Facebook has said it is not working on a Christian crucifix emoji after a high-profile Facebook post called for one in response to the social media giant's LGBTQ Pride 'reaction'.
Arizona-based evangelist and vocal conservative Christian Joshua Feuerstein posted the below image on Facebook on 26 June.
The image, originally shared by Facebook user Hikmat Hanna, garnered significant attention, having now been shared more than 9,000 times, gaining 20,000 likes and more than 2,000 comments.
The most popular comment challenged the sentiment however: 'OK so by that logic there should be one for Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and all other religions. Stop feeling persecuted, because it's not like they have reactions for all faiths except Christianity,' wrote Jamie Dunham.
Another wrote: 'being gay is not a religion. This is a false equivalence'.
One user commented: 'You can't cheat nature. God cannot create people of the same sex to ever fall in love with one another,' but another suggested a more diplomatic stance: 'Perhaps as Christians, we should be more worried about our own sins and learning the word of our lord before passing judgment onto others or worrying about what reactions Facebook has available. Just a thought.'
A Facebook spokesperson told the Huffington Post that there were no plans for a crucifix emoji. 'This reaction is not actually available on Facebook, and is not something we're working on,' they said.
Facebook launched the 'Pride' reaction on June 9, saying: 'We believe in building a platform that supports all communities. So we're celebrating love and diversity this Pride by giving you a special reaction to use during Pride Month.'
Feuerstein is no stranger to controversy and social media uproar: in 2015 he gained notoriety for blasting Starbucks for its red Christmas cups that made no explicit reference to the Christian festival.
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