'Blasphemy' or yummy? Some Christians aren't sweet on Sweet Jesus ice cream

A Canadian ice cream chain that has moved into the United States has run into a backlash of not-nearly-Biblical proportions.

Some Christian critics don't like the name of the shop — Sweet Jesus.

The name comes from an exclamation an employee used when tasting the creamy treat, co-founder Andrew Richmond told the Toronto Star in 2016, the year after he started the company with Amin Todai.

"Sweet Jesus," exclamation point.

The website carries this disclaimer: "Our name was created from the popular phrase that people use as an expression of enjoyment, surprise or disbelief.

"Our aim is not to offer commentary on anyone’s religion or belief systems, our own organization is made up of amazing people that represent a wide range of cultural and religious beliefs."

But that's apparently not what some American Christians believe, for they're the ones raising the ruckus.

Protest petitions popped up in January after the company opened its first U.S. location inside the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. It plans to open other locations in the United States, including at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

The conservative blog Activist Mommy posted an article analyzing the “blasphemous” use of religious imagery in the brand’s logo, according to the Toronto Star.

"The name, 'Sweet Jesus' refers to a blasphemous expression one might use when thoroughly enjoying one of the company’s ice cream cones and most certainly not their love of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," Mommy wrote.

"This is immediately apparent by their logo, which features an SS style 'S,' popular among equally blasphemous and Satanic metal bands of the 70s and 80s, and an upside down cross.

"So they want to make quite sure we know they are in fact, not Christian, and that the entire marketing concept of their company is to mock the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

A petition on the website of CitizenGo, a conservative advocacy group, seeks an apology, a name change and the removal of every advertising image that is offensive to Jesus. As of Monday afternoon the drive had collected nearly 9,000 signatures out of a 10,000-signature goal.

"Blasphemy is the order of the day at a Toronto-based chain of ice cream parlours," the petition begins.

"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!"

The petition also objects to three ice cream flavors named "Red Rapture," "Hella Nutella" and "Sweet Baby Jesus."

"The message is clear: 'Sweet Jesus' is all about trashing Christianity and mocking the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ," says the petition.

But is that a lonely cry in the wilderness?

A poll by the Toronto Star — and scores of tweets and yummy Instagram posts of Sweet Jesus treats — suggests it might be.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Richmond said the company knew from the get-go that some people might be put off by the name.

But to use a phrase that seems most apt, they're letting Jesus take the wheel on this one.

"After a lot of thought, we have decided that we will not make a change," he said. "The best brands come from an honest place.

"Sweet Jesus is an honest reflection of our experiences and that of our customers and how they react when they try our product. In our experience, the majority of people understand that we’re not trying to make a statement about religion."

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 5:00 PM with the headline "'Blasphemy' or yummy? Some Christians aren't sweet on Sweet Jesus ice cream."