The Journal of Theo

In my experience, the ultimate goal of most Christians is to proselytize. I have had many interactions with Christians who eventually will ask me whether I believe that Jesus is my personal savior. I know I'm not alone in this. It is a tenet of the faith of most modern Christians. I don't say that blithely. I have been intensely interested in religion for most of my life, live in a country with many Christians, grew up in a faith that critiqued Christianity, and spent a lot of time researching Christianity. I therefore feel I can comfortably say that. Now everyone has their own bias. Most people typically have an interest in arguing a certain viewpoint in order to convince other people. I would say that that desire can be unloving. I will give 2 reasons for that. The first is to gain solidarity. You want other people to believe the same thing you do so that you can feel more secure in your beliefs. That won't necessarily grant security, but you believe that. The second is t...

I was listening to a Divine Truth (DT) video the other day and was struck by something AJ said. He was talking about what you can expect to see in the world as people become more loving. One member of the audience made the following remark: "What you're describing is a utopia." In response, AJ said, "Yes, that's exactly right. God set up a utopia for us to live in." Before I go on, let me say that I'm only paraphrasing the exchange. I have watched a few DT videos recently and I wasn't sure which one this came from. These videos are about 2 hours in length. I could comb through the 6 hours of video to find the exact quote. I also thought about making a clip video and posting it to my channel. But I would need permission for that. For now, I'm just doing a paraphrase. So anyway, what does that mean to me? I feel like it's very powerful. It reminds me of that goal from my youth that perfection is possible. How many of us have adopted a cynical a...

What does it mean to judge someone? What does it mean to judge yourself? In recent years, I feel I am more aware of how I judge myself and others. I've gotten better at seeing others judge themselves too... Many times it will be really subtle. Like when someone says, "That's a really nice shirt your wearing. But, hey, what do I know. The last time I wore something I liked, my husband hated it." It might be hard to see, but in that example, while the speaker references their husband, they are actually ascribing judgment to themselves for their own fashion choices. I have developed a bit of a joke when I hear people judge themselves. I will tell them, "Hey, did you know I started a little side business? I noticed you were judging yourself there. You just didn't do it well enough. I suggest you judge yourself even better! I can help with that... for a small fee.. mwahaha," Then I curl my fingers together like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. I've done this ...

In the Spring of 2021, my sister asked me to help put a play together with some of the students from a local school. The school is part of the Acorn school system and known for putting the responsibility for education squarely in the hands of the student. It was one of the student's desires to put a play on and to have a major role. Other students soon joined in. I was excited for the opportunity and began working with the students on an idea. I suggested we cover bullying. What came out is the following. For a video of the play, check out the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqLjHu4FVUQ&t=601s   WHEN I WAS A BULLY by Theo Kirkley 5/16/2021 ACT I - The Betrayal SCENE 1 Karen and Lola are walking to school amidst a small crowd of students. They walk through the open doors on their way to the posterboard. Karen: OH MY GOSH! I can’t wait to see if I got the lead in the ballet!! D’you think I’m gonna get it? Lola: Yeah! Karen: Bro, I have been preparing s...