Christians have launched a boycott campaign to demand a name change to Canadian ice cream chain "Sweet Jesus" because they believe that the way the company uses the name is blasphemous and makes a mockery of the Christian faith.
At least three online petitions have been created to demand a name change to the ice cream chain founded by Andrew Richmond and Amin Todai in Toronto in 2015.
One petition on the LifeSite website asserts that many of the company's advertisements are using Catholic and Christian symbols - such as a rosary, a crucifix with a corpus and angels - to mock faith. One advertisement reportedly features a Nativity Scene, but an ice cream cone is placed on the manger instead of Baby Jesus.
"There are also Satanic symbols interspersed throughout their ads, such as upside-down crosses, lightning bolts, skulls, roaring wildcats, and images that suggest vampires and blood," the petition stated.
Online photos claim to show some locations of the ice cream chain use an upside down cross for the "t" in "sweet," while spoons and cups bear the inverted crucifix. Some of the ice cream flavors were reportedly named "red rapture," "hella nutella" and "sweet baby Jesus."
A petition launched on CitizenGo argued that the name should qualify as a "hate speech" and would still be unacceptable if it were simply a mistake.
Another petition on Change.org requests a name change to the company, saying that if the mocking and blasphemous name of Sweet Jesus is allowed, it might lead to something more.
"We are calling on not just Christians, but anyone who is against religious discrimination to take a stand against this brand until the name is changed so as not to be offensive to and until such time as it does not discriminate against any religion," it stated.
The ice cream chain already has 19 locations in Canada and one at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The company is planning to open more stores in other U.S. locations, such as Mall of America, according to Life Site.
The company has explained on its website that its name was derived from the "popular phrase that people use as an expression of enjoyment, surprise or disbelief."
"Our aim is not to offer commentary on anyone's religion or belief systems. Our own organization is made up of amazing people that represent a wide range of cultural and religious beliefs," the company wrote.
