What if you knew the future?
This is the story of KJ Halliday Jnr. An artist and long time writer from Australia. He is the creator of the online only digital series Salvation, Faith Restored and The Seven Seals. In this new series, he explores his own experience of living with bipolar disorder, as well as the religiosity and part-time prophecy it has entailed.
As the author who successfully warned not only Australia, but the world about the upcoming threat from covid-19, this is sure to be an eye-opening experience.
A little-known symptom of bipolar affective disorder is religiosity, and so, as some people know, my writing and other creative work is influenced by both my bipolar and my faith. So where does faith end and mental illness begin? Does my mental illness negate the very real prophetic works I have completed, under the guidance of what I call (because of my own religious and cultural experience) the “Holy Spirit”? It is something I would describe as “connecting all things” – something perhaps a particle physicist could explain better than I. We are all connected, and if you listen in just the right way, existence itself will speak to you.
HOWEVER, that all sounds great when I write it out. The reality is shittier, and messier than anything you could describe as a “religious experience”. I have been hospitalised, had police involved in my creative projects, destroyed friendships and family connections – all while bringing up a beautiful daughter and taking care of a beautiful wife (and being taken care of). I am, scarily, living how I was in a vision I had something like 20 years ago. That is where this story will begin.
THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS WORK
After this, I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 7:9
Jesus & the church lie, but God does not
All Christian churches like to target the young first, as the foundational years of life are most susceptible to indoctrination. Whether you are still an active church member or not, you have willingly (or as is my case, unwillingly) participated in a specific...
Divine Fiction or the Lord’s Truth?
When I was creating "The Seven Seals" and other associated projects like "Faith Restored" I wanted to explore this line between fact and fiction when it comes to faith. If we read the Bible and other religious texts in a critical way we can start to see that it is not...
Faith: the Seen and the Unseen
I have been using these introductory posts to really get a handle on how I want my new writing series to evolve. With the personal subject matter I will be covering I know that it will be impossible to ignore discussions of "faith". With that single word comes the...
An Unforgivable Sin
What I hate most about my creative works is their potential to be interpreted as religious works. For me, religion is what religious people would call sin and a form of idolatry. It is a point many people get to in their faith where they say "this is it, I know it...
Saint No Name
There was a certain comfort in anonymity. In being unknown. There's no pressure in that. I had always been drawn to a particular verse among the very many in the New Testament story of Jesus. "Teacher," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we...
I have bipolar but I’m not dangerous!
How many times do you have to explain to people that you're not dangerous? When you suffer certain mental illnesses it becomes more common than you think, and even when people become aware of your particular condition, they are rarely understanding. I feel that I have...