Europe Why obscenity ok - christian purity ring NO

[mick75]

Lydia Playfoot has messages of support from over 30 bishops and 15 politicians in her fight to wear the chastity ring





Christian Teenager Takes Purity Ring Case to Court
A 16-year-old Christian student is taking her school to the High Court over her right to wear a Christian 'purity ring'.
by Gretta Curtis
Posted: Thursday, May 3, 2007, 7:45 (BST)
Font Scale:A A A

A 16-year-old Christian student is taking her school to the High Court over her right to wear a Christian 'purity ring'.

Lydia Playfoot hit the headlines last year when governors at Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, banned her from wearing a small silver ring, symbolising her Christian commitment to sexual abstinence until marriage.

The Silver Ring Thing is a Christian education project aimed at helping teenage girls value themselves, make the right choices about their future, and reduce Britain's ever-increasing rise in sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies among teenagers. Her case was even raised by her MP, Andrew Selous, with the Schools Minister, Jim Knight, in the House of Commons.

Lydia criticised the treatment she had received from the school which led to her recent decision to stop wearing the ring.


She said: "My friends and I have had detentions and been taught in isolation for wearing the ring.

"I feel like I've been treated the same as someone who is caught bringing cannabis into school.

"My ring is a symbol of my religious faith. I think, as a Christian, it says we should keep ourselves pure from sexual sinfulness and wearing the ring is a good way of making a stand.

"I stopped wearing the ring because it was being made really difficult for me.


"I am sitting GCSE modules this year and I missed loads of drama lessons because the teachers would teach us in isolation."

Playfoot, together with 20 other Christian pupils at the school have been punished for wearing their rings. They were told the ring broke the school’s uniform policy – a policy that prohibited all jewellery except ear studs, but still allowed for Muslims to wear headscarves and Sikhs to wear Kara bracelets.

Following nine months of protracted correspondence and meetings with the school, governors have rejected a latest request to allow her to wear the ring. They state she could injure another pupil if she fell over while wearing it, and claim the ring is not a valid expression of her Christian faith.

After sending a letter to the governors and teachers explaining why the ring was an expression of her Christian faith, Lydia eventually relented and has removed the ring so that her studies, culminating this spring with her GCSE exams, did not continue to be affected.

Miss Playfoot is, however, taking her case to the High Court. She believes the school has infringed her rights under Article Nine of the Human Rights Act which, she says, gives her the right to "in public or private, manifest her religion or belief in worship teaching, practice and observanceâ€Â.

The school has said it would allow Lydia to attach the ring to her school bag, or she can look for another school that will allow her to wear the ring but Lydia believes her school's uniform policy is "discriminatory" as it allows all faiths, except Christians, to wear items symbolic of their beliefs.

According to Miss Playfoot, Sikh girls are not asked to attach their bracelets to their bags, and the The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has indicated that research shows there is an "insignificant risk" in wearing a small smooth ring to school.

Lydia is supported in her legal action by her parents Phil and Heather Playfoot.

Mrs Playfoot said: "We are extremely proud of our daughter who has shown the courage to stand up for what is right and true and who is trying to make a positive impact on her generation. In a nation that is seeing an escalating rise in the rates of sexually transmitted infections, my hope is that schools, and all those in authority, would back any youngster who is living for what is the best way of life for our society."


you can read from telegraph
[url]www.telegraph.co.uk[/url]

 

[Guest]

This is an interesting case - on all sides.

One could argue that a 'ring' is not a Christian symbol of one's faith. In fact, Calvin spoke against married couples wearing 'wedding rings'.

On the other hand, the ring does symbolize a personal Christian conviction and application of her faith - staying pure till marriage.

 

[mick75]

, but still allowed for Muslims to wear headscarves and Sikhs to wear Kara bracelets.??????

How is that - how could they persecuted christian in Euorope >>
allowing thoso people to destroy Euorope culture>>
Christianity made Euorope best place on earth ..be proud of it

 

[Guest]

mick - one could argue that the headscarf and braclets are commanded in their religious befiefs.

A rings isn't commanded.

Like I said, this is an interesting case.

 

[Vic C.]

Mick,

I fixed the link in your post so the Board would return to normal width.

 

[Veritas]

Playfoot, together with 20 other Christian pupils at the school have been punished for wearing their rings. They were told the ring broke the school’s uniform policy – a policy that prohibited all jewellery except ear studs, but still allowed for Muslims to wear headscarves and Sikhs to wear Kara bracelets.

Miss Playfoot is, however, taking her case to the High Court. She believes the school has infringed her rights under Article Nine of the Human Rights Act which, she says, gives her the right to "in public or private, manifest her religion or belief in worship teaching, practice and observanceâ€Â.

It does make you wonder if it's just about the rings and dress code, or if they have something against Christians in particular. I wonder if she's able able to share the Good News at her school too or if Christians in particular are not allowed to do that either.

 

[ChristineES]

I see why she wants to wear the ring and I can't see how her wearing hurts anyone. (She could keep her values even if she did not wear the ring.) If they don't let her wear her ring then they should not let other religions wear their religious icons either.

 

[Rick W]

How would one know what the ring stands for? People even wear rings on their toes. To me it looks just like any other ring.

 

[tim-from-pa]

It does make you wonder if it's just about the rings and dress code, or if they have something against Christians in particular. I wonder if she's able able to share the Good News at her school too or if Christians in particular are not allowed to do that either.

Probably the dress code will be their defense, unless the ring stood for gay rights or something similar then "all of a sudden" it will be OK to wear. :roll:

That's your "open-minded" "politically correct" "zero tolerance" and other catch-phrase crowds for you these days. I never saw such a one-tracked minded and narrow-minded generation that makes these rules but calls themselves enlightened and everyone else bigoted. Their heads are so narrow that if they turn to the side they may disappear.