Mmm… Sacrilicious January 2, 2011

Mmm… Sacrilicious

By Guest Contributor
January 2, 2011

***Update***: The ad has been pulled from the contest.

…

Doritos and Pepsi are holding a contest where people can submit their own commercial — the highest vote-getters will see their commercial air during the Super Bowl.

One of the ads in the running is all sorts of hilarious:

Apparently, the people in line at that church are unaware that grocery stores sell entire bags of Doritos and entire cases of Pepsi…

Absurd, funny, amusing… and Catholics — not even ones named Bill Donohue — are already opposing it:

The video is borderline (if not completely) blasphemous and Catholic Christians everywhere should write to Pepsi to prevent this ad from getting on to the air. The video should not air because it exploits Christ, mocks His Church and His community in the Church, and it will perpetuate harmful misunderstandings of Christian belief.

Because we’re all going to start thinking Jesus had Pepsi flowing through his veins…

Actually, they should be happy. It’s a commercial about the Catholic Church that didn’t even make a passing reference to child-rape. That’s a step up for them, right? (Update: commenters have pointed out this isn’t necessarily a Catholic church; it could be Protestant. Note the use of the word “Pastor” instead of “Father,” the wedding ring on the pastor’s finger, and the lack of paintings and statues.)

So starting tomorrow, you have to go vote for it. It’s too entertaining not to air on TV.

By the way, anyone else notice the priest was wearing a wedding ring…?

(via Joe. My. God.)

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  • Who says it’s a Catholic mass? The priest is wearing a wedding ring, so clearly it’s Episcopalian – and I remember using chips and coke for communion at a Baptist church once… lighten up people! (it’s not even that funny..)

  • Anonymous

    Those daft Bible bashers just saved Pepsico a ton of marketing money. This commercial would have been fairly unremarkable (a quick giggle maybe that they show the church empty & broke). Then the religious folk brought attention to it. Now it’s had 37K views on Youtube and it hasn’t even aired. Streisand effect, anyone?

    By the way, anyone else notice the priest was wearing a wedding ring…?

    That’s another reason why the complaint is funny. It’s not even their denomination that’s being spoofed.

  • Anonymous

    Ha ha here’s an earlier one
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qczg23MV9w

  • Face

    Fantastic!

  • Jamie Flowers

    You can just use the petition from the ANF and change 3 words to make it right. Delete 2 NOT and change “my Catholic Faith” to “the Catholic Faith”.

    Simple.
    Thanks ANF!

  • Catherine

    Waaaa haaa haaa haaaa! Awesome.

  • Ubi Dubium

    Definitely not a Catholic Church. There’s no statues or paintings or tchotchkes all over it.

    And Bill totally misses the point, as he always does. This is making fun of people and the way they act, not his precious dogma. Sheesh.

  • I love the empty “invoices to be paid” tray at the end ‘cos we know that bums of seats = cash for the church.

  • The problem is that the wafers should be tasteless. Jesus wasn’t that tasty nor his blood that sweet. Realism is important in the communion practice. This video is quite sacrilegious.

    Also, any church that uses tasty pinches of a nice sour-dough loaf and sweet grape juice is also being sacrilegious. Shame shame shame. It should be a tasteless wafer and a bitter fluid. Vinegar would be best.

  • Emanuel Goldsein

    My oh My, how “friendly” all you atheists are.

    Mehta, you are such a sniveling hypocrite…why don’t you just come out with how much you hate believers?

    I can smell it in your posts.

    Just cut out the “friendly” crap.

    There are a lot of us who are never going to submit to atheists taking this society over…we learned from our grandparents what happend to a country when atheists get control.

    All their “friendliness” will pop like a soap bubble.

    So, Bring It On!

    So, moderate that Fiendly Atheist

  • Um, Mr. “Goldsein? There was a “t” in Goldstein (I can only assume you’re going for the 1984 reference).

    JSYK.

  • Marty

    I can see how the religious will hate this ad. In this country you cannot criticize anyone’s belief. No spoofing, satire, or mocking is allowed no matter how accurate or funny. Sam Harris has great things to say about discussion of faith being off the table.

  • Jonas

    Do Catholics own all of Christianity now? No where in the commercial does it say this was a Christian church. – And again w/ the wedding ring it may not have been.

    One Christian Church I know uses grape juice, and matzah for it’s communion. — so what ? — It’s symbolic. – It’s not literal.

    And FYI. — There are a few Christians who have celiacs disease, and thus can’t take Catholic Communion with the regular wafers.

    — Some parishes will let them take an alternate rice wafer, as those wafers have no gluten. — But I’ve heard that said parishes then get in trouble with the higher up authorities.

  • Emanuel,

    We will “bring on” secularism in such a way that you will remain free to worship any way you want. The concept of secularism just maintains that the government should stay out of religious matters and leave it up to the people to freely exercise (or not exercise) their religious faith. Secularism is a good idea for all people concerned. It is not just a contest between your particular flavor of religion and atheists. For example, I presume you are not Mormon and wouldn’t want public schools doing readings (presented as fact) from the book of Mormon to your kids.

  • Drew M.

    @Emanuel Goldsein

    My oh My, how “friendly” all you atheists are.

    Mehta, you are such a sniveling hypocrite…why don’t you just come out with how much you hate believers?

    No, no. We love the believer, hate the belief.

  • The Catholic Church is upset about this video, not because it mocks Christ and Christianity, but because it points out explicitly that the church is a business.

  • Greg

    Emmanuel Goldsein, why would Hemant want to moderate your posts? Not when you do such a good job of helping our cause…

    *bad me… shouldn’t feed the troll, I know… ;)*

  • Siobhan

    It’s very much -not- a catholic church. He’s referred to as “pastor” not “father”. Pastors are not catholic. So being married is no problem. 🙂

  • Tony

    Was that James “Angry Nintendo Nerd” Rolfe I saw in one scene?

