Did NBC Intentionally Edit Deceased Boy's Admission That He Believed in God?

The story of Ben Breedlove has captured national news. He's the teen from Texas who suffered from a heart defect but became a YouTube star because of his advice videos. Just before he suddenly died on Christmas, he recorded a silent video using only flash cards. That video, which includes Breedlove's retelling of several near-death experiences and even a faith message, has gone viral.

Take a look:

The video has spawned numerous responses. In fact, it's even been played on the national networks. For example, NBC Nightly News played excerpts of it Thursday night. But the eagle-eyed blog Daily Rushbo noticed something curious: when the segment aired on live TV, the part where Breedlove admits he believes in angels and God was rushed across the screen (he asks the question and then says "I do"), arguably to the point where it's unnoticeable.

But here's where it gets real interesting. In the version that was placed online, the "I do" admission is clearly visible. Here are the two versions to compare.

The live version:

The online version:

In an e-mail to The Blaze, Daily Rushbo explained how he came across the oddity.

"The shorter version is the one I saw Aired Live on TV," he explained. "About 40 minutes later the clip appeared on MSNBC's website so I downloaded it and it was the shorter version. Then while making my post I wanted to embed the MSNBC clip directly from MSNBC and that's when I noticed they had revised the clip with the longer ending."

So why the difference? It's unclear. Could it be that the live version was simply cut for time? Why would the admission about believing in God and angels be faded out when anchor Harry Smith teased a "final inspiring message?" Was it intentional? Was it an accident? Was the different online version meant to rectify what happened in the original? And then there's the question many others will ask: Was Breedlove's faith admission just too unpalatable for a network audience?

The most logical explanation is the time one. But that won't stop people from wondering.

Whatever the reason for the fade and the different clip appearing on the website, Breedlove's message of faith is still getting out.

"It's exciting to know that Ben planted a seed in people's mind to begin thinking about things that really do matter in life," Ben's mother, Deanne Breedlove, told ABC affiliate KVUE-TV at a memorial for Ben. "You know, we all have hope. Everyone has challenges, but we have a real hope and he saw that. He felt the peace of God when he had those glimpses into heaven and heavenly presence."