Heaven Is For Real

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Old 04-22-2014, 04:48 PM
Villages PL Villages PL is offline
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Default Heaven Is For Real

I haven't seen this movie but I heard the boy being interviewed on the radio. Supposedly, he went to the hospital for an operation and died. He went to heaven and talked to Jesus and God. And Jesus decided to send him back, to be alive on earth, because his father prayed for him. I hope I got that right as I am relying on memory.

Is that the way it works? If someone prays for you, you get sent back? How many children have died from leukemia, never to be seen again? Didn't anyone pray for them?

This story doesn't make sense to me. It makes it seem as though God made a mistake. Oops! We mistakenly brought you up here to heaven, not realizing your father would pray for you. Well, duh! His father is a minister....he's praying all the time.

And the reason it's supposed to be believable is because he said he saw his grandfather and sister who died at birth, which he wasn't supposed to know about. But I knew things as a kid that I wasn't supposed to know either. And that's because adults talked about things in front of me when they thought I was too young to understand. And someone would say, "he looks like he understands what we're saying." And someone else would say, "No, he doesn't understand." That happens all the time.

So, I think the kid was having a dream while under the anesthetic. And his father, being a minister, was all too eager to believe it.

If I understand it correctly, his father wrote the book and the movie is based on the book. So he's making a lot of money on the book and now he's making a lot of money on the movie. Money, money, money, follow the money.
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Old 04-22-2014, 05:08 PM
loveinthesun loveinthesun is offline
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I wanted yo see the movie, but i never heard the story. I would agree with your take on it if that's how it goes lol
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Old 04-22-2014, 06:10 PM
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It was an enjoyable movie. It never said he was sent back because of the father praying. They had prayer chains going. I don't want to go into more because it will ruin it for others who will still see the movie. The little boy was adorable. I wanted to hug him.
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Old 04-22-2014, 06:15 PM
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I saw the boy (now 14) and his father interviewed on t.v. What they said seemed plausible and possible to people of faith and to those who are seeking God or seeking answers to life's big questions.....or to those who simply seek good entertainment or a good story.

While it may sound like they did the movie just to make money, the readership of the book proves people are interested in finding out more about God's promise of perfection in eternal life thru Christ. And everyone ought to be interested in where they are going after death!!

Lots of junk stuff is made into Hollywood movies. It seems like an interesting and intriguing topic that doesn't purvey violence, drugs, porn nor the darkness of all of today's societal ills.

To me it looks like this movie is meant to evoke a response of looking further into God's promises conveyed in the Bible. Viewers can take it or leave it....it's' up to them.

I wasn't planning on seeing the movie, but after looking at the trailer from Sony Pictures here, to me it seems like an intriguing story whether or not a person believes in God and heaven in eternity. I might see it now.

See Trailer here: Heaven Is For Real | Official Movie Site | Sony Pictures

"Today Show" quote:

Faith-based film "Heaven Is for Real" soared at the Easter weekend box office, earning a stellar $21.5 million from 2,417 theaters to bury big-budget sci-fi epic "Transcendence," which opened to a dismal $11.5 million from 3,455 locations.


'Heaven Is for Real' rises above Johnny Depp's 'Transcendence' at box office - TODAY.com
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Old 04-22-2014, 06:36 PM
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I usually don't post about these things, but for some reason, feel compelled to this time. Yes, I believe. I believe the story and believe the young man who had the experience. I won't share my personal reasons why, but I do feel there is more to the story than just money, money, money. I gave the book to a friend who was an agnostic and when she finished the book, she sat and re-evaluated her whole belief system. The story has always been promoted as a true story. It has touched many people's lives. Who am I to judge the truth of others?
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Old 04-22-2014, 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Villages PL View Post
I haven't seen this movie but I heard the boy being interviewed on the radio. Supposedly, he went to the hospital for an operation and died. He went to heaven and talked to Jesus and God. And Jesus decided to send him back, to be alive on earth, because his father prayed for him. I hope I got that right as I am relying on memory.

Is that the way it works? If someone prays for you, you get sent back? How many children have died from leukemia, never to be seen again? Didn't anyone pray for them?

