ZR
03-27-2018, 05:03 PM
Popular ice cream brand Sweet Jesus may have come under fire recently for allegedly promoting “blasphemy,” but the company is not melting under the pressure—they say they have no plans to change their name.
The heat was turned up on the soft serve company earlier this week (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/03/24/sweet-jesus-ice-cream-parlour-faces-backlash-over-name.html)when right-wing bloggers analyzed the branding, and a petition on CitizenGo came to light, claiming Sweet Jesus “is all about trashing Christianity” and is “totally offensive,” asking that the company issue an apology to the Christian community at large, and change their name and branding.
“We want (Sweet Jesus) to consider how they have attacked the Christian community, and how they have attacked God,” the petition reads. At the top of the page, the headline exclaims, “Toronto-Based Ice Cream Parlours Serve Up Blasphemy.”
The brand, founded in 2015 by Andrew Richmond and Amin Todai, uses some religious imagery in their branding, but says their name is “an exclamation.”
“It was created from the popular phrase that people use as an expression of joy, surprise or disbelief,” Richmond said in a statement. “We found this firsthand, often using it while testing new items in our kitchens.
“We are conscious of the fact that, to some, our name can be off-putting. That fact is something we struggle with because we sincerely do not wish to give offense or show disrespect in any way toward anyone’s personal beliefs. Neither is it our intention to be exploitative or flagrantly provocative.”
The petition had reached over 8,500 signatures by Monday. CitizenGo, a conservative advocacy site, has been scrutinized in the past by groups such as GLAAD for homophobic and anti-choice rhetoric.
A second petition started on Change.org called for a boycott of the ice cream chain for their “Anti-Christ agenda,” saying that the sweet treat brand had declared “open season against Christianity.” They say an ice cream parlour using names and imagery from other religions would not be permitted.
The heat was turned up on the soft serve company earlier this week (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/03/24/sweet-jesus-ice-cream-parlour-faces-backlash-over-name.html)when right-wing bloggers analyzed the branding, and a petition on CitizenGo came to light, claiming Sweet Jesus “is all about trashing Christianity” and is “totally offensive,” asking that the company issue an apology to the Christian community at large, and change their name and branding.
“We want (Sweet Jesus) to consider how they have attacked the Christian community, and how they have attacked God,” the petition reads. At the top of the page, the headline exclaims, “Toronto-Based Ice Cream Parlours Serve Up Blasphemy.”
The brand, founded in 2015 by Andrew Richmond and Amin Todai, uses some religious imagery in their branding, but says their name is “an exclamation.”
“It was created from the popular phrase that people use as an expression of joy, surprise or disbelief,” Richmond said in a statement. “We found this firsthand, often using it while testing new items in our kitchens.
“We are conscious of the fact that, to some, our name can be off-putting. That fact is something we struggle with because we sincerely do not wish to give offense or show disrespect in any way toward anyone’s personal beliefs. Neither is it our intention to be exploitative or flagrantly provocative.”
The petition had reached over 8,500 signatures by Monday. CitizenGo, a conservative advocacy site, has been scrutinized in the past by groups such as GLAAD for homophobic and anti-choice rhetoric.
A second petition started on Change.org called for a boycott of the ice cream chain for their “Anti-Christ agenda,” saying that the sweet treat brand had declared “open season against Christianity.” They say an ice cream parlour using names and imagery from other religions would not be permitted.