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Posted on 12/04/2007 8:38:41 AM PST by NYer
An angry Italian priest has persuaded soft drinks company Red Bull to withdraw an advertisement setting its product in a nativity scene on the grounds it is disrespectful to Christianity.
Father Marco Damanti, from Sicily, wrote to the makers of the caffeinated energy drink denouncing their commercial as "a blasphemous act" and said on Monday he had received a prompt reply promising to remove it from Italian television.
The advert depicted four wise men, instead of three, visiting Mary and the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The fourth wise man bore a can of the soft drink.
"The image of the sacred family has been represented in a sacrilegious way," Father Damanti told Corriere della Sera. "Whatever the ironic intentions of Red Bull, the advert pokes fun at the nativity, and at Christian sensitivity."
The priest also objected to the company's slogan, "Red Bull gives you wings," said by angels in the animated advert.
The commercial is by no means the first to fall foul of Italian religious sensibilities. Sony, fashion house Marithe et Francois Girbaud, and pop singer Madonna are among those whose adverts have been banned on the grounds of religion.
Good for Red Bull. They got the message.
oh WAH! at least they’re actually acknowledging the reason for the season.. unlike so many PC companies that are pushing the holiday tree crap.
The guy needs a sense of humor.
These days, people will apparently complain about the presence of religious imagery, and the absence of it... so I don’t think there’s a way to win any more. The trick is just to try to manage how many people are boycotting you.
at least italians respond to anti-christian/catholic messages! here in the U.S. the as would have been awarded a nobel prize.
as=ad
How many wise men were there? Show me padre.......
Well, nobody was in danger of getting blown up over it in any case.
True.
Yes, and they didn’t show up on “Christmas” either.
I’m glad they pulled the ad. If you can’t create a good commercial for your product without offending the deeply held religious beliefs of many Christians you need to get out of the advertising business.
It’ a smart move by Red Bull. Good for them.
How was it sacreligious?
Now, what about all those advertisers who don't understand how profoundly disrespectful the insipid all-purpose word "holiday" is to about 80% of their potential Christmas-shopping customers?
That doesn’t bother me.
Father, you need to cut back on the caffeine!...
Next he’ll ask to pull their tagline “it gives you wings” because it’s offensive to real angels.
Please tell me what was offensive, in particular, what were they making fun of?
I cringe seeing something like this, because sensitivity on this scale lowers Christianity to the infantilism of Islam.
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