A controversy over an essay posted on the internet by the author of the best-selling book series, "Conversations with God”, involves accusations of plagiarism.

The man at the center of the controversy, author Neale Donald Walsch, posted a personal essay last month on the website Beliefnet.com about his son’s Christmas pageant.

But now, after another author came forward to challenge his story’s veracity, Walsch has posted an apology and admitted that the events portrayed in his essay never happened to him.

In the story, Walsch shows up early for his son’s Christmas pageant, and during a part where the kids hold up signs with letters that spell out “CHRISTMAS LOVE”, the “M” is displayed upside down, spelling out instead, “Christ Was Love”. Walsch wrote that it happened about 20 years ago.

However, another author, Candy Chand, published a nearly identical story in the magazine, Clarity, in 1999. The story was published in the book, “Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul” in 2000.

Chand also copyrighted the story. She says her story was based on her personal experience at a childrens’ holiday pageant.

Walsch’s story was nearly identical to Chand’s story. After Chand contacted the Beliefnet website, Walsch posted an apology.

It says, “I have made a serious error and this note is to apologize for it.” The apology post goes on to say that at some point, he received the widely-circulated Chand story and put it in his file.

Walsch goes on to say, “I have told the story verbally so many times over the years that I had it memorized...and then, somewhere along the way, internalized it as my own experience.”

Chand says she now is worried about her own credibility. Referring to Walsch, Chand told a reporter in a published report, “Has the man who writes best-selling books about his ‘Conversations With God’ also heard God’s commandments? ‘Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not lie, and thou shalt not covet another author’s property’?”