Does Joe get it right all the time? Nope, like me he's afflicted with the ability to be well meaning but not actually 100% correct. No one's perfect. Partly that's what Folau was getting at. Christians are not perfect, they're sinners too. The difference is whist Christians aren't perfect they are saved.
No one gets into Heaven on their own actions, the Bible is abundantly clear on that, that's why a Christ came & replaced the 10 commandments. Well not replaced but strengthened what those laws were saying, you can't make it on your own, you need Christ. That's what Israel Folau said & meant in the meme. Read it again, all the way through.
Couple of things for Joe...
Yes in the Dark Ages you could be put to death for possessing even a part of the Scriptures. An action that is not supported by any part of the Scriptures I should point out.
The church is not, nor has it even been a de facto state but the Roman Catholic Church is a sovereign state & always has been. Again not something encouraged by Scriptures at all. If anything, Scriptures warned us about it.
Joe mentioned "...and hearing first hand about a radical preacher who drank copious amounts of wine, consorted with prostitutes and declared no rich man would get into heaven." I'm not sure who he means. If he means Christ, he's actually set out as the new High Priest, the new King & the Messiah and He never ever "declared no rich man would get into heaven.". It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Put it this way, its easier for someone to die & be risen or maybe walk on water than a rich man enter the kingdom of God. Point is, as Scripture points out clearly, all things are possible with Christ & God. A rich man can possible enter the Kingdom of God. Money is not a sin, the LOVE of money is. If you love money more than Christ. Just putting that out there Joe. :-)
Contradictory verses? Well no, if you find a contradiction you haven't found the in Context exegesis yet. Scripture is also clear, Scripture proves Scripture. Keep checking, some way to go.
Thousand of unknown authors? No. 66 books by 40 authors and the veracity the further you go back is clear. In fact in Christ & Pre Christ times the scholars and scribes were highly regulated. Every letter and punctuation mark in Hebrew had a numerical value. The scribes wrote under close supervision, each line had to have the exact same numerical value, each line was added up & sections had to arrive at a specific numerical value. If they were out by just one, it was destroyed as it was seen as a travesty against God. It was pretty serious and some of the oldest surviving copies of the Torah don't deviate from modern copies of the Torah. Just saying.
Yes Israel read the Bible and made the comments he did. I'm still waiting for someone to explain, with proper in context Exegesis, why & how, what he said was not in line with Scripture. So far, it lines up very well with Scripture whether you believe in the Scriptures or not.
Yes the media leapt on it. For good reason, it was always going to sell. A clash between the large and influential LBGTI movement of today and the Christian view. And hasn't the media done such a great job at injecting more push in the scrum? It sells, it sells well. Its the old 60 Minutes approach. Polarise 2 sides, sit in the middle and stoke, stoke, stoke them a week later read more polarising letters.
LBGTI movement has been persecuted over the centuries, but that's not why they're raising hell. They're complaining about Folau getting millions to fight a legal battle whilst its impossible to get the same amount for starving or homeless. Its also the case that the LGBTI "movement" (and it is now a political movement) is not pounding the press over gay people being launched off buildings to their deaths. Nor is it, quite noticeably going after any religion except Christianity. Its not pursuing Imams & other Islamic clerics to revise their scriptures to embrace LBGTI. Check the Qaran, Christopher Hitchins tried getting and answer out of Waleed Aly...can someone be a good muslim and gay. Aly went for a watered down dodgeball.
Maybe Madga & others can nail Waleed down in this based on their Scriptures...and other religions too.
Interesting also, if Folau can & should be sacked & it's not unreasonable seeing Qantas is a major sponsor & its CEO is a prominent member of the LBGTI movement...or perceived so. Joyce was employed to be a CEO. Its not his money, its the company's and he works for the company and his fiduciary duty is very clear...he is to work in the best interests of the shareholders & the company. What if the shareholders & the company decide his actions in SSM & the Folau issue are too controversial and anti Christian or just not in the best interests of the company can QATAS sack Alan Joyce? Going by the Folau action of dismissal he can & no one should complain. Madga can have any contract she has cancelled if she strays from what her employers deem is a boundary.
They're not saying that, they're only out to get one guy from one religion that offers a path to salvation. LBGTI people were not singled out, but their movement was keen to take umbrage & single Folau out.
Folau did not ask for gays to be stoned or thrown off buildings. He promoted that we're all sinners and only Christ can save us.
If you disagree with that, ignore it and walk on. Let the man play football and say what he wants as long as its not inciting hate. He aimed squarely at sinners which is all of us, including him. Scripture is clear, Christ is the only one who's getting into Heaven and isn't a sinner. All those who walk into Heaven are sinners, everyone born of man & woman are sinners. Some are going to Heaven, some are going to Hell by the Scriptures and by Scriptures YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHICH PLACE YOU GO. Yes Scripture is pretty clear on Free Will.
Now the argument then comes, 'but times have changed and we're more progressive and we all have to change' well that can only be predicated on you not believing in Scripture...your choice, free will. But if you believe in the Scriptures and believe times have changed and we have to as well...well get your thoughts together and explain to God why He has to now apologise to Sodom & Gomorrah.
Use some in context exegesis of Scripture to prop that up.
As for the Roman Catholic Church it diverges in Scripture often, it changed the 10 Commandments, it ignores the requirements for the office of pastor completely, it offers forgiveness when Scripture is very clear that no person on earth has that Authority & the "Holy Father" name given to the pope is clearly said to be used by no one at all, its God's name & title. That's the tip of the iceberg, the RCC is very non or anti Scripture so for my money its not a Christian church.
Just a few things Joe. Reckon you're close but more closely everyone's missing what this means for contract law. We can outlaw a person expressing political or religious views in their own time. In fact a company can decide what's objectionable and call for someone to be sacked.
Not good Joe. Meanwhile in Iran...
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