"We, as Christians, are deeply offended by the name of a new ice cream chain of stores calling themselves Sweet Jesus. This is a mockery of taking the Lord's name in vain and also highly offensive to Christians," reads an online petition on Change.org, urging the Toronto-based founder Andrew Richmond to change the chain's name. The chain has a branch at the Baltimore–Washington International Airport, and plans to open in other U.S. locations, including at the Mall of America in Minnesota, according to the LifeSite website, on which another petition has been launched.

"One ad on the company's website shows a Nativity scene, but instead of Baby Jesus, there's an ice cream cone," reads that petition. "Many of their ads are replete with cherished Christian and Catholic symbols that are used to mock faith, including a rosary, a crucifix with a corpus, and angels." It adds, "There are also satanic symbols interspersed throughout their ads, such as upside-down crosses, lightning bolts, skulls, roaring wildcats, and images that suggest vampires and blood."