A man said he became a member of a secretive religion after his life went "downhill" and he turned to alcohol and drugs.
Ian Clarkson, now 58, originally from Ormskirk, is still the frontman of the swing band the Jive Aces that sent ripples throughout the country when they reached the Britain's Got Talent semi-final in 2012. Yet, years before Ian was in a much different position.
In 1991 Ian's life fell apart when his mother died, shortly after his parents had split. His girlfriend at the time split up with him, and soon he turned to "drinking a lot and getting on drugs."
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After his life went "downhill," Ian found himself stargazing, trying to come up with solutions or find a way out of his slump. Eventually, his respite came in a very unusual form, via the woman who would eventually become his wife, Grazia.
Speaking to the ECHO in 2017, Ian said: "I was searching for something. I was looking at everything from astrology to Buddhism. I met my wife at a gig and she got me into [Scientology].
“We were walking through London past the Scientology centre and there was a sign saying ‘Free Personality Test’ and I did one and was given a copy of Dianetics.
“I started reading it and thought it was for me. It’s very practical like a self-help book."
Dianetics was written in 1950 by L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer who founded the Church of Scientology. The book contains the core principles of the secretive religion, and makes reference to Xenu, a genocidal intergalactic overlord who brought humans to Earth millions of years ago before killing them with hydrogen bombs, at least according to the book.
Ian added: “It showed me who I am in myself - not who I thought I was or was brought up to be. I was more able to be myself.
“I seriously don’t think I’d be like this if it were not for Scientology. I’d still be a womanising drunk.”
Ian told the ECHO that "one-sided" documentaries are to blame for the popular conception of Scientology as being obsessed with unbelievable aliens.
He said: “It’s not part of the Church as such. I know some people believe in it and some don’t.
“We basically address people as life sources who have a body and a life source that is governed. So it doesn’t really matter where you come from. As far as I know there aren’t even that many aliens.”
Scientologists can pay the church for lessons to improve their understanding of Dianetics. The practice may seem odd, though Ian said that it was "just like if you did a class in martial arts."
He added: "The only difference is you pay a one-off fee and take as long as you like to complete it. I paid £150 for a basic course on relationships.”
Some courses cost significantly more, particularly if they are longer. Ian said he spent £1,000 on a two-year course on "communication and its effects"
But Ian does not begrudge forking out cash, he said: “Unlike many other things it literally changed my life.”
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