C. Randall Nicholson (He/Him)
Autistic Asexual Anti-Fascist Author,
Spark of Divinity,
and Pretty Okay Guy
Out Now: Goodbye Mormonism, Hello World
In this irreverent yet thoughtful memoir, ex-Mormon C. Randall Nicholson shares what he's learned (or thinks he's learned, anyway) from his faith transition and existential crisis.
CW: suicidality, strong language
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Everywhere else
CW: suicidality, strong language
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Everywhere else
I'm a writer who hasn't published much yet but has lots of writing to share anyway. Please check it out. I hope enough people will like it enough to buy my books when I start publishing them. As a hobby, I have also written more about the culture and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) - of which I was a member for twenty-one years - than most normal people care about. If you want to know anything else about me (and I know you do), here you go.
There's a menu bar at the top of the screen, but I'm also putting it here because I really want you to notice it.
There's a menu bar at the top of the screen, but I'm also putting it here because I really want you to notice it.
My Philosophy in a Nutshell
"From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth,
From the laziness that is content with half-truths,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Oh, God of truth, save us!"
- Hugh B. Brown
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them. He would not require us to deny sense and reason in physical matters which are set before our eyes and minds by direct experience or necessary demonstrations."
- Galileo Galilei
"They said that if I questioned a 6,000-year-old earth, I would question whether other parts of Scripture should be read scientifically and historically.
They were right. I did.
They said that if I entertained the hope that those without access to the gospel might still be loved and saved by God, I would fall prey to the dangerous idea that God loves everyone, that there is nothing God won’t do to reconcile all things to Himself.
They were right. I have.
They said that if I looked for Jesus beyond the party line, I could end up voting for liberals.
They were right. I do (sometimes).
They said that if I listened to my gay and lesbian neighbors, if I made room for them in my church and in my life, I could let grace get out of hand.
They were right. It has.
They told me that this slippery slope would lead me away from God, that it would bring a swift end to my faith journey, that I’d be lost forever.
But with that one, they were wrong.
Yes, the slippery slope brought doubts. Yes, the slippery slope brought change. Yes, the slippery slope brought danger and risk and unknowns. I am indeed more exposed to the elements out here, and at times it is hard to find my footing.
But when I decided I wanted to follow Jesus as myself, with both my head and heart intact, the slippery slope was the only place I could find him, the only place I could engage my faith honestly.
So down I went.
It was easier before, when the path was wide and straight.
But, truth be told, I was faking it. I was pretending that things that didn’t make sense made sense, that things that didn’t feel right felt right. To others, I appeared confident and in control, but faith felt as far away as friend who has grown distant and cold.
Now, every day is a risk.
Now, I have no choice but to cling to faith and hope and love for dear life.
Now, I have to keep a very close eye on Jesus, as he leads me through deep valleys and precarious peaks.
But the view is better, and, for the first time in a long time, I am fully engaged in my faith.
I am alive.
I am dependent.
I am following Jesus as me - heart and head intact.
And they were right. All it took was a question or two to bring me here.”
- Rachel Held Evans
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
From the laziness that is content with half-truths,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Oh, God of truth, save us!"
- Hugh B. Brown
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them. He would not require us to deny sense and reason in physical matters which are set before our eyes and minds by direct experience or necessary demonstrations."
- Galileo Galilei
"They said that if I questioned a 6,000-year-old earth, I would question whether other parts of Scripture should be read scientifically and historically.
They were right. I did.
They said that if I entertained the hope that those without access to the gospel might still be loved and saved by God, I would fall prey to the dangerous idea that God loves everyone, that there is nothing God won’t do to reconcile all things to Himself.
They were right. I have.
They said that if I looked for Jesus beyond the party line, I could end up voting for liberals.
They were right. I do (sometimes).
They said that if I listened to my gay and lesbian neighbors, if I made room for them in my church and in my life, I could let grace get out of hand.
They were right. It has.
They told me that this slippery slope would lead me away from God, that it would bring a swift end to my faith journey, that I’d be lost forever.
But with that one, they were wrong.
Yes, the slippery slope brought doubts. Yes, the slippery slope brought change. Yes, the slippery slope brought danger and risk and unknowns. I am indeed more exposed to the elements out here, and at times it is hard to find my footing.
But when I decided I wanted to follow Jesus as myself, with both my head and heart intact, the slippery slope was the only place I could find him, the only place I could engage my faith honestly.
So down I went.
It was easier before, when the path was wide and straight.
But, truth be told, I was faking it. I was pretending that things that didn’t make sense made sense, that things that didn’t feel right felt right. To others, I appeared confident and in control, but faith felt as far away as friend who has grown distant and cold.
Now, every day is a risk.
Now, I have no choice but to cling to faith and hope and love for dear life.
Now, I have to keep a very close eye on Jesus, as he leads me through deep valleys and precarious peaks.
But the view is better, and, for the first time in a long time, I am fully engaged in my faith.
I am alive.
I am dependent.
I am following Jesus as me - heart and head intact.
And they were right. All it took was a question or two to bring me here.”
- Rachel Held Evans
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
And here's a calendar just because:
