This is a vital free speech issue, so I’ve initiated a petition “Don’t discriminate against Israel Folau” and urge all readers to sign it.
I don’t endorse all of Folau’s views, but I endorse his right to have and to express them. He is employed as a football player, and he executes that job brilliantly. Yet, because of his publicly expressed religious convictions about “Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolaters” being morally wrong Rugby Australia apparently plans to cancel his contract.
It is outrageous that any organisation with the word “Australia” in its name would breach the norms of a secular society in such a way. Employers have no right to dictate religion to anyone.
But were morals to be a basis for hiring employees, Folau would be an outstanding example, particularly in a sport which is rife with scandal, particularly regarding sex and alcohol.
Rugby Australia has a commitment to diversity. If this means anything it means amongst other things, diversity of views. Rugby draws many of its players from Christian schools. So it would be strange if this diversity didn’t include Christians of all denominations, including Mormons.
One might ask how the odd Muslim player feels about this stance as well.
Not to mention priapic dypsomaniacs. I think I can see a number of lapses of my own in his list, and I’m not sure that I’m sufficiently sorry to avoid the risk of fire and brimstone.
If I think about it hard enough, it is confronting, but offend me as he might, I defend Izzy’s right so to do. That’s what the “civil” in “civil society” is about – all of us working things out, and to work things out you must be able to express your own honestly held opinions (and even the ones you don’t honestly hold).
In this case it is worse. Rugby Australia want Folau to essentially hold views that he doesn’t believe to be true because they say so, not because of his free choice.
A civil society is also a secular society. That doesn’t mean that no religion has a place, but that all religions have their own place, but none may be enforced, and religion includes the idea of positive non-belief, like atheism.
Yet RA is taking an essentially sectarian point of view in our secular society and seeking to compel a particular religious view of the world on players. This is outrageous and needs to be called out, and by his actions, that is essentially what Izzy is doing.
Whichever way you look at it, Folau should stay.
If you believe in free speech and a free society, please sign the petition