Swedish Government Denies Man's Request to Put Jesus' Name on License Plate, Says it Could 'Cause Offense'

A Swedish man was denied the ability to put Jesus’ name on his license plate because officials said it could “cause offense.”

According to the Christian Post, Ceasar Kisangani Makombe wanted to put the Swedish word for Christ – Kristus – on his license plate, but the Swedish Transport Agency deemed it unacceptable.

According to The Local, both the Swedish words for Christ and Jesus are blocked from being placed on license plates because they contain religious matter and could “cause offense” to those who are not Christians. 

Press officer for the Swedish Transport Agency Mikael Andersson told the outlet, “We deny any words that we believe can cause offense. Among other things, we say no to everything that has any religious connotations no matter which connotations."

The Christian Post reports that so far, nearly 100 license plates have been denied by the department, a fact that Makombe finds puzzling. The Swedish man told the Göteborg Direkt – a regional newspaper – that since Sweden is a Christian country he was confused by the agency’s decision. 

Makombe also asked fellow Christians to pray for his country and its officials. He said, “As a Christian, you should not make war on those who make decisions in this country, instead we must pray for them.”

Photo courtesy: Jonathan Brinkhorst/Unsplash