Folau cashes in as Christian group takes up fundraiser

This twit is no longer worthy of being in the rugby section- and has been denounced to the Beeno section...

Sydney - A Christian group crowdfunded more than A$1 million in a single day on Tuesday for former Australian star Israel Folau's legal battle to appeal against his sacking over homophobic comments.

The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) stepped in to host Folau's fundraising appeal after his original online appeal for cash was shut down over concerns it was discriminatory.

That had attracted widespread criticism, with Australian media noting he was one of the best-paid players in the world and owned a multi-million dollar property portfolio.

The ACL website said on Tuesday that by 17:00 Sydney time it had raised A$1.044 million of its A$3 million goal for Folau's legal battle with former employer Rugby Australia.

The 30-year-old, a devout Christian, was sacked by the governing body last month for posting anti-gay comments on Instagram.

ACL's managing director Martyn Iles said the group also donated A$100 000 of its own funds towards Folau's cause "because it's right and it sets an important legal precedent".

"Many Australians want to support Izzy Folau because they feel his case is their case and they can help make a difference and show him he is not alone," he tweeted before the appeal went live.

Folau initially set up his appeal on GoFundMe, saying he was standing up for freedom of speech and religion by fighting his sacking for posting that "hell awaits" gay people and others he considers sinners.

The appeal had raised more than A$700 000 before GoFundMe pulled it on Monday, saying the platform would not "tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion".

Folau was fired last month after a Rugby Australia tribunal found him guilty of "high-level" misconduct over his social media posts.

He has taken his case to Australia's employment watchdog, the Fair Work Commission, asserting that he simply posted sentiments from the Bible.

The issue has revived debate about the clash between the right to freedom of religious expression and restrictions on hate speech.

Australia's conservative government, which was re-elected in May, has vowed to enshrine religious freedom protections in law, while the ACL was vocal in opposing the introduction of gay marriage laws in 2017.

Folau's legal team and Rugby Australia officials will meet in Sydney on Friday as part of the employment watchdog process.

He is reportedly seeking A$10 million in damages, including for lost sponsorship and marketing opportunities.

Folau was on a four-year contract worth more than A$1 million annually when he was sacked.

Netball New Zealand (NNZ), meanwhile, said it would not be taking action against Folau's wife, Maria, for supporting his fundraising efforts.

Maria Folau, a New Zealand international who plies her trade with Australia's Adelaide Thunderbirds, flagged his GoFundMe campaign on her Twitter feed.

In a brief statement, NNZ said "Maria Folau has not breached NNZ policy".

It added: "We acknowledge that people have differing views and beliefs. It is important those opinions and views are expressed in constructive and respectful ways.

Liz Ellis, a former Australian captain, had called for netball authorities to send a strong message over the Folau saga.

"There is no room for homophobia in our game," she tweeted late on Sunday.

"Anyone who is seen to support or endorse homophobia is not welcome."

This is hilarious

So Folau supports a national gay sports event and organization...… pasting himself on the front of a national magazine...…..which basically elevated his public profile and contributed to making him what he is today, and nobody sees the hypocrisy.....

He got pissed and acted inappropriately on many other occasions, before he decided that a Christian way of life was far better for him...…. well, we certainly see that now...… suing his previous church for donations etc etc, suing ARU...…

He has now gone against his sporting contract by posting religious stuff on social media on 4 different occasions already...... not once or twice......4 times...…..despite being specifically warned not to do this by his employers, and now he wants to blame his employer, the ARU, who previously did nothing at all to him, on the first 3 occasions that he did the exact same thing

And this is the Christian way ?

Fucking laughable

DA

Any proof of your story about being pissed above?   The ACL has the right to do wat they did amd despite what you wrote Folau has the right to express his views.       

I was actually being polite about Folau Mike, especially considering what he did when he was younger, and I can respect anyone's change of view or perspective on life as they grow up, but then don't knock, insult or embarrass the people who are going through the very same issues  that you have already gone through and learnt from...… you can be a hell of a lot more humble about it

Check the article yourself...…

Folau - Alcohol - Sex

Sounds like a good way to make money. Pretend to be a Christian and get into a dispute. Then ask other Christians to support you through crowd funding.

"I’m all for standing up for your beliefs and your convictions, but put your money where your mouth is otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for being ridiculed and labeled as a hypocrite."

Cloudy, this was my very first response to this topic a long time ago.

I specifically stated.... let's see what happens to Folau's selective religious beliefs once it starts affecting his finances

I was 100% correct

"And he said he would walk away from rugby if he felt he had brought the game into disrepute"

Yes, and he also said if he does not play rugby again for Australia, it is God's will

I wonder if it will still be God's will...... if this case goes all the way to the supreme or constitutional court of Australia and they still rule in favour of the ARU for dismissing Folau

I said back then, that he would then probably just go sign a multi million dollar contract with Toulon and say that that was what God had finally decided that he should do

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"I’m all for standing up for your beliefs and your convictions, but put your money where your mouth is otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for being ridiculed and labeled as a hypocrite."

Cloudy, this was my very first response to this topic a long time ago.

I specifically stated.... let's see what happens to Folau's selective religious beliefs once it starts affecting his finances

I was 100% correct

It looks like that DA, but I want to see this go to the courts because I want to know all the facts.

1. Were there clauses in his contract preventing him from doing what he did.
2. It there were, was it lawful.
3. If there wasn't and it was added after the previous incident, was it done unilaterally or did he agree to it?
4. Why was he publicly fire before they even talked to him?

I'm with you Clouds...I want to see how this pans out.

"If there wasn't and it was added after the previous incident, was it done unilaterally or did he agree to it?"

Db, I don't know of any company these days, that sits potential staff members down, and goes through their contract, saying to them, if you don't like this requirement, we can take it out...…..if you don't like this stipulation in our company policy, we can amend it to suit you.

Most companies, if not all, say here is your contract, read it, and sign it if you want to work or represent this company, brand or organization...….

If all staff decided what they thought was the best for any company, or organization, you would have anarchy

Also, let's not forget, which most people keep doing...….this is Folau's 4th offense...….. not his 1st or 2nd...…...4th times now, that  he has done precisely what his employer directed him and informed him and specifically requested him..... not to do

The ARU have been more than accommodating in this regard

Folau's 4th offence for being a Christian .Rugby Australia think they can police Christianity like Stalin did.Order  23/45/32 .... 10 years in the gulag for quoting scripture.

Rugby Australia think they can police free Christian speech like the Mao did ,next they'll be sending atheist spies in to view Folau's prayers at home like Mao did...living in the past,go take a rain check.

The only thing that unites atheism and Rugby Australia is that Folau is a Christian and that the truth needs to be suppressed.I'm thinking of setting up a tent outside Ellis Park in support of Folau when the Aussie play here,hand out tracts to anybody who wants the truth.

What difference is there between Rugby Australia and this Beijing Police Group which rounds up Christian Worshippers and puts their leaders under house arrest........none

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEYc5u2Orxg

My issue is not about the scripture or religion Moonrover, and it never has been, but it has been about using the religious side of this issue, as the excuse for the behavior involved.

Some companies have very strict policies in place to prevent a bad incident from happening with one of their employees which could terminally or permanently harm their brand, or bring their company values into disrepute

We have already seen ourselves in SA how companies are sometimes destroyed when incidents go viral and the person in the wrong works for a particular company, and the public who are now baying for blood, demand boycotts of those same companies and its products.... believing that because they employ people who have performed these actions or uttered these phrases, that these companies also share the same values as their employee

The public opinion is fickle, and its permanently on a knife edge

I am not making this about scripture, you are, and its sad that you are using this to justify his actions

I am making this about a clear abuse of transgressing or abusing your boundaries with your employer when strict and clear policies are put in place by your employer, for you to not do that specific action, and you repeatedly say, fuck you, I will do whatever the hell I want to, and do it anyway, and then bitch and moan and seek public financial support after you got fired.

What a fucking joke

No Lara. I don't see it that way at all.

Rugby Australia has massive financial muscle and could easily overpower a lone man like Folau with endless stalling tactics until it drained everything he has. His home. Everything.

