Peter FitzSimons: it may come back to bite you

'Devil worship' statement against Roman Catholic Church

Josiah Folau deserves to have his work as tutor and boarding house supervisor concluded. He called the Catholic Church 'the synagogue of Satan' and 'any devout Catholic person IS NOT A SAVED CHRISTIAN WHATSOEVER. Look at Catholic doctrine, almost 100% of it is false and is filled with lies. The blasphemous Catholic mass is a paganistic ritual rooted in heresy, evil and devil worship. Roman Catholicism is masked devil worship'.

Josiah Folau has contradicted the values of the church that employed him. St Greg's College, if we truly had freedom of religion, should have every right to sack him whether he promoted it at the College or elsewhere.

Whether one agrees with this statement or not, it is contrary to Catholic Church doctrine. He has not upheld the values of a Catholic College.

So, instead of outrage over Josiah Folau's termination of employment, FitzSimons and his religious friends who champion freedom of religion and free speech (and I'm one of them) should commend St Greg's for taking the stand of backing its values and hiring those who support the ethos of the Roman Catholic Church.

It's time for legislation in Australia that allows all institutions the rights to choose staff based on values of the organisation. These employees should not go public with beliefs that are contrary to those of the employer if one wants to continue employment.

Here, here for Catholic and independent schools being allowed to employ staff to promote their ethics.

FitzSimmons' complaint disguises the truth of the need in a free society to give all employers and other organisations the choice of a staff person's values.

Could you imagine a Labor MP or Coalition MP not hiring pro-Labor or Pro-Coalition supporters in their respective local offices?

The bee in FitzSimons' bonnet about the actions of 'religious friends' falls in a heap over Josiah Folau's sacking. This is because his tirade against religious friends promotes the need for robust freedom of religion and free speech in Australian legislation.

How does sport relate to religion?

I write as a committed evangelical, Protestant Christian who has a high view of the authority of Scripture.

I've heard from friend and foe in person or on Internet forums:

• 'When someone says that religion is influencing their decision publicly, it may be true, But it is not right to say so'.
• 'But religion does face extra impediments. News editors, themselves usually secular in outlook and uncomfortable in tackling it, have readily seized the myth that it is a private matter' (Barnaby Swartz).
• Australian historian, Manning Clark, wrote of religion in Australia as 'a shy hope in the heart'.
• This was cited in the Catholic Herald: Ipsos Mori found 74% of Christians consider religion should be a private matter and should not influence public policy, so even most Christians are secularists'.