British bakery Greggs has apologized after they replaced baby Jesus with a sausage roll in a recent Christmas calendar advertisement.
Greggs, one of the largest bakeries in Britain, released an image of the Nativity scene featuring three wise men, but instead of baby Jesus being the main focal point of the iconic religious scene, the bakery replaced him with a sausage roll on a manger filled with hay.
Greggs released the image as part of an advertisement to help promote their advent calendar, which costs $32. The calendar also features an image of a woman standing under mistletoe kissing one of Greggs’ Festive Bake holiday pastries.
While many people recognized their ad simply as a humorous way to promote the popular food item during the holiday season, some Christians were offended by the image, claiming it’s a mockery to their religion. Some have gone so far as to call for a boycott of the bakeshop.
Those who were upset with Greggs for posting the image took to Twitter to air their grievances.
Twitter reacts to Greggs sausage roll
@GreggsOfficial you don’t need to mock religion in order to be funny!! I’ll be boycotting your stores until you pull this anti-Christian ad! #boycottgreggs https://t.co/O1K6WSID2D
— Antonio Rodriguez (@agrodriguez201) November 15, 2017
I too am outraged Greggs replaced baby Jesus with a half-eaten sausage roll. Surely he’s worthy of a whole pasty pic.twitter.com/EPk8gaaG62
— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) November 15, 2017
Simon Richards, CEO of The Freedom Association – a libertarian pressure group called Greggs “sick” and said they would “never dare insult other religions” in a post on Twitter. He also suggested they should donate all of their proceeds to the Britain’s Salvation Army.
Please boycott @GreggsOfficial to protest against its sick anti-Christian Advent Calendar. What cowards these people are: we all know that they would never dare insult other religions! They should donate every penny of their profits to @salvationarmyuk https://t.co/tAV7CRP7WM
— Simon Richards (@simplysimontfa) November 15, 2017
Reverend Mark Edwards of St. Matthew’s church in Dinnington and St. Cuthbert’s church in Brunswick, UK thinks the ad is “disrespectful” and Greggs was using a religious image for commercial purposes.
“It goes beyond just commercialism, it’s showing a total disregard and disrespect towards one of the greatest stories ever told, and I think people of all faiths will be offended by this, Edwards said to the Chronicle.
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed
Mary was that mother mild
Sausage Roll, her little child#Greggs pic.twitter.com/6qgw8pDgP8— Sean (@csi_bletchley) November 15, 2017
Everyone’s angy at Greggs for replacing the baby Jesus with a sausage roll in their nativity scene, but “Lord Jesus” backwards is “susejd rol”.
On an unrelated note I have reason to believe that Greggs has cracked the Da Vinci Code
— Dan Goss (@TheRealDanGoss) November 17, 2017
I never thought I would see the sentence ‘Greggs sorry for replacing Jesus with sausage roll’. One of those moments that makes you glad to be alive #Greggs #sausagerolljesus pic.twitter.com/cfQMUnR7hb
— Emma Weinbren (@EmmaWeinbren) November 15, 2017
“To replace Jesus with a half-eaten sausage roll is just going to the lowest common denominator, and I’m disappointed with Greggs,” he added.
Some recognized Gregg’s attempt at being funny and decided to (sausage) roll with it.
Greggs apologized for the image.
“We’re really sorry to have caused any offense, this was never our intention,” a spokesman from Greggs said.