They have launched a smear campaign against him. You do know that, right?

They don’t just want to win the fight ... they want to destroy him completely. They want to make an example of him. To scare any and all future “rebels” off.     

He has had no choice but to call in help. His fight is for a good cause and has nothing to do with self enrichment. I'm surprised you can't see that.

Let me ask you a question.

What did you expect him to do? Would you have supported him if he went down fighting on his own? Would you have supported him if he lost everything he had for this cause?

Are you old fashioned? Do you believe that the Christian is a weakling? Do you believe we should humble ourselves before all comers? That we should offer the other cheek in times of trouble?

Well ... I have news for you, Lara. We have a mighty God who cannot be matched in war  He isn’t a coward, in fact He’s fearsome.

Are you aware that God helped David in his fight against the giant, Goliath? Are you aware that David would not have defeated Goliath without His help?

Would you have expected David to tackle that monster on his own? None of his brothers stood by him. They were all fearful. Well he didn’t fight alone. The might of God was with him. He won the fight because of it and all those who witnessed it praised God.

This fight is going to be a very expensive one. That’s how David would have fought his enemy and the enemy of his God today. In court.

Whatever means is needed to fight this injustice gets my support and if that means calling in God’s help, all the better.

The sodomites shut down Folau's attempt at gathering money ... only for another avenue to open up.

I love it.

In the end, God is the final authority.

"Folau's 4th offence for being a Christian"

Being a racist, homophobic, sexist person, is not about freedom of speech or exercising your right to say whatever the hell you feel like, whenever you want to... to whoever you want to say it to...…..it still boils down to hate speech, which could devalue a brand that you represent

Yes he quoted scripture...… I get that...… completely, I really do.

It has absolutely zero... nada..... fuck all..... to do with that, so stop making it about that.

If I myself am paying you A$1 000 000 a year to represent my organization, which incorporates my values and morals..... not yours as a player...…. and you are specifically instructed not to post anything religious to your millions of followers in any format...… then you damn well better adhere to your contract, not do so, and if you can't agree to those terms, by all means, don't sign the contract.

If you fail to do that..... 4 times, you then want to sue me with public funds?

You still don't see anything at all wrong with this scenario ?

Please answer this question Moonrover.

Would you refuse to remove your shoes before going into a Muslim's home, if you were requested to do so......because it is not your belief, or because it is  not in your religion to do so?

Would you say, fuck him, screw his personal values or religious beliefs...…. he invited me into his house, so he will have to accept that I have my own beliefs and religion.

DA, if the ban on what he did was part of his contract when he signed it, or if such behavior was clearly forbidden by the code of conduct of RA, then he is probably wrong. If they started telling him to stop it, and created these prohibitions after the fact and he did not agree to the terms, then there is some room to maneuver if the correct procedure wasn't followed. All the facts are not clear yet, that's why I want to see what happens first.

Get a grip DumbAss.

There is nothing in his contract that stipulates that and if there were it needs to be exposed and corrected. 

Telling the folk that dipping your wick in sheeeat is a perversion, is merely telling the truth. Why lie? All you poo dippers should thank him.

He said nothing in hate. The only people complaining about his statement are the tail gunners and the supporters of sodomy ... like you.

You perverts want us all to accept your filthy habit as a natural act.

It is not.

This very act has killed millions of people the world over.

Personally ... I wouldn't enter a house that serves the moon as a god ... and if I did, would they be offended if I brought some pork sausages over for the braai? I like pork sausages.

To answer you stupid question ... I wouldn't be rude but I can assure you that I would make it clear enough not to invite me a second time.   

I am tired of listening to half wits like you dictate terms to me. How I am to conform to your ways, your needs, your traditions and reject mine cause you find it offensive.

You can kiss my hairy crack, DumbAss.

I will live my life the way I want to ... not the way you want me to.

Who owns Folau,does Jesus Christ who died for him or does the slave driver admin company. own him?Who owns Folau's facebook page?Who does Folau worship?Does he worship the god of suppression or the God of freedom.

