The hoo-ha over Israel Folau’s response to an instagram question in which he was asked what he thought was “God’s plan for gay people”, to which he replied “Hell…..unless they repent of their sins and turn to God”, highlights the current state of political correctness regarding gender in our society.
The response of corporation’s sponsorship of Rugby Australia was typical. Alan Joyce, the gay pride CEO of Qantas, was obviously angry if the comments of the company are anything to go by, and the overall impression is that Rugby Australia had better keep its players opinions quiet if they want to keep their sponsorship.
Despite that, there were surprisingly more defenders of Folau’s right to express his beliefs than the PC brigade expected; even a former human rights commissioner, the ‘progressive’ Sydney Morning Herald, and publicity agents, joined in on his behalf, though The Australian newspaper quoted an Anglican priest expressing his personal view that being gay is not incompatible with being Christian.
Actually, that statement is only partially true. One can be a non practicing homosexual, having recognised it is sin and repented as Folau suggested, and be a Christian, but to be an active practicing homosexual , and proud of your sin, will lead you to Hell.
But neither was Folau wholly correct. There are several different words in the Bible which are translated Hell and do not equate with the common belief in a place where the guilty are tortured with fire for eternity.
The one word which is used to convey death by fire applies to those sinners who defiantly refuse to repent, who the Bible tells us will be thrown into the Lake of Fire – there to be burned up and turned into ashes, rather than suffering eternally.
Despite all this hoo-ha, it remains a right and a responsibility of Christians to witness to the truth of the Bible’s statements about sin, the breaking of God’s laws, in the hope that some will repent. The great danger of political correctness is that this right is under threat from those pushing the homosexual agenda, and they will not be satisfied until any criticism of them is silenced and made illegal.
So would end Free Speech.
Romans 1:24, 6:23. ‘So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies…….For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.’ NLT.