THE late Queen’s former chaplain, Dr Gavin Ashenden, has hit out at a Cadbury store's alleged attempt to “erase” Easter.
After advertising “gesture eggs” ahead of the public holiday, the chocolate conglomerate is under fire and Ashenden said on GB News that the time is right for the Easter message to be re-issued as it risks becoming lost.
He said the move by Cadbury’s was “completely unfair” as the “Christian way is a fantastic way”.
“Easter has a wonderful message”, he said.
“It says that the intelligence that lies behind the universe is loving and death is not the end.
“These are wonderfully good things to tell people apart from celebrating with chocolate, the idea that there is a mental frame of mind that says we want to silence that is astonishing.
“We have come to a point in society where we need to fight back. We need to say ‘no, we’re not going to have that’, we want a level playing field where people can share their views and their interpretations of life.
“The Christian way is a fantastic way. It is about forgiveness, love, peace and joy.
“We don’t want to be cancelled by whoever it is behind this act.”
He added: “I’m afraid this is partly the Church’s fault, so we should put our hands up.
“But nonetheless, this is an opportunity to let people know. Thanks for the gesture people, this has given us a chance to speak about the truth of Easter.
“Jesus rose from the dead, he will forgive your sins, you can know him and live forever. It’s a great message.”
Cadbury has strongly denied any involvement in the case, saying the decision to brand the products was taken by an independent retailer.
A display in the Springfields Outlet in Spalding, Lincolnshire, offered customers a deal on "gesture eggs".
It is an independent retailer run by Freshstore but licensed by Cadbury.
