A Death of the Body advertisement was banned by a Utah local news station January 10, 2014 with the following response:

“Our organization is responsible for the editorial content within the advertising we allow. It is our prerogative to not accept advertising from products or services that are critical of any religion. It appears from the reviews on Amazon, that your novel challenges the validity of many organized religions, and that is a message that does not align with our brand. We feel like you are better served by buying display media through Google Display Network or other networks that are less sensitive to editorial conflicts like this. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

While I (Rick) disagree with the assessment, I find the controversy interesting.

One reviewer has said, “Another thing that I think some people might not like about this book is how it rips on religion as a whole,” while another one rebutted: “As some other reviewers have mentioned there are quite a few religious undertones to this story. It is apparent that the author has done some research of several religions and their beliefs and practices. As someone who has studied and explored various world religions I enjoyed this part of the story.”

But my absolute favorite comment on the subject came from Janett, who blogs over at The Pleasure of Reading Today. She hits the nail on the head when she said, “This book makes a lot of reference to religion and although I understand this is a delicate subject for certain people, we have to look at the big picture. This is a character looking for his place in the world he lives in, searching for his purpose and constantly asking himself questions that us humans, as characters in our own stories looking for our reason to live, are also wondering about.”

For those who haven’t had a chance to see the Death of the Body release announcement and press release, I also address these issues. You can find press release here.