{"id":934,"date":"2015-04-09T17:37:32","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T17:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/?p=934"},"modified":"2015-04-09T17:37:32","modified_gmt":"2015-04-09T17:37:32","slug":"book-of-yeezus-is-a-mockery-gone-too-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/2015\/04\/book-of-yeezus-is-a-mockery-gone-too-far.html","title":{"rendered":"‘Book of Yeezus’ is a Mockery Gone Too Far"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Etsy.com)\"<\/a>
(Etsy.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In what seems like a late April Fool’s Day joke, a new \u201cversion\u201d of the Bible is making headlines: \u201cThe Book of Yeezus.\u201d That’s right, Kanye West has his own Bible that you can own for just $20.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The only good news about this story is that West had nothing to do with the novelty item. It was created by \u201cthree entrepreneurial brothers with a special interest in mass-society and its effects on our worldview and imagination\u201d and offered through Etsy.com<\/a>. Why Etsy, known for selling artsy and crafty items, would like to be associated with the book is mystery.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if the Bible, the most singularly significant publication in the ancient canon of Western tradition, were updated to reflect our modern society?,\u201d says the website. \u201cWhat would it look like? 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.\u201d The website continues to explain what the book is all about: \u201cAt it\u2019s simplest, it is the book of Genesis, modified to feature \u201cKanye\u201d or \u201cYeezus\u201d in the place of God or Y—A. ‘In the beginning Kanye created the heaven and the earth\u2026 And Kanye said, Let there be light: and there was light.’\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

West may be disappointed that he didn’t think up the idea of himself since he sings \u201cI Am a God\u201d on his current \u201cYeezus\u201d album. Here is a clip from an interview where he explains to the interviewer what he means: