Friday 27 October 2017
07.52 EDTFelix
Ngole, who was on social work course at Sheffield University, wrote on Facebook
that homosexuality was a sin. He said he was lawfully expressing a
traditional Christian view.
A
DEVOUT
Christian who was thrown off a
university social work course after branding homosexuality a sin on Facebook has
lost a high court battle.
Felix
Ngole, from Barnsley in south Yorkshire, was removed from a two-year MA course
at Sheffield University in February last year after writing what the university
called “derogatory” comments about gay and bisexual people.
Ngole,
39, wrote during a debate on Facebook that “the Bible and God identify
homosexuality as a sin”, adding that “same-sex marriage is a sin whether we like
it or not. It is God’s words and man’s sentiments would not change His words.”
He claimed that he was lawfully expressing a
traditional Christian view and complained that university bosses unfairly
stopped him completing a postgraduate degree. But after analysing rival claims
at a trial in London this month, the deputy high court judge, Rowena Collins
Rice, ruled against him.
Ngole
said his rights to freedom of speech and thought, enshrined in the
European convention on human rights, had been breached. His case was
backed by the Christian Legal Centre, part of the campaign group
Christian Concern.
But lawyers representing the university argued that he showed “no
insight” and said the decision to remove him from the course was
fair and proportionate.
They said Ngole had been studying for a professional qualification
and university bosses had to consider his “fitness to practise”.
Ngole said he planned to appeal further, adding: “I am very
disappointed by this ruling, which supports the university’s
decision to bar me from my chosen career because of my Biblical
views on sexual ethics.
“I intend to appeal this decision, which clearly intends to restrict
me from expressing my Christian faith in public.”
The judge was told Ngole had posted comments during a debate about
Kim Davis, a state official in the US state of Kentucky, who refused
to register same-sex marriages. Ngole said he had argued that
Davis’s position was based on the “Biblical view of same-sex
marriage as a sin”. He said he was making a “genuine contribution”
to an important public debate and was entitled to express his
religious views.
University bosses said he had posted comments on a publicly
accessible Facebook page which were “derogatory of gay men and
bisexuals”.
Collins Rice said: “Public religious speech has to be looked at in a
regulated context from the perspective of a public readership.
Social workers have considerable power over the lives of vulnerable
service users and trust is a precious professional commodity.”
The judge added: “Universities also have a wide range of interests
in and responsibilities for their students – academic, social and
pastoral. Where, as Sheffield does, they aspire to be welcoming
environments for students from a diverse range of backgrounds, they
must expect to be inclusive and supportive of that diversity.”
Officials at the Christian Legal Centre said the decision was wrong
and would have a “chilling” effect.
Andrea Williams, the chief executive, said: “The court has ruled
that though Mr Ngole is entitled to hold his Biblical views on
sexual ethics, he is not entitled to express them. This ruling will
have a chilling effect on Christian students up and down the country
who will now understand that their personal social media posts may
be investigated for political correctness.”