Netflix ordered to take down gay Jesus comedy show in Brazil

Netflix has been ordered to take down a comedy show in Brazil in which Jesus is portrayed as a gay man.

A judge in Brazil has determined that the show, called The First Temptation of Christ, is damaging to the 'honour' of the millions of catholics and christians who live in the country.

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More than two million people signed a petition to have the show, which finds Jesus introducing his new boyfriend to his family, taken down.

The offices of YouTube comedy group Porta dos Fundos, which made the one-off Christmas special, was also targeted by a protest group, and had molotov cocktails thrown at its offices in Rio de Janeiro on Christmas Eve by masked men.

In his ruling of a temporary ban on the show, Judge Benedicto Abicair said: “The right to freedom of expression... is not absolute. I understand, yes, that there must be reflection so that excesses do not occur, avoiding nefarious consequences for many, due to eventual foolishness by a few.

“Exhibiting the 'artistic production'... may cause graver and more irreparable damage than its suspension.”

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However, the Brazilian Bar Association, the The Order of Attorneys of Brazil, said in a statement: “Any form of censorship or threat to this hard-won freedom means a setback, and cannot be accepted by society.”

Neither Netflix or Porta dos Fundos have commented on the judgement.

Brazil has the largest catholic population in the world.