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Starbucks’ began rolling out their new solid red cups for the holiday season but not without stirring up controversy. The new cups have some accusing the company of waging a war on Christmas.

The “symbols of the season” that the coffee chain have used in the past include reindeer and ornaments, but this year they have elected to keep the cups clean with a new simple two-toned red cup. Starbucks said in a statement Sunday that it tries “to create a culture of belonging, inclusion and diversity,” and that the new cup design is meant to be a “blank canvas” that encourages “customers to tell their Christmas stories in their own way.”

The statement comes after a former pastor named Joshua Feuerstein posted a video that went viral criticizing Starbucks for intentionally removing references to Christmas in an effort to be overtly politically correct and claim they “hate Jesus.” Feuerstein encourages customers to say “Merry Christmas” instead of their names so the baristas will have to write that on the cup, then post photos of it online using the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks.

 

There are those that criticize Feuerstein and defend Starbucks decision pointing out that the coffee chain sells a “Christmas Blend” flavor and some of their gift cards have “Merry Christmas” written on them.

Source: Cnn