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'God's diary' stirs up protest
01/07/2003 13:32 - (SA)
Ilse Arendse
Cape Town - Koos Kombuis's controversial new novel The Secret Diary of God is ruffling a few feathers.
An e-mail petition is doing the internet rounds calling on "every child of God" to express disapproval of the book, Internet journal Litnet tells us.
The petition was started by Michael Vorster of Johannesburg, who read an article on the book in Sunday newspaper Rapport.
Excerpts from the book, published in the article - God practises T'ai Chi and He drinks tequila if Satan gives Him a hard time - have prompted Vorster to label the book "blasphemous" and "an insult to the holiness of God".
According to LitNet, 40 people have signed the petition so far.
But, the man at the centre of the controversy is not fazed. Kombuis says; "It's unfair criticism. First go and read the book and then we'll talk.
"I can take criticism from people who have read the book, but those who have not, don't have the right to criticise."
Kombuis also has received "quite a few" negative
e-mails from people who have not read the book, but he says he has responded rudely. "I can get very hostile," he adds.
He says most people who have actually read the book have responded positively.
But, why take on a contentious topic like religion?
"I felt offended by other religious books" and he adds "taboos are nonsense - there is no topic that is taboo to write about."
On the Net
Read the petition on LitNet
- News24
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South Africa
