The creators of the show appear to be hiding behind the claim that it’s “just a comedy” but at least 1.5 million people aren’t buying that excuse.
And they don’t seem to find it remotely funny.
If there’s a line, I think Netflix just crossed it.
Why would anyone think that a Christmas special about a “gay Jesus” would be a good idea?
Here’s the Change.org Petition that has already blown through 1.5 million signatures and is on its way to 3 million next:
The Christian Post had more on the Petition:
More than 1.3 million people have signed a petition demanding that Netflix remove a Brazilian comedy special that depicts Jesus Christ as a homosexual.
Titled “The First Temptation of Christ” (presumably alluding to the controversial 1988 film “The Last Temptation of Christ”), the satirical special was created by a Brazilian comedy group known as Porta Does Fundos. It premiered on Dec. 3.
“Jesus, who's hitting the big 3-0, brings a surprise guest to meet the family. A Christmas special so wrong, it must be from comedians Porta dos Fundos,” reads its description on Netflix.
The satirical film has stirred up a good deal of controversy in Brazil, where many conservative Christians and churches have denounced the comedy special.
A petition in Portuguese calling for Netflix to remove the specialwas posted last week on Change.org by a person named Alex Brindejoncy. As of Friday morning, it has gotten over 1.35 million signatures.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of conservative Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, took to social media to denounce the satirical special.
“We support freedom of expression, but is it worth attacking the belief of 86 percent of the population?” Bolsonaro asked, as reported by AFP.
Henrique Soares da Costa, a bishop in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, took to his Facebook account to say he had canceled his Netflix account due to the film, according to AFP, denouncing it as “blasphemous, vulgar and disrespectful.”
This is not the first time that Porta Dos Fundos has made a comedy special that poked fun at key aspects of Christianity and the Bible.
I’ve been there too—on the verge of failure, past the denial stage, though not-yet failed. You too are beginning to acknowledge a cold reality—you face imminent failure—the failure of your dreams and desires, your vision, your enterprise. You’ve done your best, and it’s now out of your hands.
In 2018, the comedy troupe released a special on Netflix whose English title was “The Last Hangover,” which like “The First Temptation of Christ” received a TV-MA rating.
“In this biblical ‘Hangover’ spoof, the apostles awaken to find Jesus is missing and must piece together events of the previous night's wild Last Supper,” noted its Netflix description.
Here's more, from our friends over at Fox News:
A Netflix Christmas special from a Brazil-based YouTube comedy group offended more than a million Christians by depicting Jesus as gay.
The film premiered on Netflix Brazil on Dec. 3 and has since sparked a ton of controversy online for its politically incorrect satire that paints Jesus as a closeted homosexual on Christmas.
As of Friday morning, 1.34 million people signed a petition calling on Netflix to do something about the 46-minute holiday special after it seriously offended many Christians viewers. “The First Temptation of Christ” sees Jesus and a friend named Orlando arrive at Mary and Joseph’s house where they’ve thrown a birthday party for their son, according to the New York Daily News. Jesus attempts to downplay his relationship with Orlando, who constantly hints that they’re more than just friends.
Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
The outlet reports that the comedy group Porta dos Fundos is responsible for the special, which actually marks their second religious satire following “The Last Hangover,” which depicts Jesus’ disciples looking for him on the morning after the Last Supper. They recently earned an International Emmy Award for best comedy web television special for "The Last Hangover."
The petition quickly formed and people continue to sign it in a push for the streaming service to take action against the group’s latest special for its alleged insensitivity toward Christians.
Porta dos Fundos remains undeterred, however. Per Yahoo Entertainment, they posted a tweet linking to a different petition calling for its removal from Netflix and blasted their own comedy special as “tragic and sad.”
“Porta dos Fundos values artistic freedom and humor through satire on the most diverse cultural themes of our society and believes that freedom of expression is an essential construction for a democratic country,” the group said in a statement to the outlet.
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