Branding in the name of god

How should the creative community deal with growing protests over the use of religious icons, symbols and practices in ads?

Is it blasphemy or quirky creativity? That is what is roiling up the debate forums in advertising today as consumers get more nervous and more vocal about their religious beliefs. 

Recently two ads, one Indian and the other international sparked off controversy as they both invoked gods and goddesses, in the name of creativity. One was an ad by the Australian meat industry that had Ganesha sitting at a table with gods/superheroes from different religions (and galaxies), dining on lamb. The tagline: the meat we can all eat. And the second ad had the goddess Durga getting a makeover at