Hell awaits...

Australian rugby player Israel Folau is back in the news, having signed to play for Catalans Dragons. As an Evangelical Christian, Folau has some trenchant beliefs, as illustrated in his Instagram post. He also gave a sermon a few days ago, in a Sydney church, during which he said that the bushfires raging across Australia represented God’s judgement on the legalisation of gay marriage.

Such views are to be found in many Christian churches which take the Bible literally, and are entirely mainstream in the Muslim world. Homosexuality is a capital offense in a number of countries - Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and others - where legislation is sharia-based. Though this doesn’t mean that gay people will be executed, the law provides a template for discrimination against gays, atheists, apostates and those of other faiths.

In promoting his odious beliefs, Israel Folau has broken no laws, though his assertion that hell awaits atheists sounds like ‘hate speech’ to me. I’m gratified to hear that when Wigan Warriors play the Catalans, on March 22, the game will be designated as ‘Pride Day’, as the club looks to support the LGBTQ+ community. It's good to see the sporting world doing the right thing, for once…