HARDLINE Christians have accused Starbucks of ruining Christmas and hating
Jesus.
Religious groups are outraged the coffee chain’s new holiday cups lack a
Christmas-themed design and are just plain red – with some feeling they are
oppressing their religion.
In a Facebook post which has gone viral, one angry Christian customer Joshua
Feuerstein wrote: “Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they
hate Jesus.”
He then bragged about “pranking” Starbucks by having them write “Merry
Christmas” as his name on the cup.
He urged Christians to voice their distaste through social media with the
hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks.
Photos of the bare red cups with the handwritten message “Merry Christmas”
soon started popping up online, and more religious leaders began venting
their frustrations with the franchise.
Student pastor Nate Weaver from Crosspointe Christian Church in Sarasota,
Florida wrote in a Facebook post: “I’m officially banning Starbucks from my
life”.
Feuerstein also flashes a GUN he carried into the coffee shop, disregarding
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’ request that customers no longer bring
firearms into their branches.
Since their inception in 1997, the coffee company released cups depicting
images of snowflakes, reindeer and doves.
But this year, the cups are minimalist plain red, and their head of design
Jeffrey Fields said: “In the past, we have told stories with our holiday
cups designs.
“This year, we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design
that welcomes all of our stories.”
Starbucks are still producing their popular Christmas blend along with
seasonal favorites such as Gingerbread Latte and Peppermint Mocha.