernard.