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A judge on a South American version of Britain’s Got Talent has allegedly been sacked after she scolded a 16-year-old contestant for not believing in God.

The clip was uploaded onto social media and shared thousands of times, causing a furore among outraged viewers in Ecuador when it first appeared back in September.

Young hopeful Carolina Pena, 16, hoped her singing abilities would be the topic of debate in front of the judges on Ecuador’s Got Talent but instead she was given a lecture for her lack of religious beliefs.

The bust-up happened when one of the four judges, actress Maria Fernanda Rios, asked the youngster "Do you believe in God?", after she finished her performance.

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When Carolina answered that she did not, the conversation took a turn and Maria lectured the teenager saying: "Without God, you get nowhere. Maybe you think being a self-taught singer will get you fame, but you are mistaken. Because there are things we can’t see, like God’s love. If you can feel God, he will help you be better."

Shocked Carolina stood up for herself and replied saying God had not given her any reason to believe in him, and after death she believed we go back to what we were before, nothing.

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Another Judge, Wendy Vera, then sided with Rios, saying: "I think that you are still young and you have had it easy so far. But times of suffering will come when the only thing that will help you through it is the amazing love of God and then you’ll look for him."

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But another judge Fernando Villarroel told Carolina he was not going to berate her about her faith because "religion is one thing and artistic talent is quite another".

(Image: CEN)

The singer was put through to the next round, but following the episode the Atheist and Agnostic Association of Ecuador denounced the judges and demanded the full footage so that they can proceed with legal action over the matter.

After the row, it has emerged that the TV channel Ecuavisa, which airs the show, will only be using 3 judges from now on.

A spokesman said: "Due to the position taken by actress Maria Fernanda Rios during various interactions on the show, which are not in line with those of the channel, she will no longer have screen presence and her contract will be terminated at the end of the series."