Tyndale House, a major Christian publisher, has announced that it will stop selling “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,” by Alex Malarkey and his father, Kevin Malarkey. It turns out that the book is a bunch of . . . well . . . malarkey. Published in 2010, the book is an account of how Alex fell into a coma when he was six years old that lasted for two months. Alex said that during the coma he went to heaven and encountered the angelic aftermath awaiting the faithful. Alex however has now recanted the book and said that none of the heavenly account is true. Tyndale House has announced that it will no longer print the book.
The book is part of a genre described as “heavenly tourism” and promises an account of “Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World.” This month, Alex wrote a letter to Christian bookstores saying “I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.”
The aftermath of the accident was anything but divine for Alex. His spinal column was severed at the neck in the crash on the way home from church. He was left paralyzed and requires constant care. He apologizes for making up the trip to heaven and admitted “I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.”
In the meantime, Alex’s mother, Beth Malarkey denounced the book and said that “it is both puzzling and painful to watch the book ‘The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven’ not only continue to sell, but to continue, for the most part, to not be questioned.” What is curious is that she accused those behind the book of ignoring her son’s prior objections and says he “has not received monies from the book nor have a majority of his needs been funded by it.” It is unclear why Alex did not receive any monies on a book that he is listed as co-author with the father. That seems a much more interesting story.
Beth has , issued a statement in which she also noted:
I also want to correct one glaring error that has appeared in countless news articles over the past few days: I have not divorced my husband and I am not planning to pursue a divorce. Kevin and I are still married. My hope is that all of this can be resolved in a way that exalts Christ by honoring the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:14). That, likewise, has been Alex’s only aim in all his attempts to set the record straight.
In a separate statement, Alex says “People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.” But who got the profits? This was a best seller by the Christian book publisher. One site notes that the publisher refused to pull the book even after being told that it was a hoax: “The publisher refused to pull or alter the book. Alex’s father, thrilled with the book’s best-seller status, stood with the publisher. Even a pastor from whom Alex sought counsel said he thought the book was “blessing” people. He advised Alex to be quiet and let it ride.”
That still leaves the question of the money, which presumably the father received from the book. Critics charged that it was the father who wrote the book and “embellished” on the account of his son — and holds the copyright. There is also the question of a religiously oriented publication that allegedly refuses to listen to objections from the boy that it is publishing a false account and some pastor who tells a boy that it is better to lie about God than tell people the truth. Again, that is all far more interesting than the original tale.
I am less critical of Alex. The boy was recovering from a horrific accident. Indeed, he will never fully recover. He created a story that gave his suffering meaning. It reminds me of the Story of Pi where the boy is faced with a horrific story of the death of this family and struggle in a life book or a fantastic story of his bond with a tiger:
Adult Pi Patel: I’ve told you two stories about what happened out on the ocean. Neither explains what caused the sinking of the ship, and no one can prove which story is true and which is not. In both stories, the ship sinks, my family dies, and I suffer.
Writer: True.
Adult Pi Patel: So which story do you prefer?
[the writer pauses for a moment]
Writer: The one with the tiger. That’s the better story.
Adult Pi Patel: Thank you. And so it goes with God.
Many of you have been through the Pearly Gates for the Interview but very few of you will have a recollection. You are reincarnated without memory of prior life. Dogs on the other hand can come back as dogs when they were humans in the prior life and dogs have the recollection of prior life. This kid might be one of the “few” who have some recollection. I might also add that there is no Heaven as in living up on the Clouds. That is reserved for Google and Yahoo. The Pearly Gates interview is up there but when you pass you come back reincarnated or if you fail you go to Morocco as a dog or some other pirate territory as punishment. Limbo is a suburb of Saint Louis called Florissant which happens to be next door to Ferguson. Where can I find a copy of this book? Amazon? I will read it and report back.
I knew a guy named Looney, too. Also nuts.
Back in the 1960’s there was a wild and crazy journeyman running back named Joe Don Looney. He kicked around the league, playing for the Giants, Lions and a few other teams. He was a gun toting druggie. A Sports Illustrated writer, maybe, Frank DeFord, wrote of Looney, “Never was there a man more aptly named.” I think the Malarkey kid might top Looney’s naming.
