Toronto-Based Ice Cream Parlours Serve Up Blasphemy

CitizenGO Canada started this petition to Monarch and Misfits - 2018/03/08

UPDATE: March 27th, 2018

Thanks to thousands of concerned Christians speaking up here in Canada, there has been wide-ranging coverage of this insult to Christ in the mainstream media. For example, our petition was featured on Global television, in the Toronto Star, and on CBC, among others.

According to the Star, Mr. Richmond offered this response: “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 offence or show disrespect in any way toward anyone’s personal beliefs. Neither is it our intention to be exploitative or flagrantly provocative.”

This is nonsense. They are calling our Lord a flavour of ice cream. They are making a mockery of Christian symbols. They are abusing Biblical texts. This does not just happen by accident! It is clearly designed to provoke. And now that they have heard over 10,000 complaints, their claim that they “do not wish to give offence” rings hollow. As of today, neither Mr. Richmond nor Mr. Todai has responded directly to our petition. They have only spoken to the media, which makes us think that all they are really after is some free publicity.

Now, despite our outrage, we do need to make one thing absolutely clear. We are not calling for the institution of new blasphemy laws in Canada! We are not demanding that the government close them down. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are Christian principles. If they want to go on insulting Christians and mocking God, that is their prerogative. However, we are concerned for their souls, and we want to make them aware of the offence they have caused. And we will not sit quietly by as our God is publicly mocked and ridiculed. We will stand for Christ.

To that end, we continue to call on our supporters, along with their friends and family, to sign our petition and boycott the ice cream shops of Mr. Richmond and Mr. Todai. In addition, we encourage prayer for them. May they know that the Christ they so disdain died on a cross for disdainful men.

Blasphemy is the order of the day at a Toronto-based chain of ice cream parlours. Founded by Andrew Richmond and Amin Todai in 2015, this new and growing chain goes by the name “Sweet Jesus”. There are already a dozen locations, mainly in the Greater Toronto Area, although plans are underway to expand across Canada and the US.

Choosing the name of our Lord for a brand of soft-serve ice cream is totally offensive and revolting. Even if this were some innocent faux-pas, it would still be unacceptable! However, this is anything but a mere mistake. Both in their promotional materials and menu selection, it is plain to see that Richmond and Todai have every intention of mocking Christ and Christianity. If anything could qualify as “hate speech”, this is it!

Three of their ice cream flavours are called “Red Rapture”, “Hella Nutella”, and “Sweet Baby Jesus”. A picture on their web site shows their ice cream in the place of Jesus in a Nativity Scene. Another picture displays an angel worshipping their ice cream. They say “Thou shalt follow” their social media feed. Other more hideous pictures, some involving children, have also emerged, according to Activist Mommy.

In addition, it is noteworthy that the first “s” in the “Jesus” in their company logo mimics the Nazi symbol for Hitler’s paramilitary organization, the “SS”.

The message is clear: “Sweet Jesus” is all about trashing Christianity and mocking the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is deeply offensive and an outright attack on the Christian community of Canada!

Could you imagine the outrage and fallout from within the Muslim community if Richmond and Todai had chosen “Sweet Mohammed” for the name of their ice cream parlours!

We are calling on 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.

FOR FURTHER READING...

Activist Mommy: https://activistmommy.com/sweet-jesus-ice-cream-brand-blasphemes-christ-fetishizes-children/