Scientology and religions

[Guest taylorsquare]

Before when i was suffering severe deppression,I started looking for i guess "answers" to life and why I was here.

 

Life didnt seem exciting anymore,even when i was going to Thailand.

 

So I started doing some soul searching and saw adverts on billboards "Tired of being tired,then Dianetics can help"

 

I rang the phone number and the receptionist from the SCIENTOLOGY CHURCH took my phone number and a guy called me back,he invited me to a film night at their HQ.

Actually he called me 3 times during the day of the film night to make sure i was coming.

 

I went there and walked thru there palatial foyer and there were about 8 others ranging in age from late 20s to early 50s.

Mostly guys,ex alohoilics,divorced guys,guys with problems but looked financially well off.

WE all had to fill out a form detailing occupation,salary earned per year ,health,mental illness etc.

Well i watched the film on scientologys founder and the smooth talking American guy who was telling us how it can change our lives etc and i started to sort of get hooked.

 

I wanted to look like this guy,fit looking,confident,clear skin,happy exhuberant high esteem everything he had.

Anyway to cut a long story short,i didnt want to get myself into debt by borrowing money from them to do courses as they call it so changed my phone number.

 

I then looked at other less known religions but after a while i gathered to myself,

"Do i realy need a religion,why cant i think for myself"?

Do i need a set of rules to abide by to run my life"

I started seeing a Psychologist on a weekly basis,a older woman who thought that i was working too much and didnt have a work/life balance and was getting bored with life and looking for excitement thru religion,any religion.

She was non judgemental,she didnt tell me either way what to do.

I phoned my brother who was not understanding and is opinion was,"Why not believe in yourself and follow your own values and morals.....Why the need for those of someone else?

I was getting depression and i didnt know why,taking anti depressants didnt seem to be the answer.

During that time I came across XIANDARKS blog and depression etc and started to go to the gym,started taking in young asian students as flatmates,started going out with them to pubs ,outings etc,sure most of the time i pay but i have fun anyway.

I started then going to a meditation class which is a Indian religion every Tuesday night,they actually only ask for a coin donation.

I dont think theres anything wrong with following a religion and no way im going to judge scintology or any other if its helping someone,its just i am trying to start trying to think and act myself rather than use a religions rules.

However i still go to the Tuesday night meditation because in a way im still looking to better myself.

How many of you follow or believe in a religion?

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I have no use for any organized religion or cult.

[Bob]

I have no use for any organized religion or cult.

 

Ditto.

 

[taylorsquare: Are you using this board as a bit of a psychiatric couch? Probably not very wise - please consult a professional]

 

Edited to improve some grammar.

[Guest taylorsquare]

Yes your right Bob.

I shouldnt be doing this,thankyou for being frank to me.

and i will make this the last post for a while to try to do other things in my life.

Actually Bob,you sound like a one legged cab driver I use to know,he used to say the word Ditto.

 

I did meet a farang guy earlier this year in Pattaya who was changing his religion to buddhism.

Usually i dont mix with farang however he started talking to me and was very interesting.

He was from the UK and had had a troubled life.

After listening to his life about having a best friend murdered , I thought

how lucky I am compared to the trouble he had in his life and he still was going strong and buddhism had helped him thru this.

Wasnt the mainstream buddhasim but another one apparently,did say the name but i didnt sort of take notice.

 

He wasnt even drinking alcohol ,but a cup of tea ,in a bar !

He was strong in overcoming his problems after turning to buddhism and probaly was the most fun farang who seemed to have a zest for life that i really did enjoy his company,despite the troubles he had been thru,and i must say a very interesting life.

He had been mistakenly jailed in Pakistan .

We talked about life and probaly the meaning and he use to have a alcohol problem but made himself strong to stop drinking.

Usually i would be the one to drink to relax but he had learnt to relax by drinking tea !

 

 

I could of sat there for hours with him actually,he looked like Clive James.

 

He was trying to raise money for a new youth group trying to help disadvantaged youths who were drinking.

He did go into detail of his plans but i do not recall it all.

But i dont doubt he will succeed in his endeavours.

 

I didnt seem him again as i was hoping to bump into him for a lift thru the day.

I still remember him sometimes,not that i was in love with him,but how sometimes you can meet friendly people who are complete strangers and can make you laugh and a brighter day.

 

It just shows you that some people do survive better when they have some religious beliefs.

[Gaybutton]

How many of you follow or believe in a religion?

I belong to a religion that teaches when we die, our souls go to a used furniture store in Comus, Maryland.