Good Omens: Christian group petition Netflix over Amazon show

Michael Sheen and David Tennant star as the angel and demon respectively

A US Christian group calling for the cancellation of Amazon's Good Omens have been lampooned after mistakenly sending a 20,000-strong protest petition to Netflix.

The Return to Order sect argue the show, about a demon and angel uniting to stop Armageddon, normalises Satanism and "mocks God's wisdom".

Netflix responded in jest with a "promise" to halt production.

Amazon playfully said they would cancel Netflix hit Stranger Things in return.

The six-part series is based upon the 1990 novel written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - who also wrote the screenplay and worked as a showrunner on the series.

• Why the Good Omens premiere had an empty seat

• Fantasy author Pratchett dies aged 66

The adaptation, fulfils, according to Gaiman, one of Pratchett's last requests, prior to his death in 2015.

It stars David Tennant as the demon Crowley and Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale, who must both work together to overcome humanity's divisions.

Author Terry Pratchett died in 2015, eight years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's

But a campaign by religious group Return to Order calls for the "blasphemous" show to be pulled "at once".

The petition, promoted in a Facebook post since May 13, also expresses concern that:

• God is "voiced by a woman" - two-time Oscar-winner Frances McDormand

• The antichrist is "portrayed as a normal kid that has special powers"

• The "four riders of the Apocalypse, God's means of punishing sinful earth, are portrayed as a group of bikers."

However, the group - inspired by the writings of biblical scholar John Horvat II - have undermined the support of 20,000 signatories by addressing it to Netflix.

The blunder over the show, in fact an Amazon and BBC co-production, has gone viral on social media since Thursday.

"Get your research right before making petition ...I love the Lord and fully agree on your point but have your ducks in a row before you accuse and start division where it shouldn't be," wrote one follower in frustration.

Gaiman responded to the petition on Twitter, writing: "I love that they are going to write to Netflix to try and get #GoodOmens cancelled. Says it all really. This is so beautiful ... Promise me you won't tell them?"

The user who directed Gaiman to the petition joked: "I think Mr. Gaiman and Mr. Pratchett would be very pleased with this complaint."