By Dan Satherley
Hell Pizza's new billboards, comparing its new hot cross buns range to Jesus, has predictably outraged some Christians.
The buns, emblazoned with a five-pointed star commonly associated with Satanism and the occult, are accompanied by the slogan: "For a limited time. A bit like Jesus."
Jesus was crucified when he was in his early 30s.
"It's disrespectful to what a lot of people hold very dear," Anglican Church media officer Lloyd Ashton told the New Zealand Herald.
"The ad is another example of already over-remunerated ad people getting paid more to churn out 'risque' ads.
"They've dared here to take a clumsy poke at something that numbers of people hold sacred."
Hell Pizza dismissed the criticism, saying any debate their marketing department has cooked up is "good".
"I do not see how it could possibly be disrespectful to anyone's religion," says director Warren Powell.
"First of all, we're acknowledging that Jesus Christ may have been on Earth for a limited time. We may bring them back next year, and everyone's saying that Jesus Christ is coming back one day."
Complaints have been laid with the Advertising Standards Authority, but could take 25 days to be processed – by which point Easter will be over.
3 News
source: newshub archive
