A deconsecrated Sydney church turned arts venue, Divine Playhouse, has been hit with a notice to cease 'offensive trade' after just one week of operation, following protests from religious groups who apparently missed the memo that the building hasn't been a church since the 1930s.

The venue, which opened last Wednesday as a safe and inclusive space for artists, originally planned to call itself Unholy Playhouse but changed course after Christians expressed concern. That diplomatic move apparently wasn't enough to appease Catholic men's group Fit for the Kingdom and Christian brotherhood the Prodigal Sons, who gathered about 70 supporters on Wednesday night to demand the NSW government revoke a $100,000 grant from state arts agency Create NSW.

The next day, the landlord's lawyers sent a breach notice to organiser Heaps Gay Events, claiming the venue 'insulted and mocked the sincerely held religious beliefs of millions of Christian Australians' and giving it two days to shut down. The venue has since cancelled weekend events and its Instagram accounts have been taken down due to complaints.

James Thorpe, founder of Odd Culture Group and co-chair of the Night Time Industries Association, called the situation 'deeply concerning,' noting that 'freedom cannot mean the freedom to say what you believe while demanding silence from everyone who disagrees.' Sydney's deputy lord mayor Jess Miller agreed, while the Prodigal Sons insisted they're not trying to silence anyone - just pointing out, in their words, 'how deeply this material has wounded a community of faith.'

Among the offending content: a performer dressed as a pig offering McDonald's french fries as holy communion, 'performers dressed as nuns waving sex toys,' and 'drag queens reenacting the birth of Christ.' The groups plan to gather at the venue on Friday to 'join in prayer for the souls of the people behind this desecration,' with police officers on hand.

Meanwhile, the City of Sydney is considering a proposal to redevelop the church into luxury apartments - because nothing says sacred like a penthouse.