Felix Ngole, 38, who was studying for a Masters in social work, posted his opinion and quoted Leviticus 20:13: ‘If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination’ (NKJV). A complaint was subsequently made, and a Fitness to Practice Committee, which interprets the guidelines set by the national body which accredits social workers, ruled that he was not fit to practice.It said: ‘Members of the committee expressed serious concerns about the level of insight you had demonstrated with regards to the comments you posted on Facebook.
‘The committee were clear to point out that their decision is not based on your views but on your act of publicly posting those views such that it will have an effect on your ability to carry out a role as a social worker. ‘Members were in agreement that this action was an extremely poor judgement on your part and had transgressed boundaries which are not deemed appropriate for someone entering the social work profession.’ Mr Ngole is appealing the decision and is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre. He said that the university’s decision to exclude him amounts to ‘secret policing of Christian belief’. Speaking to Premier he said, ‘I’m a Christian. What I said on that Facebook page is actually my view, as a Christian, and I don’t think that will ever change…I stand by everything that I put on Facebook on that particular day.’