Nick, do you think it is possible one of his relatives gave rise to the meaning of the word Malarkey?
That kid has learned a hard lesson about the world. Too bad the MBAs running corporate Christianity don’t give a rip.
If putting a monument to the 10 Commandments (or even the five or six that say something meaningful) on the lawn of every government building would eliminate the corruption and evil that goes on inside it, I would be all for it. But the truth is that neither religions nor governments of any flavor have gotten rid of the terrible pain and suffering of mankind as they promise to do. If anything, they cause more misery than they prevent or cure. As the stresses of human overpopulation continue to grow, and just making an adequate living becomes increasingly more difficult for the 99+% of the population, it’s only going to get worse. If everyone took the money being spent of building churches and making weapons and instead spent it on medical research, there probably soon would be ways to cure accident victims like this Alex kid.
“Alex Malarkey”, child fabulist, sounds like a character in a WC Fields movie. A likely nemesis of Egbert Sousè.
what Jill said.
Sad.
Those involved with publishing the book, including the father, are acting in a decidedly unChristian manner, putting money before what this means to the boy.
What a role model.
I am starting a new/old religion. It won’t be that expensive. And, there will be no promises.
Every beast is driven to pasture with blows.
Fools when they do hear are like the deaf: of them does the saying bear witness that they are absent when present.
Eyes and ears are bad witnesses to people if they have souls that understand not their language.
The many do not take heed of such things as they meet with, nor do they mark them when they are taught, though they think they do.
Nature loves to hide.
Asses would rather have straw than gold.
The way up and the way down is one and the same.
This young person has a lot of integrity. Of course he would want attention. His life has been turned upside down. He made a mistake and he has admitted to it. That is admirable.
I hope there will eventually be some kind of therapy that will help him. In the meantime, I hope he feels loved.
Do we want to trade charlatan stories involving Christians over against atheists, volleying one against the other?
Do stories about incompetent, criminal, or mendacious lawyers, teachers, or doctors or teachers say something about those professions as a whole?
Or do we want to have a battle of ¿Quién es más estúpido, el religioso o el ateo o los votantes?
There are plenty of examples around.
Shall we keep score?
Coleman Young
Ten Commandments: more exposure will enhance awareness “to do what is right and just.”
Court House lawn: for starters, we need to see the “Ten Commandments” on all Court House lawns, and on all City Halls lawns across the nation. Judicial & Political corruption at all levels is out of control.
Fair Share: otherwise, corruption in Court Houses, City Halls, and elsewhere snowballs as being justified by many who want their “fair share.”
—————————————————–
No…. It will NOT raise awareness….
People who are Christian in our Government are just as Corrupt
as the ones who are NOT hardline Christians….
NO amount of posting biblical anything is going to change that…..
“Anything written by man cannot be infallible.” – including the Bible.
Nice to see the truth came out. There are many of these charlatans out there, but most never admit to it.
In public libraries are religious books in the fiction or non-fiction section? They probably have to have their own section so that librarians aren’t forced to make that decision.
doglover – religion has its own section in the library just like science. Neither fiction or non-fiction.
This boy was twice victimized.
I would be very curious to see the money trail in this book. I don’t see this going well.
Okay, so the father holds the copyright, so I guess he and the publisher are making the money. Let’s face it. A 6 year old does not tell a great tale regardless of their travels. If I was their adult supervisor I certainly would embellish it. Have you ever seen a 6 year old write “What I Did On My Vacation?”
Ten Commandments: more exposure will enhance awareness “to do what is right and just.”
Court House lawn: for starters, we need to see the “Ten Commandments” on all Court House lawns, and on all City Halls lawns across the nation. Judicial & Political corruption at all levels is out of control.
Fair Share: otherwise, corruption in Court Houses, City Halls, and elsewhere snowballs as being justified by many who want their “fair share.”
Sad story. So where did the story come from? People do odd things after a severe shock. Regarding after death experiences what is overlooked is some people say it ain’t so good over there, and were glad to be brought back.