The US technology giant Microsoft has released a Christmas advert in which references to God in a popular song have been removed.
According to The Christian Post, the company chose the song ‘Let There be Peace on Earth’ to feature in its advert portraying employees and a children’s choir giving a festive rendition.
However, the song’s line “With God as our Father, brothers all are we / Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony” altered so as to allow the concluding verse line “the peace that was meant to be” blend into the next verse’s “Let peace begin with me” with a seamless rhyme.
A behind-the-scenes look at the shooting of the advert, seen by The Christian Post, reveals that the performers originally did sing the full song, including the God reference.
The Microsoft advert was shot at the company’s 5th Avenue outlet in New York to be a seasonal outreaching to technology rivals Apple, referred to as Microsoft’s “neighbour down the street” by Microsoft.
Uploaded to Youtube, the video ad has gained 1.3 million hits, but among the comments are criticisms from viewers who know ‘Let There be Peace on Earth’ and spotted the religious omission.
‘Let There be Peace on Earth’ was written by Jill Jackson-Miller in 1955, with her husband, Sy Miller, composing the melody. In addition to being widely recorded and performed across the United States, the song has also appeared in some hymnals.
