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.
Father Marko is using the Islamist bipolar playbook.
“Please tell me what was offensive, in particular, what were they making fun of?”
Didn’t see the piece, so I couldn’t say.
I don’t believe that I stated that it offended me, personally.
“I cringe seeing something like this, because sensitivity on this scale lowers Christianity to the infantilism of Islam.”
So, then you’re comparing Christians, who might be put off by an ad that pokes fun of the nativity to the barbarous teddy bear beheaders of the Sudan??
That’s interesting. Did you use reason to arrive at this conclusion?
I’m with the priest. Showing a wise man holding a soft drink can is sacrilegious, and so is having angels say, “Red Bull gives you wings.” Red Bull wasn’t even around when Jesus was born, or when the shepherds came to see Him, or when the wise men came to see Him. There was no Red Bull for the angels to drink. And by the way, angels had wings long before Red Bull was invented. See Isaiah 6:2; Ezekiel 1:6,8,9,11,23-25; and Revelation 4:8. God gave them wings.
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