Schoolgirl fights for right to wear 'chastity ring'

[lyrasdaemon]

A 16 year-old girl is going to the High Court to gain the right to wear her 'chastity ring' at school. Read more here.

IMHO, this girl hasn't got a leg to stand on. The 'chastity ring' is not a Christian symbol, it is a symbol of a pledge made to remain sexually inactive until marriage, a pledge which can be made by those of all faiths and none. As the ring is not a uniquely Christian symbol, the girl's religious beliefs are not being discriminated against by being told she cannot wear it. For this very simple reason, the High Court should chuck out this case worthwith and tell the girl to get stuffed!!!

[Blandmum]

I think that it is a very personal choice, and as long as the choice is made freely, an is informed I don't see any harm either way.

Wearing a Ring is all about saying 'Look at me! I'm just so Good'

There are lots of bits in the New Testiment about praying to your God in private and avoiding outwards grandeose displays of Piety.

[bobsmum]

Agree with paula. What is sexual incompatibility anyway?

[DaisyMOO]

This thread has given me a good giggle

IMHO teenagers are less likely to have sex at a young age and more likely to use contraception when they do if they are confident, happy and have high self esteem.

I was a very religious teenager and went to a charismatic church probably quite similar to the one this girl goes to. Everybody was obsessed with sex, the talks on sex at Christian conferences were always packed to the rafters and it seemed to be the most important issue for all the parents. I absolutely agree that sex at a very young age is not good for many reasons but I really think Christians need to chill out about the whole sex before marriage thing. Being a teenager is hard enough without being made to feel guilty for having sexual feelings. Didn't work in my case anyway, I ended up having a fling with the vicar

[OrmIrian]

DH's other neice (OK...it's a family of extremes) is engaged to a nice young man (he has 'prospects' and is very religious) and they are intending to wait until they are married in a few years time. They seem very fond of each other and altough DH chooses to beleive they are at it like rabbits, I don't think they are. I can only hope their wedding night is a revelation . They love each other, find each other attractive, and assuming there aren't any bits missing, I don't see where the incompatability will come from.

[ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands]

Sigh. Was being rather ironic. But anyway.. sex is important actually.. they always tell you that at Relate!!

[ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands]

No, actually I don't deny my children are mine actually Fio.. I just declare that my hymen grew back and that I am a born again virgin!

[ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands]

[they are more likely to say f*ck off and stop high jacking the thread)

[But how lovely! Did she really say that??! I wonder on what basis she has made this assumption? )

[moo]

Loving the idea of "second chance virginity".
So if I get one of these rings I can be a virgin again? I can go round proclaiming to all and sundry that I'm a born-again virgin? Cool.

[Fubsy]

Think my hymens growing back as we speak

Re the ring - and this made me spitting mad when I heard it today - apart from school uniform policy, its a safety thing not to wear rings at school.

When youve seen a degloving injury on a child (where the skin is peeled right off the hand or finger because a ring was caught or pulled off) you wouldnt piss around wailing about human rights.

Incidentally, my XP nursed a teenager years ago who was in ITU in a coma - the DRs couldnt work out why she had a permanently dilated anus - turned out she and her BF were having anal sex so she could remain intact for her wedding

[ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands]

I don't think she should wearing, silly attention seeking girl.. but how can rings be as dangerous as all that? Most of wear a wedding ring etc for most of a lifetime without losing any fingers!

[SueBaroo]

I think the idea of 'born again virginity' is because some people regret losing their virginity, and the idea is that just because you might have already had sex, you don't have to keep on having it - the point is to get away from this horrible notion of 'spoiled goods' etc. It's just trying to help young people feel good about themselves and feel in control of their own choices and so on.

But I also agree with MB about wearing the ring being a bit boastful, really. I still think it's nonsense.

[ViciousSquirrelSpotter]

I don't see why people should have the basic human right to bruit about their religious feelings anyway. What about people who have political convictions? Why shouldn't they be able to wear badges with CND or Tory party or whatever on them? Why should religious convictions be privileged over political ones?

And oh this child is intrusive. I have a basic human right not to have to know about her sex life, or lack of it.

[bookwormmum]

Its no worse her having her day in court than anyone else. If it results in a ruling, it might actually do some good as everyone'll know where they stand. Until they troop off to the Appeal Court, HoL, ECHR etc . This one could run .

[Fubsy]

As long as theyre paying for it - Id be a bit pissed off if legal aid was being wasted on something like this.

[margoandjerry]

yep, annoying teenage attention-seeking. Just like the muslim girl who wanted to wear the full head to toe veil in school - ummmmm no. It's not as if most school uniforms promote overt sexuality and the schools in question required these girls to wear hot pants and boob tubes as a uniform!

Martianbishop put it best, as ever. She wants to be seen as "special" and assert her rights. Boring. Victimy nonsense.

[edam]

Fubsy, I bet it is legal aid-funded, she's a child so qualifies, I think.

Agree she's an attention seeker with scary parents who have no idea what human rights are really about. Oh how they will laugh when she comes home pregnant at 17. Not.

[SueBaroo]

What's so damned frustrating about it is that the supposed idea is to provide and antidote to sex-obssessed society blah blah blah.
And what's happened? She's been set up for loads of people to make unpleasant comments about her potential sex-life. Painfully naive.

[SSSandy2]

According to that article, the head says a Christian at the school would be allowed to wear a crucifix, so couldn't she just do that and slip the ring on the same chain whilst she's at school?

[whomovedmychocolate]

I agree that people should be allowed to believe whatever they like and they should be allowed to wear acceptable symbols of that - I think the school could probably have ignored this - it's not like she's going to hurt herself wearing a ring - now if it was a chastity belt - now that could cause problems with the metal detectors at the entrance.

However, it does prompt a more serious discussion: if it is enshrined in human rights that one can say one is a certain religion and that one should be allowed to display the artifacts of that religion, and given the recent census in the UK, are we to face a high number of jedi kids wanting to take their light sabres to class?

[DominiConnor]

We can't know what is really in her mind, can we ? If someone wears a ring, is it because it is their interpretation of Christ's will, or is it because they fear werewolves ?

You scoff at werewolves ?
Some people really believe in them, OK, not many, but are you saying that a belief that only has few adherents is therefore invalid ?

Her expression of faith comes from the USA. That makes some scoff. Interesting that "being foreign" somehow invalidates it in some people's eyes.

Is it genuine ?
Is she just winding up the staff ?
How can you know ?
You can't.

But why does it matter ?
It matters because we grant rights to people who claim faith, which we don't to other beliefs.
A belief in werewolves is no more unreasonable than the notion of a loving God who occasionally destroys cities.

It won't stop here of course. I don't care what teenage girls wear on their fingers or on their heads. But the next generation will demand the removal of bits of the syllabus they don't like. Evolution is already becoming a casualty of this, as is teaching of the holocaust.