TikTok has drastically affected online shopping: Brands and artisans now strive to create a viral product or moment that will be shared by creators jumping on the trend, which then inspires other businesses to market their products similarly.
And in their own quests to blow up on the app, small, faith-based companies are claiming religious persecution from their parents to push products.
The advertising format is being used to sell plushy Bible pillows and prayer bracelets, among other items, all using a nearly identical format.
The first segment shows an adult yelling and throwing objects at the person recording them, claiming that the person is a parent who is not accepting of their religious child and intends to punish them for their faith (and business acumen).
“My non-Christian mom kicked me out after discovering that…” a video from @MyBiblePillow states.
Then, the product—which can be a Bible pillow, a jar that holds pieces of paper with quotes from a religious text, or Christian jewelry—is shown.
“I make Bible pillows,” the TikTok says.
@mybiblepillow Trust him 🥹❤️
♬ Praise – Elevation Worship
Other videos swap out the angry parent for a crying woman in videos that claim the woman was kicked out by her parents because she makes “Quran jars.”
“My Christian parents picked me out because they caught me making Quran jars,” a video from @InshallahJar says. “Sorry Mom but you told me to always follow my heart.”
@inshallahjar I needed to follow my heart❤️ #allah ♬ sonido original – 🥀
There’s also a “Torah jar” video from @TorahJar, which claims a teen was kicked out of their Christian mother’s home.
“My Christian mom kicked me out after finding out I reverted to Judaism,” a video from @TorahJar says. “She made me feel lonely… But I kept being strong because God guided me.”
@torahjar Torah jar kept me going❤️
♬ take a moment to breathe. – normal the kid
And a video from @LuminaraJewelryCo shows a teen crying in a car and claims she was thrown out by her “Arab parents” because they “caught [her] making Christian jewelry.”
“Sorry mom but you always told me to follow my heart,” the video states.
@luminarajewelryco Spreading the word of God with every order 💞✝️
♬ 7 years – 🌊GYMNASTS🌊
All of the aforementioned retail accounts use some of the same or similar videos to market their product. Despite that, they seem to be able to trick some potential customers into thinking that the plight of the parents and teens shown in the videos is real.
“Leave your mom,” one TikToker commented on a @MyBiblePillow video. “Be and do what makes you happy spreading the word of God.”
“You have a whole community of 15 million + behind you,” another TikToker wrote in response to a @TorahJar video.
“I’m sorry that ur going through this,” a TikToker commented on an @InshallahJar video. “But remember our religion is a peaceful one where u will be praying.”
The trend appears to have gone megaviral with Christian Bands, a bracelet that recites Bible verses.
User @kevincarhahan2 shared seven videos the account had posted, all with non-Christian parents raging on their children after discovering their Christian bracelet business, highlighting the dubious possibility they’d all experienced the same plight.
@kevincarnahan2 @ChristianBands #christian #capitalism #falseadvertising #bible #bracelet #percecution ♬ original sound – Kevin Carnahan
@Christian.Bands no longer has an account on TikTok, though it’s unclear if the company deleted it or it was removed.
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