Swedish officials blocked a Christian man’s request to include the words “Christ” or “Jesus” on his license plate, claiming the move could “cause offense” to those opposed to Christianity.
The Swedish Transport Agency rejected Cesar Kisangani Makombe’s application to add the word “Kristus” — the Swedish word for Christ — on his car registration plate, according to Swedish newspaper The Local. When he asked to use the name “Jesus” instead, he was informed that word was blocked, too.
“We deny any words that we believe can cause offense. Among other things, we say no to everything that has any religious connotations no matter which connotations,” Mikael Andersson, press officer for the Transport Agency, said.
Currently, there’s no way for people to appeal the decisions made by the agency officials, who reportedly so far rejected 94 license plates.
Makombe told regional newspaper Göteborg Direkt he would drop the request but said he did not understand the authority’s decision.
“As a Christian, you should not make war on those who make decisions in this country, instead we must pray for them,” he said.
He pointed out that Sweden is a Christian country that bears a cross on its flag — yet claims displays of religiosity are offensive to the general population.
There are more than 3,500 churches in Sweden and the Swedish Church (Svenska Kyrkan) says it has 6.3 million members. However, a recent study found that 75 percent of young adults in Sweden categorize themselves as non-religious, and only about 5 percent of the population actually belong to a congregation and are regular churchgoers.
Religious liberty has come under threat in Sweden in recent years amid increasing secularization.
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SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett
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