As Christians, we are called to obey God’s commands and lift the name of Jesus high. But, is naming an ice cream shop “Sweet Jesus” really honoring or just plain insulting to the name of our savior? A Canadian ice cream company is now facing some harsh backlash from the surrounding Christian community over its name, Sweet Jesus, and branding imagery, which features upside down crosses.
And this is not new, Sweet Jesus ice cream has been facing criticism over the brand’s name ever since it was founded back in 2015. However, as the brand is rapidly expanding across the Canadian border, critics have become more and more vocal about their concerns as they demand the company to change their name. The controversy has been taking social media by storm. Back in January, a woman wrote a blog post for the website Mommy Activist where she said that the brand name “blasphemes Christ” and “fetishizes children”. She then went on to criticize their logo, saying: “…their logo, which features an SS-style ‘S’, popular among equally blasphemous and Satanic metal bands of the 70s and 80s, and an upside down cross. So they want to make quite sure we know they are in fact, not Christian, and that the entire marketing concept of their company is to mock the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And she isn’t the only one who is unhappy. In fact, thousands of others have had a similar reaction to the brand’s name and logo. One upset Canadian citizen even went so far as to set up a petition on website CitizenGo. They are calling for the Sweet Jesus owners to “issue a public apology for misusing the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “change the name and branding of your franchise.” The petition reads: “We are calling on [owners] Richmond, Todai, and their parent company “Monarch & Misfits” to issue an apology for their blasphemy. We want them to consider how they have attacked the Christian community, and how they have attacked God. We are also asking them to immediately change their name and branding to eliminate every instance of mockery toward our Lord Jesus.”
And, the petition has gained traction. Today, nearly 9,000 people have digitally signed the petition, which is only 1,000 shy of its goal. Another petition was also created on Change.org calling for the same changes, and this petition has nearly reached its goal of 500 signatures.
And, while many in the Christian community have been calling for a boycott of the popular ice cream shop, its Instagram page still has over 114,000 followers. Sweet Jesus has responded to the controversy and has denied any claims that its name is offensive. “Our name was created 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 website said.
[Source/Fox News]
Share this story with your other Christian friends and see what they think about the name Sweet Jesus.
