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Red Bull pulls nativity ad
Reuters ^ | December 4, 2007

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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: christmas; italy; nativity; redbull; waronchristmas; waronchristmas2007
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1 posted on 12/04/2007 8:38:42 AM PST by NYer
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To: Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; nickcarraway; Romulus; ...
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


2 posted on 12/04/2007 8:39:06 AM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: NYer

Good for Red Bull. They got the message.


3 posted on 12/04/2007 8:41:53 AM PST by agere_contra (Do not confuse the wealth of nations with the wealth of government - FDT)
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To: NYer

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.


4 posted on 12/04/2007 8:41:56 AM PST by absolootezer0 (white male christian hetero married gun toting SUV driving motorcycle riding conservative smoker)
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To: NYer

The guy needs a sense of humor.


5 posted on 12/04/2007 8:43:04 AM PST by gracesdad
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To: NYer

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.


6 posted on 12/04/2007 8:43:52 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: NYer
We Catholics need a rage boy or two to straighten these companies out....


7 posted on 12/04/2007 8:43:58 AM PST by NRA1995 (Mr. President and Congress: This is OUR country and don't you forget it!)
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To: NYer

at least italians respond to anti-christian/catholic messages! here in the U.S. the as would have been awarded a nobel prize.


8 posted on 12/04/2007 8:45:34 AM PST by robomatik
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To: robomatik

as=ad


9 posted on 12/04/2007 8:46:20 AM PST by robomatik
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To: NYer

How many wise men were there? Show me padre.......


10 posted on 12/04/2007 8:47:25 AM PST by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
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To: gracesdad

Well, nobody was in danger of getting blown up over it in any case.


11 posted on 12/04/2007 8:48:20 AM PST by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
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To: Oberon

True.


12 posted on 12/04/2007 8:50:48 AM PST by gracesdad
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To: Red Badger

Yes, and they didn’t show up on “Christmas” either.


13 posted on 12/04/2007 8:51:58 AM PST by exit82 (How do you handle Hillary? You Huma her.)
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To: gracesdad

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.


14 posted on 12/04/2007 8:57:33 AM PST by incredulous joe (" Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.")
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To: NYer

How was it sacreligious?


15 posted on 12/04/2007 8:59:16 AM PST by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to.....otherwise, things would be different.)
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To: stuartcr; absolootezer0
Looks like so far we're the only ones who found the ad gently droll and not at all disrespectful.

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?

16 posted on 12/04/2007 9:34:24 AM PST by Tenniel2 (Shelob delenda est!)
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To: Tenniel2

That doesn’t bother me.


17 posted on 12/04/2007 9:37:30 AM PST by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to.....otherwise, things would be different.)
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To: NYer

Father, you need to cut back on the caffeine!...


18 posted on 12/04/2007 10:38:51 AM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: NYer

Next he’ll ask to pull their tagline “it gives you wings” because it’s offensive to real angels.


19 posted on 12/04/2007 11:22:31 AM PST by manic4organic (Send a care package through USO today.)
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To: incredulous joe

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.


20 posted on 12/04/2007 11:25:12 AM PST by MrB (You can't reason people out of a position that they didn't use reason to get into in the first place)
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