Gay Jesus Film Asked To Be Removed From Netflix; Judge Orders

The long-withstanding controversy surrounding the Netflix special, The First Temptation of Christ continues to go on and this time, legal authorities are involved.

According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, a Brazilian Court judge has ordered Netflix to take the film down. that has been described as blasphemous by some critics.

Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that it had yet to receive official notification of the judge's ruling, but the streaming giant had gone ahead and filed a complaint before Brazil's Supreme Court based on the right to freedom of expression.

"We strongly support artistic expression and we'll be fighting to defend this important principle, which goes to the heart of great storytelling," Netflix said in a company statement.

The comedy The First Temptation of Christ depicts Jesus returning home on his 30th birthday and insinuates he is gay. Religious groups bristled at the depiction, while creators of the film have defended it as legitimate freedom of expression.

In the ruling on Wednesday judge Benedicto Abicair opines that the "The right to freedom of expression…is not absolute," according to a BBC report.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a Brazilian Catholic organization urging that The First Temptation be removed from the streaming platform.

Keep reading this space for further updates.