"The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" never really went in the first place

This is my shocked face.

._.

Even if he had come back from heaven, the way his father has been raking in money off of it is...pretty dang crass.

I mean, the movie was chockablock full of product placement, if I remember the reviews right.

Is there any Christian denomination where his story would even be the slightest bit theologically sound? You don't get to go to heaven if you haven't actually died, surely?

Zoombie said:

This is my shocked face.

._.

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Mine too.

I mean, I'm shocked...SHOCKED...that this turned out to be bullshit. I never saw that coming.

Even if he had come back from heaven, the way his father has been raking in money off of it is...pretty dang crass.

I mean, the movie was chockablock full of product placement, if I remember the reviews right.

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That movie was based on a different book which basically tells the same made-up bullshit to financially capitalize on people's fear of death.

...wait, there are two boys who died, went to heaven, then made massive amounts of moneygolds for their parents?

...do both have absurdly creepy twitter feeds? (EDIT: Oh, this might be a parody. In which case, it's creepy AND funny, instead of just funny and creepy!)

Yeah, both books came out in the same year. It seemed to have been a thing for a little while a few years ago.

"Heavenly tourism." That's a thing. Huh.

Alex didn't just know he'd get attention. He knew he'd get positive attention. Not so if he'd told a different story.

If he says that the Bible is the only source of truth, then the fact that he lied to make money is not what shocks or worries me.

Albedo said:

Is there any Christian denomination where his story would even be the slightest bit theologically sound? You don't get to go to heaven if you haven't actually died, surely?

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Well, unless, you know, God makes a mista... , yeah, gotcha.

Albedo said:

Is there any Christian denomination where his story would even be the slightest bit theologically sound? You don't get to go to heaven if you haven't actually died, surely?

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There's certainly precedent for visiting the afterlife in other religions. What would make the Christian one so special?

Plus there were all those South Park episodes where Kenny did it.

His name is really Alex Malarkey?



I had to double check that this wasn't an Onion article.

This really came as a surprise to anyone? Really? To those people: Ive got some ocean front property in Arizona for you. Better call quickly cause its going fast. That number to call- BR-549.

Devil Ledbetter said:

His name is really Alex Malarkey?



I had to double check that this wasn't an Onion article.

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I thought that too! Malarkey!!

Fingers said:

This really came as a surprise to anyone? Really? To those people: Ive got some ocean front property in Arizona for you. Better call quickly cause its going fast. That number to call- BR-549.

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Well...

kuwisdelu said:

There's certainly precedent for visiting the afterlife in other religions. What would make the Christian one so special?

Plus there were all those South Park episodes where Kenny did it.

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That's why I'm interested to know if there are any. I think the idea that you can get a concussion or a hypo or whatever, and thereby be granted special dispensation to visit paradise and meet Jesus, is an alien one to most mainstream denominations.

But what about the other kid? Does this mean he was telling the truth?

Oh, wait, that's exactly what'll happen. People will point to the other heavenly visit and say, "Just cos one lied, doesn't mean they both did."

Which, technically, is true but... ya know.

Of course he was lying...heaven is a halfpipe!

But...but...it was on the Internet so it had to be true.



My faith--ahem--in humanity has been sorely shaken. However, my faith in the god of pasta has now been restored. All hail PASTA!

Albedo said:

Is there any Christian denomination where his story would even be the slightest bit theologically sound? You don't get to go to heaven if you haven't actually died, surely?

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And um, people don't actually get to go to Heaven until judgement day either, do they? Or do certain unambiguously saved people get to go to Heaven right away but more marginal cases hang out in purgatory (or sleep) until the end of days when they will be judged?

But don't Christians believe salvation is unambiguous? If you truly believe in Jesus as son of God and as savior you're saved, and if you don't you're damned? So why have a judgement day at all then?

This aspect of Christian theology has always confused me.

I'll confess I never even heard about this kid until I saw this thread.

J.S.F. said:

But...but...it was on the Internet so it had to be true.



My faith--ahem--in humanity has been sorely shaken. However, my faith in the god of pasta has now been restored. All hail PASTA!

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One more reason to become a Pastafarian!

It's my understanding that whatever people see during these "near-death" experiences is the demo version,anyway... and anybody who's ever bought software knows how that goes.

The Sydney Opera House is for sale. I'm the estate agent handling the deal.

Yours for only 5.5 million US. I accept Paypal.

Wow. Nice way to cover affinity fraud with another coat of gleaming pure piety. I'll stick with my Pastafarian friends.