Derivations on a Theme - Who's Your Daddy?

In a post yesterday at Fallen from Grace, Bruce wrote a review of Heaven is for Real, a book about a preacher's young son who had a "near death" experience. Unsurprisingly, the God and Jesus of the little boy's imagination fit in almost perfectly with what his fundamentalist father preaches about week in and week out. Of course, the child's story was filtered THROUGH his father.

As I remarked in the comments section of Bruce's blog, what would make such a story conceivably more believable to me is if what the child related to his father was antithetical to his father's beliefs. I would find it even more astounding if his father would then set aside his own beliefs to write a book about the child's experience.

Colton: “Dad, Jesus had the angels sing to me because I was so scared. They made me feel better.”

Todd: “You mean Jesus was there?”

Colton: “Yeah Jesus was there.”

Todd: “Well, where was Jesus?”

Colton: “I was sitting in Jesus’ lap.”

Todd: “Colton, where were you when you saw Jesus?”

Colton: At the hospital. You know, when Dr. O’Holleran was working on me.”

Todd: “But you were in the operating room, Colton. How could you see what we were doing?”

Colton: “ ‘Cause I could see you. I went up out of my body and I was looking down and I could see the doctor working on my body. And I saw you and Mommy . You were in a little room by yourself, praying; and Mommy was in a different room, and she was praying and talking on the phone...”

What if the story little Colton told his parents featured Allah and Mohammad? What if Colton had told his father he was sitting in Mohammad's lap? What if the vision had featured Hindu or Buddhist themes?

Now that would have been some story and book!!