  • The Other Tom

    Emanuel Goldsein: Yawn.

    Anyway I forwarded the video to two methodist ministers I know who I think will not only think it’s hilarious, they might decide to try it. 🙂

  • Melissa

    Ha! I thought it was funny.

  • Philbert

    Reasons it’s not Catholic, continued: the Pepsi was in those tiny cups that protestant churches use

  • Tom

    Tony – yea, it’s the Nintendo Nerd! It’s gotta be

    Reminds me of his Bible game beatdown, in my opinion his best episode!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkNvQYiM6bw

    I think Hemant can laugh at religion without spite. It’s just funny

  • Geeze, here’s another reason they’re losing parishioners: no freaking sense of humor. People are afraid they might crack a genuine (as opposed to phony) smile or laugh within 100 yards of the church. Their miserable freaking attitude is scaring people away. Everything is judged these days. Everything. Who the freak wants to walk into a place where if they smile and laugh making small talk before or after services, someone’s gonna scream sacrilege?

    The commercial was funny but not falling on the floor funny. Almost hope to see it on the air now though just to spite the Catholic League. (evil smile to the troll) Wouldn’t that be a hoot, Manny?

  • Darryl

    I was once in an Episcopal youth group, and they used Chips Ahoy cookies and Hawaiian Punch for our unofficial eucharist.

  • Ubi Dubium

    I also need to point out that the background music used for this is “Zadok the Priest” by Handel. It’s a coronation anthem used at every British coronation. What a lovely pompous piece of music to put in a commercial for Doritos.

  • dartigen

    This is going to sound silly…but how do I vote for the ad on the site? There’s no ‘vote’ button or any other obvious click-able.

    Honestly, so many religions take themselves far too seriously. We could all benefit from laughing at ourselves every now and then. And it’s not like jokes about Christianity don’t already exist.

  • well, the big black woman stereotype was offensive to me…

  • Josh

    I think Paul hit the nail on the head. If I was slightly less concerned with morals, I’d start my own business along those lines. A tent revival, fire and brimstone sort of thing, like my grandpa used to do. Maybe even some snakes or something. That sort of thing rakes in cash hand over foot and its almost recession-proof. Hell bad times might even make for MORE donations, if I was told people I’d ask god to send them money.

    Of course, I’d never do that, but it is a little daydream of mine.

    P.S. I didn’t mean to imply that my grandpa was a con man. I could say some negative things about him, but not that. I saw him literally give a guy the shirt off his back at least once. I don’t think I’ve met anybody since his death who cared less about money.

  • Richard P.

    OH NO!! Someones been offended.
    Suck it up.

  • Ben

    That was pretty damn funny 😀

  • Michael

    Angry Nintendo Nerd with his trademark scowl!

  • Gabriel

    I feel like an idiot. How do I vote for it? I went to the site but I can’t find any kind of a vote button.

  • Could be an Episcopalian or Anglican church.

  • What was with that goateed frowning guy in the blue shirt who leaned out to look to the front of the line?

    Since he looked so grumpy, I thought that they were going to make a joke about him being an atheist.

  • My problem with this “humourous” commercial is that, while funnier than 95% of aired commercials, it still isn’t all that funny.

    [crotchety old man voice]: In my day… superbowl ads made you laugh because you wanted to laugh; not because you knew that you were supposed to laugh.

    Anyways, I hope that some enterprising aspiring comedian takes this idea and does something better with it.

    For example, how about the church decides to change the flavour of communion wafers to compete with snack food. Or maybe advertise them as a health food.

    I bet the commenters here could write wafers-as-food jokes that are a lot more funny than the posted video.

    In fact, I challenge you all to do so! Because I was promised a laugh and I ain’t got it yet!

  • Drew M.

    @Gabriel

    Voting hasn’t started yet. You should be able to in a few hours.

    @VancouverMoose

    He’s got a popular video series called the Angry Video Game Nerd. I giggled with glee when I saw him

    Anyhow, I just showed this commercial to my very devout, very Catholic Father. He didn’t find it offensive, but he didn’t think it was funny either.

    Then I showed him some of the comments left at the Catholic website. His reply? “Those fools need to lighten the hell up.”

  • Dan W

    I thought that video was okay, and I too noticed the Angry Video Game Nerd (James Rolfe) in there! Not a great ad, but not terrible.

    Meanwhile Bill Donohue is a prick, and the commentors on his site are as stupid as he is. They’re all for boycotting Pepsi and Doritos if this ad airs, which makes me glad I like them both. I really need to avoid reading the comments on these links, before the stupid hurts my brain.

  • Those religious folks are just mad because someone else thought of using Pepsi and Doritos before they did. It’s a pretty cute commercial, although I agree with @dantresomi that the “big black woman stereotype” was a little over-the-top.

  • Nam

    Lol Angry Video Game Nerd 0:34 to 0:38

  • RG

    I guess I’ll vote for it, but it’s seriously not funny.

  • Drew M.

    It didn’t make the top 10 cut, but the easily offended are still calling for Pepsi to erase it from the contest website.

    You know, I didn’t notice the “black woman sterotype,” ’til I read grneyedmonster’s comment this morning. Here’s a legitimate, non-sarcastic question: Is this more telling of me or of you?

  • keddaw

    Either the magic words transubstantiate a substance into the body and blood of Christ or they don’t. What the substance is is unimportant as Catholic dogma states that it is actually, literally, transformed into the body and blood of Christ.

    Wonder if the magic circle gets upset when people don’t use doves or rabbits?

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