What rules have I broken? We're in discussions. Discussions keep the forum alive. No discussions, no forum.
Didn't you put me down before? isnt that a breach? you'd be close to breaching if anyone.
I feel like the issue is that you're getting sidetracked by the minutiae of every counter-argument, which is detracting from the intended theme of the conversation and has now ended up with you trying to "square peg, round hole" the words of one of the most tolerant and compassionate activists in history into support for a popular public figure's broadcasting of prejudice views - whether derived from scripture or not. In actual fact it would appear like most people agree on the major components of this debate:
- Is it Illegal to express religious beliefs on Social Media? Not in most of the countries we live in. This is essentially freedom of speech i.e. lack of legal/governmental censorship over expression of thoughts/beliefs, supposing other forms of law are not breached e.g. Libelous content. Beyond this, the idea of "free speech" pertaining to this argument becomes irrelevant.
- Is it offensive and hateful to tell someone that they will burn and be tortured for eternity for something they cannot control? Yes - although, as far as I'm concerned, it's about as real a threat as being skewered by a Unicorn.
- Does a company or organisation have the right to fire an employee for expressing views that they don't agree with, especially after warning them not to do so previously? Yes. If I stood outside my office building citing scriptural basis for the fact that every Hindu that walked out of the building was going to burn in hell, I'm quite certain I would be fired. Folau did that on a mass scale with his Social Media reach. There is no real argument to be had here - an organisation can fire someone for a far more trivial breach of conduct. It's important to note that, Folau isn't being punished for his religious beliefs. He is being punished for posting something on Instagram that he was told not to and suggests that Homosexuals are, by definition, "sinners" and should not exist on pain of eternal torture. Religious beliefs cannot be used to condone antisocial, hateful or violent actions. Instances where they are accepted, to the detriment of an organisation, is entirely done at the prerogative of that company e.g. Scotland allowing Euan Murray to not play on Sundays.
The main area that's really open to debate is, "how much of a terrible bloke is Folau." As an exceptional sportsman, a popular figure with over 350k followers on his public Instagram, and given the intensity of the media coverage, there is no doubt that his post will have reached millions of people. Some of those people will have felt directly attacked. Some of those people will use the post as justification for their own prejudice - whether kept to themselves or acted upon. Some of those people will be dealing with the internal torment of wanting to impress and emulate their hero, whilst being true to their own sexuality - something that is hard enough for most already. Given these impacts alone, Folau's choice to post that was misguided. To leave it up after the outrage it generated is obtuse. If he is a rational and sane human being, then he is a terrible bloke. But...
...To me it is clear that he genuinely believes that to which he has been indoctrinated. This means that he genuinely believes homosexuals will be tortured in hell for eternity. It also means that he must believe that he is helping people by telling them to change - however flawed a request that may be. It's still an immensely insensitive and ineffective way of broadcasting this message, but if you can accept that this grown man truly believes what is essentially a fairy tale, then I suppose it does make him less a monster, and more a very misguided man who is throwing away his promising career in an attempt to "save" people. Brave - in a very twisted kind of way.
I hope that someone close to him can get through to him before the damage done to him, his career and his fans becomes irreparable. I hate seeing how this kind of religious or cult-like indoctrination can override all other human rational and compassion - it's the same with suicide bombers or Christian Scientists who won't allow their children access to medicine - madness! On the flip side though, there is a huge positive to be taken out of this situation, in that the opposition to Folau's comments in the rugby community has been far louder and more compelling. I hope for every one gay kid playing or watching rugby who was hurt by his post, there will be one hundred who see the subsequent outpouring of support for them and conclude that rugby is a sport that's inclusive of all people.
