Ms. Playfoot is all of 16 years old. Grownups certainly encouraged her to sue her school because she wanted to wear the ‘chastity ring’ that she has been coached to say shows she is “publicly expressing and practising her faith.”

Her mom and dad work with The Silver Ring Thing organization. The judge ruled against her, and ordered her father to pay the 12 thousand pounds in legal fees. The 16 year old Lydia told The Times she is going to consult ‘with her legal team’ about appeal.

But deputy High Court judge Michael Supperstone said today that the ring was not an integral part of the Christian faith and upheld the school’s right to enforce its uniform policy.

But the judge ruled that “whatever the ring is intended to symbolise, it is a piece of jewellery.”

He added that Ms Playfoot’s human rights had not been breached because she “voluntarily accepted the uniform policy of the school” and there were “other means open to her to practise her belief.”

The judge also ordered Ms Playfoot’s father, Philip, to pay £12,000 towards the school’s legal costs. She was denied permission to appeal against the ruling.

I respectfully disagree with this Church of England spokesperson, who obviously is not aware of the history of this group.

A spokesman for the Church of England said it was a “great pity” that Ms Playfoot’s “commendable commitment to upholding Christian teaching on chastity should have provoked controversy and the need for litigation.”

“In this case, wearing a ring, though it is not intrinsically a Christian symbol like a cross, is clearly a symbol of the desire to uphold and practise an aspect of the Christian faith.”

Right now this 16 year old perceives the events, the money for the ring, other friends wearing it, as ‘a demonstration of my Christian faith and values.’ Ask her and her 11 classmates involved again in 5 years. The school’s position is so simple, there are people apparently unwilling to accept it. Jewellry is not acceptable.

Background on the Playfoot case here.

The ‘Christian legal group’ that represented Ms. Playfoot argued this was a human rights issue under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Rights and religiousity.

Background on some of the shady characters involved in the UK franchise (this is a US business model import, no matter how they pretty it up it is not a ministry, has nothing to do with God and a great deal to do with peer pressure, making money and conning teens. For once commerce didn’t win)

Update and more material at The Ministry of Truth