Christian religious 'rights' and the fandom instinct

This has been a few years in the making: ever since EU legislation gave the right for people to manifest their religion, some Christians have been itching to find a way to express their allegiance to Christ in comparable ways to other faith bodies. But it's difficult: we don't have set prayer times like Muslims that are integral to Christianity; we are told to pray but there is a lot of lassitude on just how. We don't have special clothes like a Sikh Turban, just commands to consider others and to be modest. And so, when the girl at the heart of this case made a chastity vow out of Christian convictions and sealed it with a ring. Well, commendable though her stance is, it was always going to be hard to claim it was integral, somehow, to Christain faith.

authorities claim the band, which is engraved with a Biblical verse, is not an integral part of the Christian faith and contravenes its uniform policy

This can seem disappointing to keen Christians, who feel the urge to fandom that others express by wearing team colours or putting up pix of singers but direct it to Christ (no necessarily bad thing there, but let's be honest that some zeal is, at least in part, tapping into the 'fandom' instinct) but let's take some satisfaction from knowing that our faith is flexible and responsive in cultural terms and that we are charged with dismantling 'sacred' and 'secular' divides, and not creating arbitrary ones just to be part of the religious burdens club.

Come to me all who are weary and burdened ... and I will give you rest.

Let's exalt in not having religious manifestations to parade; save, perhaps those of love, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit?
School's chastity ring ban 'violated religious freedom'