Conservative Christians in Russia have started using crosses to replace Apple’s iconic “bitten apple” logo, a move that could cause problems for Apple product sales as the mostly Orthodox nation’s parliament weighs a blasphemy ban.
The original report from Interfax news agency states that several groups of Orthodox activists, including priests, replaced the logo for religious reasons, calling it “anti-Christian and insulting their belief.”
“According to them, bitten apple – the symbol is described in the Bible, original sin, it is anti-Christian, while the cross symbolizes the victory of Christianity over the death of the Savior, the redemption of their original sin of Adam and Eve,” Interfax reports.
This case arises at an important moment for religious freedom in Russia, as the Russian parliament prepares to weigh a law protecting religious expression. If approved, the ban on insults to religion potentially could allow Orthodox Christians to charge Apple with anti-Christian blasphemy.
