Paris Olympics parody of Last Supper sparks outrage among Christian faith leaders.

The drag queens who portrayed themselves as parodies of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday were swiftly condemned by leaders and Christians worldwide for allegedly mocking Christianity.

Last week, a parade on the River Seine featured drag queens seated around a table with one person painted blue sitting on top. Some people believe the display resembled the Da Vinci painting of the Gospel of John, where Jesus announces that one of his apostles would betray him.

The Land Center for Cultural Engagement's director, Daniel Darling of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is among the many faith leaders who are outraged by the display.

Disappointing was the development, as he openly supported Team USA and his family loved watching the Olympics.

He was appalled at the grotesque mockery of the Lord's Supper in the opening ceremonies, as he stated in an email to Planet Chronicle Digital on Monday.

"The organizers admitted that the event was exactly what we thought it was: a blasphemous mockery of the Christian faith, which is the foundation of Western civilization. Christians are rightfully outraged and horrified by it. It demonstrates that the sexual revolution is presenting itself as an alternative religion, one that mocks what is true and beautiful and mocks God."

He continued writing, "What should Christians do? We should be both outraged and saddened and then emboldened to declare the truth and goodness of the Christian faith. The central thesis of the Lord's supper is that Jesus' own self-sacrifice, laying down his life for sin and offering salvation and forgiveness for those who believe. His body and blood broken for us. Our response should be to boldly, but compassionately share the good news of the gospel to those who are hungry for meaning and transcendence, who seek to worship in less satisfying gods. Amazingly, Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection offer forgiveness even for those who mock him."

Christian, a co-founder of Morgan Pierce Media & Publishing, criticized the display in his own remarks to Planet Chronicle Digital.

During the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics, the Last Supper "performance" was not considered art. Instead, it was a display of satanic warfare and mental illness.

"One must ponder, why didn't they depict a drag queen Muhammad or a drag queen Buddha instead? Christians are often viewed as 'easy targets' because we are expected to turn the other cheek and exhibit 'tolerance'. Until this mindset shifts, this immorality will persist- to the detriment of society. God will not be mocked. For us, the only genuine inquiry that should be posed is: What is the true purpose behind grown men dressing as women and gaining access to our youth in such a hypersexualized manner?"

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation's founding president, Brian Grim, also expressed his thoughts.

The organizers of the Last Supper spectacle during the Opening Ceremony are falling behind in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), despite their claims to do so. Recent data show that more Fortune 500 companies are now including religion as part of their DEI initiatives, which helps them avoid costly mistakes. In fact, the world's largest companies are embracing religiously inclusive workplaces at an unprecedented pace, according to the 2024 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF) in May.

"A report by REDI reveals that 85.8% of Fortune 500 companies now mention or depict religion as part of their broader diversity and inclusion (DEI) commitment, which is more than double the number in 2022 (202 companies, or 40.4%). The REDI Index ranks Accenture and American Airlines as the most faith-friendly Global Fortune 500 companies. Perhaps the Olympic organizers can take a cue from companies that are getting DEI right."

Notable figures such as Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jillian Michaels, Elon Musk, Candace Cameron Bure, and Oli London have publicly criticized the spectacle.

Several U.S. lawmakers and foreign officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, conservative French politician and European Parliament member Marion Maréchaland, and Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg, condemned the act.

Bishop Robert Barron's criticism of the performance as a "mockery of the Christian faith" gained widespread attention.

"He expressed shock and dismay upon recounting his initial reaction to the performance on "Planet Chronicle Live" on Sunday."

"The Olympics have piqued my interest, and I find the mockery of 'The Last Supper' particularly disrespectful to Christians, who consider it a central event in their faith. It seems that everyone is included except for Christians and believers."

While some argue that the performance was a parody of the famous Da Vinci painting of Christ with his disciples, others maintain that it was meant to depict the feast of the Greek God Dionysus, and the uproar is misinterpreted.

The blue guy rolling around on the table was supposed to be Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility and wine, but one X user wrote, "It wasn’t ‘The Last Supper.’ Get a grip. Seriously."

Katherine Brodsky, a journalist, also commented, stating, "What is the basis for such intense hatred? It is not the depiction of The Last Supper, but rather the Ancient Greek myth of Dionysus."

The Greek God Dionysus's interpretation highlights the absurdity of human violence, as shown in a photo shared by the official X account for the Olympics.

In a statement to Planet Chronicle Digital, Bradley Schurman, who is both an author and CEO of Human Change, made the following comment.

The misunderstanding of the 'Last Supper' as the Feast of Dionysus may have sparked the controversy among Christians, as they drew parallels from the Greek and Roman influences on Christianity's symbolism, iconography, and religious holidays.

"Why were they so upset?" he asked. "For decades, American Christians have had a problematic relationship with members of the LGBTQ community. Seeing drag queens portray what they thought were Jesus and his disciples would be triggering. However, that was not the intent of the organizers."

Event organizers maintain that the performance was not meant to offend anyone despite the outcry.

The Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps stated through Reuters that there was no intention to disrespect any religious group and the opening ceremony aimed to promote community tolerance.

"We believe we achieved this ambition. If anyone was offended, we sincerely apologize," she stated.

This report was contributed to by Cortney O'Brien, Brian Flood, Ryan Gaydos, and Greg Wehner from Planet Chronicle.