Rugby Australia wants to be his god.They have churches in China,state churches,they are told what to preach and what not to preach.The free churches preach Christ crucified ,mostly.

What law has Folau broken? only one law according to LBGTRQZX the law of scripture truth.

Hell awaits atheists and they say they don't care,but don't tell anyone they say why?Because they want everyone else to go where they're going.

DA asks  if I will take my shoes off entering a Muslim home.You know the answer DA,unless it clashes with my Christian principles I don't mind removing my shoes.All the principles in Folau's statement Muslims agree on. If they smoke in the house I'll remain there for little time as possible.We have smoking laws concerning public places but your home is your home.

Oh please, you guys are so fucking pathetic

Yes, I am calling names again, because you are unbelievably naïve and totally reckless with your religious statements

So in other words, Folau can also walk out into the street now, and kill someone for sleeping with his wife, and not be held accountable for his actions...… only because he just went to church, and not only did the priest, and the church forgive his actions, but so did God...…. and how does he knows this...… well, because the priest told him so, AND God also arrived into his thoughts and spoke to him directly and specifically told him that he is forgiven.

You cannot prove it was not God, not even in a court of law, so in his mind, he is forgiven

He is not delusional, he does not have a mental problem...… in his mind, God just spoke to him directly

Therefore, he is now forgiven in the eyes of God, for just killing someone..... because he has atoned for his sins, the correct way.

So because of this, he cannot be arrested and be held accountable for what he did, because if God the almighty could forgive him for his actions, how can mankind penalize him for those very same actions.

Now I fully understand the stupid fucking logic of the people I am dealing with

I agree with your view Db , at least someone is speaking some sense here

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"DA asks if I will take my shoes off entering a Muslim home. You know the answer DA, unless it clashes with my Christian principles I don't mind removing my shoes. All the principles in Folau's statement Muslims agree on. If they smoke in the house I'll remain there for little time as possible. We have smoking laws concerning public places but your home is your home"

Very interesting Moonrover…….. your home is your home, and your work is your work

Because Folau was also invited into someone's establishment, organization etc etc, and was asked - told - instructed...… call it whatever you want to...….. to respect that organizations own rules whilst being employed by that establishment, and being well paid A$1 000 000 a year to do so.

It is the exact same scenario as walking into someone's home and respecting their rules and regulations, as walking into a company and respecting their rules, or code of conduct...……...so please explain to me...…..  what makes Folau's case so different, especially since he went against their direct instructions more than once?

Sharkbok wants to argue with scripture and then run away under cover of atheism in case he loses.Why didn't Goliath simply cover his head with his shield when David slung that stone? It wasn't sharp enough to pierce the shield so your bullet analogy falls away.I know a few reasons why he never shielded his forehead.The first one is that he was arrogant as an atheist.

LMFAO

CC thinks people are asking him to conform to "our" ways

I have no idea what he is referring to....

CC, we are only asking you to not be stupid for a change...… and that is not a lot to ask

And CC, stop lying and acting like Folau, who himself posed for a gay magazine...….

You say you would refuse to enter a person's home who serves the moon as a God

I assure you, that everyone on this forum knows already...….. that if a 88 year old grey bearded muslim offered you a contract worth A$1 000 000 for services rendered, we all know that you would not only take your shoes off to enter his home, but you would also remove Ronnie's pink G string  and bend over when you cross that threshold into their home

Jun 26, 2019, 12:48                                

"DA asks if I will take my shoes off entering a Muslim home. You know the answer DA, unless it clashes with my Christian principles I don't mind removing my shoes. All the principles in Folau's statement Muslims agree on. If they smoke in the house I'll remain there for little time as possible. We have smoking laws concerning public places but your home is your home"

Very interesting Moonrover…….. your home is your home, and your work is your work

Because Folau was also invited into someone's establishment, organization etc etc, and was asked - told - instructed...… call it whatever you want to...….. to respect that organizations own rules whilst being employed by that establishment, and being well paid A$1 000 000 a year to do so.

It is the exact same scenario as walking into someone's home and respecting their rules and regulations, as walking into a company and respecting their rules, or code of conduct...……...so please explain to me...….. what makes Folau's case so different, especially since he went against their direct instructions more than once?