This story doesn't make sense to me. It makes it seem as though God made a mistake. Oops! We mistakenly brought you up here to heaven, not realizing your father would pray for you. Well, duh! His father is a minister....he's praying all the time.

And the reason it's supposed to be believable is because he said he saw his grandfather and sister who died at birth, which he wasn't supposed to know about. But I knew things as a kid that I wasn't supposed to know either. And that's because adults talked about things in front of me when they thought I was too young to understand. And someone would say, "he looks like he understands what we're saying." And someone else would say, "No, he doesn't understand." That happens all the time.

So, I think the kid was having a dream while under the anesthetic. And his father, being a minister, was all too eager to believe it.

If I understand it correctly, his father wrote the book and the movie is based on the book. So he's making a lot of money on the book and now he's making a lot of money on the movie. Money, money, money, follow the money.


I do believe in God, Jesus, The Holy Ghost, a long home Heaven ,and a Hell to be shunned. I have no idea of the motives behind the account or the movie that followed but in no way do I believe it actually occurred. For whatever reason he may very well think it did but I do not believe it in the least. The Bible does not teach this and gives a full account of what happens when we take our last breath here and the soul departs our mortal body. Once the soul has left the body there will be no return for we will have a new body not made of flesh. Until this happens we are still here in body and in spirit.
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Old 04-22-2014, 10:53 PM
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If faith is a fit for you, good. If it isn't leave it for those who find it a comfort. When I see questioning such as this I always wonder why. It is a choice. One can't be debated or argued or taught into faith. It is a gift.

If you don't need it, or trust it, or believe it. That is your choice.

but if you ever change your mind........
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Old 04-22-2014, 11:31 PM
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Originally Posted by graciegirl View Post
If faith is a fit for you, good. If it isn't leave it for those who find it a comfort. When I see questioning such as this I always wonder why. It is a choice. One can't be debated or argued or taught into faith. It is a gift.

If you don't need it, or trust it, or believe it. That is your choice.

but if you ever change your mind........
Thanks Gracie. As usual, you make a lot of sense.
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Old 04-23-2014, 07:42 AM
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Its not the first time someone has said they have hovered over their body and then didn't get to leave...
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Old 04-23-2014, 08:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Villages PL View Post
I haven't seen this movie but I heard the boy being interviewed on the radio. Supposedly, he went to the hospital for an operation and died. He went to heaven and talked to Jesus and God. And Jesus decided to send him back, to be alive on earth, because his father prayed for him. I hope I got that right as I am relying on memory.

Is that the way it works? If someone prays for you, you get sent back? How many children have died from leukemia, never to be seen again? Didn't anyone pray for them?

This story doesn't make sense to me. It makes it seem as though God made a mistake. Oops! We mistakenly brought you up here to heaven, not realizing your father would pray for you. Well, duh! His father is a minister....he's praying all the time.

And the reason it's supposed to be believable is because he said he saw his grandfather and sister who died at birth, which he wasn't supposed to know about. But I knew things as a kid that I wasn't supposed to know either. And that's because adults talked about things in front of me when they thought I was too young to understand. And someone would say, "he looks like he understands what we're saying." And someone else would say, "No, he doesn't understand." That happens all the time.

So, I think the kid was having a dream while under the anesthetic. And his father, being a minister, was all too eager to believe it.

If I understand it correctly, his father wrote the book and the movie is based on the book. So he's making a lot of money on the book and now he's making a lot of money on the movie. Money, money, money, follow the money.
If you haven't seen the movie, or read the book, I find it implausible that any conjecture can be made from any information you have, as it will all be subject to conjecture and personal opinion. If you are, in fact, a person of faith, I would recommend seeing the movie or reading the book. I saw it, and have made MY decision. As with all faith based traditions, I would recommend making your own from facts gathered by you alone.
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Old 04-24-2014, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by KeepingItReal View Post
I do believe in God, Jesus, The Holy Ghost, a long home Heaven ,and a Hell to be shunned. I have no idea of the motives behind the account or the movie that followed but in no way do I believe it actually occurred. For whatever reason he may very well think it did but I do not believe it in the least. The Bible does not teach this and gives a full account of what happens when we take our last breath here and the soul departs our mortal body. Once the soul has left the body there will be no return for we will have a new body not made of flesh. Until this happens we are still here in body and in spirit.
I'm glad to see at least one person got it right. A person's soul is not something that can be passed back 'n' forth. When it departs, that's it, it's final.

