"The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven" says he lied.

So, this was an interesting bit of news:
Boy Says He Didn't Go To Heaven; Publisher Says It Will Pull Book

Nearly five years after it hit bestseller lists, a book that purported to be a six-year-old boy's story of visiting angels and heaven after suffering a bad car crash is being pulled from shelves. The young man at the center of The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, Alex Malarkey, said this week that the story was all made up.

He claims he did it for attention, but perhaps there is another reason...

Here are a few key background details of the story: Alex Malarkey was paralyzed at the age of 6 when he was in a car wreck. He then spent two months in a coma. He's now a teenager. The book lists him as a co-author along with his father, Kevin Malarkey.
...
Alex's parents are now divorced; he and his siblings live with his mother, Beth Malarkey, who has previously spoken out against the book (and last year, a movie) featuring her son. She has also said that profits from the book haven't been going to Alex.

It's an interesting thing - did he lie originally?

Or did the rift between his father and his family provoke this claim?

Probably the former, in my opinion, but it's worth mentioning.

I knew it was all just a bunch of malarkey


...sorry couldn't resist

Interesting story...pretty low class money maker

Their last name is Malarkey??

The irony is strong in this one.

I would say that the parents likely had something to do with it regardless if they admit to it or not. It was an easy way to get some quick cash and with the possibility of huge medical bills/physical therapy for the little boy... They could probably use it.

Whatever the reason, it is sad that it was done.

Thanks little buddy. I recall almost being arrested because I refused to read, and I refused to listen to someone blather about, this wonderful story. I knew the father was full of it and was probably texting when the crash happened. Nonetheless, I hope you recover.

a reply to: Greven

# 344

originally posted by: Greven
So, this was an interesting bit of news:
Boy Says He Didn't Go To Heaven; Publisher Says It Will Pull Book

Nearly five years after it hit bestseller lists, a book that purported to be a six-year-old boy's story of visiting angels and heaven after suffering a bad car crash is being pulled from shelves. The young man at the center of The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, Alex Malarkey, said this week that the story was all made up.

He claims he did it for attention, but perhaps there is another reason...

Here are a few key background details of the story: Alex Malarkey was paralyzed at the age of 6 when he was in a car wreck. He then spent two months in a coma. He's now a teenager. The book lists him as a co-author along with his father, Kevin Malarkey.
...
Alex's parents are now divorced; he and his siblings live with his mother, Beth Malarkey, who has previously spoken out against the book (and last year, a movie) featuring her son. She has also said that profits from the book haven't been going to Alex.

It's an interesting thing - did he lie originally?

Or did the rift between his father and his family provoke this claim?

Probably the former, in my opinion, but it's worth mentioning.

I seem to recall that his father was a religious zealot and pretty much forced the boy into spreading the story. Whether the boy made it up initially to please his father or whether his father made it up, I don't know. Bottom line, it was a lie. At least one of the parent's profited and the boy will suffer for it.

originally posted by: TheWhiteKnight
Thanks little buddy. I recall almost being arrested because I refused to read, and I refused to listen to someone blather about, this wonderful story. I knew the father was full of it and was probably texting when the crash happened. Nonetheless, I hope you recover.

a reply to: Greven

# 344

How were you almost arrested for refusing to read or listen to someone talk about his book?

“Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.”
― Mark Twain

I remember this being talked about on here and how it was presented as evidence of afterlife.

Oh well.

Thing is now he has an interesting story he could write about.

I refused to ever read that, the name was a dead give away...

Lol this is just too funny for words. What are the odds that his last name would be Malarkey. I want to read the book now just to see how this boy imagined heaven and how convincing his lie was.

These things happen in a world where we are a slave to money, people will do anything:

The fake kidnapping of Shannon Matthews.

Balloon Boy.

I haven't even heard about this story. Saw the movie Heaven is Real and I suspect that's all malarkey as well.

I don't buy into this Afterlife stuff. It's sad for those who did and do though.

From the comments section...

"Anything written by man cannot be infallible."
" They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth."

Does. Not. Compute. Head. Exploding.

Pretty much sums it up...

I am a Christian and I thought the story was ridiculous, this one and many more.
People seeking attention, people making a buck.

Though I am not saying they all are

He's a kid. He was in a traumatic situation. He lied. It happens.
KUDOS to him for admitting he lied.


Now if only we would hear a confession from the people who pushed 'Heaven is for Real'. I don't buy that story one bit. The son of a preacher supposedly tells a story, bit by bit, that affirms what his father does for a living and makes his dad happy. I think it COULD happen, but I don't think it really did happen in this case.

originally posted by: Jakal26
From the comments section...

"Anything written by man cannot be infallible."
" They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth."

Does. Not. Compute. Head. Exploding.

You don't know that man wrote the bible?


Pretty much sums it up...

Very sad. After my father passed away, my stepmom read this and Heaven Is Real. She really got into all the afterlife books. I hope she doesn't find out that this kid lied. I know that sounds awful, but she is in her 80's and loved my dad with all of her being. She really wants to believe that they will be together again.

That being said... I hate con artists.

a reply to: Lolliek

You can assure your stepmom that the afterlife is very real.

The way you can discern the false accounts is when they just so happen to perfectly align with the agenda or dogma of one particular religion or denomination. And no I am not referring to those who meet religious figures such as Jesus or Mohammed. I am referring to those who meet Jesus or Mohamed and get told that if they don't join such and such church or follow the rules in a certain book, they will burn for eternity, or some variation of that. In those cases, you can be sure there is a hidden agenda behind the story.

God has no religion. God's Love is universal.

a reply to: damwel

Of course I do...
Perhaps you misread what I posted?

If not, you're not making much sense to my, yet to be, coffee sparked brain.

originally posted by: Lolliek
She really wants to believe that they will be together again.

I think they will be, just not in the biblical sense.