Scots entrepreneur Michelle Mone has offered her assistance to the Church of England after an advert featuring the Lord's Prayer was banned from being shown in some cinemas.

The Digital Cinema Media (DCM) agency, which handles Odeon, Cineworld and Vue cinemas, has refused to show the Church of England advert, despite it receiving clearance from the British Board of Film Classification and Cinema Advertising Authority.

DCM said the video could cause offence and its policy is not to run adverts which could potentially offend.

The advert, produced by JustPray.uk, shows the Lord's Prayer being recited by a members of the public ranging from bodybuilders to children, and also features the Most Rev Justin Welby.

The decision has caused a backlash on social media, with many, including Mone, calling for the advert to be shown.

Mone tweeted: "Disappointed that Britain's biggest cinema chains have banned the Lords Prayer advert. We live in a Christian country."

She added: "Totally shocking. I'll help if I can.

"I'm a Roman Catholic, I support all religions if they appreciate & respect human beings."

The Church of England said it was the victim of religious discrimination after being told the minute-long video could cause offence.

A CoE spokesman said it was initially believed that their minute-long advert had been approved and would be played before showings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens from December 18.

They were later informed that, due to a DCM policy not to run adverts which could potentially cause offence, the video would not be shown.

When asked for a copy of that policy, CoE was told there is no formal policy document but that it had been agreed with the DCM's members.

The Church has threatened to take legal action over the decision.

There is now a formal policy on the DCM's website, which states: "To be approved, an advertisement must ... not in the reasonable opinion of DCM constitute political or religious advertising."

As further clarification, it reads: "Religious advertising means: advertising which wholly or partially advertises any religion, faith or equivalent systems of belief (including any absence of belief) or any part of any religion, faith or such equivalent systems of belief."

The Archbishop of Canterbury told The Mail on Sunday: "I find it extraordinary that cinemas rule that it is inappropriate for an advert on prayer to be shown in the week before Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

"Billions of people across the world pray this prayer on a daily basis. I think they would be astonished and deeply saddened by this decision, especially in the light of the terrorist attack in Paris where many people have found comfort and solace in prayer.

"This advert is about as 'offensive' as a carol service on Christmas Day."

The Rev Arun Arora, director of communications for the Church of England, said the Church is "bewildered" by the decision.

"The Lord's Prayer is prayed by billions of people across the globe every day and in this country has been part of everyday life for centuries," he said.

"In one way the decision of the cinemas is just plain silly but the fact that they have insisted upon it makes it rather chilling in terms of limiting free speech."

Stephen Slack, the Church's chief legal adviser, warned the banning of the advert could "give rise to the possibility of legal proceedings" under the Equality Act which bans commercial organisations from refusing services on religious grounds.

Terry Sanderson, the president of the National Secular Society, said: "The Church of England is arrogant to imagine it has an automatic right to foist its opinions upon a captive audience who have paid good money for a completely different experience.

"The Church does not hesitate to ban things that it deems inappropriate from its own church halls - things like yoga. The cinema chains are simply exercising the same right."

DCM were unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron has denounced as "ridiculous" the ban on a cinema advert featuring the Lord's Prayer.

Asked for the PM's response to the ban, a Downing Street spokesman told a regular Westminster media briefing: "He thinks it is ridiculous."

The spokesman declined to expand on the rationale behind the PM's view or to say whether Mr Cameron thought the decision should be reversed.