Don't forget, the boy's sister died and she didn't get a second chance.

To come up with a story where God sends a person's soul back to the body makes a mockery of religion. It's as though God was indecisive or made a mistake.

I read the book "30 Minutes In Heaven." Was that not the same?
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Old 04-25-2014, 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Villages PL View Post
I haven't seen this movie but I heard the boy being interviewed on the radio. Supposedly, he went to the hospital for an operation and died. He went to heaven and talked to Jesus and God. And Jesus decided to send him back, to be alive on earth, because his father prayed for him. I hope I got that right as I am relying on memory.

Is that the way it works? If someone prays for you, you get sent back? How many children have died from leukemia, never to be seen again? Didn't anyone pray for them?

This story doesn't make sense to me. It makes it seem as though God made a mistake. Oops! We mistakenly brought you up here to heaven, not realizing your father would pray for you. Well, duh! His father is a minister....he's praying all the time.

And the reason it's supposed to be believable is because he said he saw his grandfather and sister who died at birth, which he wasn't supposed to know about. But I knew things as a kid that I wasn't supposed to know either. And that's because adults talked about things in front of me when they thought I was too young to understand. And someone would say, "he looks like he understands what we're saying." And someone else would say, "No, he doesn't understand." That happens all the time.

So, I think the kid was having a dream while under the anesthetic. And his father, being a minister, was all too eager to believe it.

If I understand it correctly, his father wrote the book and the movie is based on the book. So he's making a lot of money on the book and now he's making a lot of money on the movie. Money, money, money, follow the money.
I did not see the boy on TV, but I did read the book, and just today saw the movie. All I can say is that your comments seem to be based on a lot of assumptions. For one, no, the father was not all too eager to believe it... he took a lot of convincing, wrestling with it for a long time. I very strongly advise you to see the movie -- see all of it, and withhold judgement until the end of the movie. I think you will be surprised.
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Old 04-25-2014, 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by graciegirl View Post
If faith is a fit for you, good. If it isn't leave it for those who find it a comfort. When I see questioning such as this I always wonder why. It is a choice. One can't be debated or argued or taught into faith. It is a gift.

If you don't need it, or trust it, or believe it. That is your choice.

but if you ever change your mind........
Are you asking that non believers should not question the validity of fictional beliefs? If believers have the right to talk about their view, non believers should have the same right. Think of what message you send when one half of the debate is silenced.
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Old 04-25-2014, 02:32 PM
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Are you asking that non believers should not question the validity of fictional beliefs? If believers have the right to talk about their view, non believers should have the same right. Think of what message you send when one half of the debate is silenced.
It's a debate that seems will never be proven to the satisfaction of non-believers and some who are deep believers. They go on faith. Some debate that humans are "hard wired" to believe in a God. There are many articles one can read just by Googling, "Are humans hard-wired for religion.?"

For many years I frequented a message board that wanted facts to prove discussions and much of what humanity takes as the truth. Members are atheists, agnostics, believers. Debate was spirited and constant, but in the end, what all believed and lived by was be kind, loving, honest and treat others as you want them to treat you. There is so much more to believing than just believing.
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Last edited by pooh; 04-25-2014 at 03:09 PM.
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Old 04-25-2014, 03:07 PM
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There are two problems that intersect with this type discussion.

Belief in God, after life, etc is based on faith.

For both believers and deniers there is a built-in confirmation bias.

The only observation I will make about the claims in Heaven Is For Real is that Colton Burpo was 3 years old at the time of his appendix surgery gone bad. If his father did nothing to manipulate the boy's thinking then the story coming from the experience of a 3 year old causes one to pay closer attention.

Scientifically experts tell us that energy cannot be destroyed so who knows what happens to the energy that leaves our bodies at death??????

I stay open
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