Still no response to this post...……. I'm curious as to why these two  scenarios are so different?

If you were asked, requested or even instructed on 4 different occasions to remove your shoes before entering a Muslim's home, and you point blank rudely refused and proceeded to walk around with your dirty shoes on, which led to you being removed from the premises by the owner of that establishment, why in hell would you then proceed with a legal case against the person who removed you?...…. just like the company which removed Folau from it's employment for going against their own code of conduct,.....multiple times?

There is absolutely zero...… nada..... fuck all difference..... between these scenarios

I am still waiting for any intelligent response to the question I have posed above

Moonrover and CC have both openly stated that they would not want to be rude, or if it did not go against their Christian beliefs, that they would honour the Muslim's request, but maybe not return or even enjoy doing it at the time, but yes, they would in fact heed to that request or instruction.

So, Moonrover and CC would not go directly against the religious beliefs of the Muslim man, and respect what his wishes were, when attending his home, because ultimately, it is his home and his beliefs.

However, they both also now say at the same time that Folau is fully entitled to go against his companies direct instructions and beliefs or code of conduct, and say what he wants to say, despite being specifically requested not to...… not just once, but multiple times, even being threatened with sanctions, should he continue...…….and yet when he carries on and they finally ask him to leave their house (contract), he wants to go the legal route against them.

Please enlighten me, how is this so different?

However, they both also now say at the same time that Folau is fully entitled to go against his companies direct instructions and beliefs or code of conduct, and say what he wants to say, despite being specifically requested not to...… not just once, but multiple times, even being threatened with sanctions, should he continue...…….and yet when he carries on and they finally ask him to leave their house (contract), he wants to go the legal route against them.

CC, to me it's simple and the facts will come out in court....if this get settled outside of court I will be very disappointed.

There are a couple of possibilities. 

1. He agreed to said conditions of employment and then started breaching contract or his terms of employment...an contract he willingly entered.

2. After his contract were signed, he made a few statements which are embarrassing to his employer, but not mentioned in his terms of employment. They unilaterally tell him to stop such behaviour because x,y or z....starting to enter gray areas here...we don't have the all the facts yet.

Your analogy is not ideal to the situation. Let me try a different one. 

I work for a wealthy man as his gardener. I'm one of the best gardeners in the business. The next door neighbor has this vision of a beautiful garden and ask me to come and work for him. 

While I work, I sing Amazing grace all the time. No one seems to care. One day an atheist business partner of my employer comes by for a visit and hears my singing...highly offended he calls my employer and tells him, if this happens again, he cancels all business with my employer.

At first, my employer asks nicely not to sing...

You see where I'm going with this?

It's pretty simple DA,as I stated in my answer ,where does the control of Folau by  the Rugby Admin end?  You talk about a house,so now you say,the house of Rugby Australia includes all social media.What happens if he hands out a tract on the street with the same information on it,do they own the streets too?What happens if he goes on holiday and repeats those scripture verses to the unsaved,is he guilty?  Sports stars like the atheist Lance Armstrong have broken many laws,what law has Folau broken?

 What's this all about inclusion and exclusion.The Bible says if they do not mend their ways they are going to hell.

Well, Rover, you know where my sentiments are, but if he agreed to thes prohibitions when entered into his contract with RA, he doesn't have much of a case. The Devil is in the details....interesting case...what is also clear is that the gay community is getting more aggressive in the way they are trying to influence the political and social landscape...what's next?

Lara, your stance hasn't changed. I'm not saying it has. You clearly still think of him as a fraud. You have that right.

It seems you no longer support his cause because of something that happened somewhere else. This has swayed you. You have hardened your heart toward him because of it and I think it’s clouded your judgement on this issue.

Did he steal money?

Do you know both sides of the story? Do you know his side? I guarantee you he has a side too.

I just wanted to point out that there is a lot more at stake here than a man’s greed and money grubbing.

The truth will all come out in the end. If he’s exposed as a fraud and a con artist, I will most certainly apologize to you.

Fair enough?