Kanye West Replaces God in 'Book of Yeezus' Bible, Removed From Online Amid Criticism
Update: On April 7, 2015 a new listing for the "Book of Yeezus" bible was added via ETSY. The book now retails for $20.
A novelty Bible honoring rap artist, Kanye West, has been removed from a popular website in the wake of growing complaints. It is unclear whether or not the book is a hoax.
The Book of Yeezus, which is a nod to West's sixth studio album, is said to be a "Bible for the modern day" as it replaces every mention of God in the book of Genesis with the rapper's name. The text is still mostly the same as it appears in the first book of the Old Testament, but the word "God" is removed and the name "Kanye" is repeatedly used instead.
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"In the beginning Kanye created the heaven and the earth… And Kanye said, Let there be light: and there was light," the text reads.
The book first appeared last week on ETSY, an e-commerce website where users can buy and sell unique products online but as of Monday the listing had been taken down.
A representative from ETSY would not comment on the matter when contacted by The Christian Post saying, "unfortunately we cannot comment on the activities of specific shops or listings for privacy reasons."
According to reports, the hardback book was published by a trio of U.S.-based brothers who want to offer millennials "a fresh take on what the Bible could look like in our modern world".
"Each generation champions a superstar, so consistently relevant that they come to accompany that generation through it's evolution, being a part of and ultimately shaping its identity," they wrote via ETSY, where users can buy and sell unique goods online.
They went on to compare the "Jesus Walks" rapper to "past icons" like Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson.
"Such past icons have been the likes of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, or Michael Jackson. For this generation, Generation Y, Kanye West is not only its greatest spectacle, but in some senses, a spiritual figure," they continued.
The $25.64 book is black and gold in appearance and it features an outlined sketch of a man resembling both West and Jesus on the cover.
"What if the Bible, the most singularly significant publication in the ancient canon of Western tradition, were updated to reflect our modern society? What would it look like?" the description states. "What we came up with was an interventionist art, coffee-table novelty, that will appeal to both Kanye fans everywhere and those made curious by this enormous cultural phenomenon."
It is unclear whether West, who is a self-proclaimed devout Christian, had any involvement in creating the novelty Bible. It recently sparked a firestorm of criticism on social networking sites and while some fans applauded the idea, the response was overwhelmingly negative with many expressing concerns that the book is "blasphemous."
"I actually thought that this was a hoax … until I found a website that is selling the book," one media critic known as Mario said via his "The Vigilant Christian" YouTube channel. "This is the delusion that we live in and the depravity of our culture in the world … In the Bible it says that we as mankind are absolutely lost. We've begun to worship the creation instead of the Creator."
