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Heaven Is (probably not) For Real

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Without attempting to discount a family's traumatic experience, this book seems opportunistic and unbelievable, preying on the insecurities and beliefs of people who would very much like to think that there's something more after death. The problems arise in Burpo's naive assumptions that their child never overheard them talking about certain subjects, never stumbled across photos, and most importantly, wouldn't have made up a story about Jesus if it weren't true. Children are really hard to predict and they have very active imaginations, even going so far as to tell people what they want to hear if they think it will make them happy.

At several points, Burpo attempts to "clear the air" by stating that he's not a superstitious person or that he doesn't have some sort of confirmation bias. But he's a Christian pastor! It would be impossible (I choose this word over "improbable") that he could approach this subject without injecting some of his own personal views and opinions -- especially when he's relating conversations to which only he and one other person were (maybe) a party. Remember, the man writing this book is relating fantastical stories in a manner very similar to his preferred scriptures and asking you to accept them in the same way without verification that he accepts the Bible. You're free to believe as you wish, but Burpo doesn't make a convincing case to me and I was sorry I put money in his pockets (or his church coffers) by buying this book.

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