Porta dos Fundos, whose name, its founders insist, comes from a game of charades among themselves and is not a reference to human anatomy, has explained that the video was simply meant to poke fun at sightings of religious images in random places.

Others were not so amused. One prominent congressman, Marco Feliciano, who is also an evangelical pastor, castigated the group over the video on Twitter.

“Speaking of Jesus Christ in this shabby way is humiliating,” Mr. Feliciano said in an interview, adding that he was asking Brazil’s Federal Police to investigate whether the video was illegally offensive. “It is an affront to all Christians, Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Anglicans, Pentecostals and Neo-Pentecostals. You don’t mess with the faith of people.”

For its part, Porta dos Fundos said it was not surprised with the reaction from Mr. Feliciano, a conservative member of Congress who has drawn scrutiny for comments viewed as homophobic and racist. “If someone has to respond for hate crimes, it’s him,” said Gregório Duvivier, 27, an actor who is one of the troupe’s founders.

Brazil certainly offers the kind of environment in which a venture like Porta dos Fundos can thrive. The nation recently ranked second after the United States in both Facebook users and Twitter accounts, reflecting its effervescent social media use. Independent satirists and writers also generally feel unhindered in pushing the limits of freedom of expression in Latin America’s largest democracy.

When they are not shooting a video, the partners in Porta dos Fundos are incongruously serious and earnest in explaining their work. Fábio Porchat, a stand-up comedian who may be the troupe’s most famous member, says they draw inspiration from an array of sources, including Monty Python; Luís Fernando Veríssimo, a Brazilian writer and cartoonist; the British playwright Harold Pinter; and “South Park,” the adult animated sitcom in the United States.

“Humor puts a light on a certain subject,” said Mr. Porchat, 30, who has more Twitter followers than Romário de Souza Faria, the outspoken Brazilian soccer legend who is now a federal legislator. “You can understand a little bit more what’s happening about that subject laughing about it.”