A Netflix Show Featuring a Gay Jesus Has Outraged 1.5 Million Christians

Christians are outraged again, and this time, it’s not because their Starbucks cups aren’t Jesus-y enough. It’s because of a Netflix comedy special that depicts Jesus in a same-sex relationship.

At the time of writing, about 1.5 million people have signed a petition in Portuguese calling for the streaming video giant to remove The First Temptation of Christ from the network because it has “seriously offended Christians” by raising the possibility that Jesus is gay.

Specifically, it shows a Jesus who is turning 30 and “brings a surprise guest to meet the family,” according to the Netflix description.

Critics have criticized the “politically incorrect” idea that Jesus had a special friend named “Orlando,” calling the show “trash” and saying it’s “extremely offensive to the values, principles and Christian faith.”

That makes me want to watch it even more.

In any case, snowflakes across Brazil began melting at the thought of a gay Jesus, including the son of the president.

“The First Temptation of Christ” by Brazilian comedy group Porta dos Fundos began streaming on December 3, drawing criticism from conservative politicians, Evangelicals and Catholics.

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“We support freedom of expression, but is it worth attacking the belief of 86 percent of the population,” tweeted Eduardo Bolsonaro, the eldest son of Brazil’s president and a member of Congress.

Apparently, he doesn’t get how satire works. And he’s not the only one.

Henrique Soares da Costa, a bishop in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, said on Facebook he had cancelled his Netflix subscription over the film, describing it as “blasphemous, vulgar and disrespectful.”

There’s no shortage of content on Netflix, and some of it is bound to offend certain groups. But the idea that a deliberate piece of comedy that doesn’t purport to be a factual retelling of the Christian story is frustrating so many people suggests that it’s pressing the right buttons. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if the Jesus of the Bible was gay or straight, because he didn’t exist. So we may as well be arguing about whether Pikachu is left-handed.