What church, or religion should I join to meet people and belong?

The church of the poison mind, they’re a true culture club & really don’t want to hurt you.

@ucme tell me more.

@talljasperman: @ucme is pulling your leg. The Church of the Poison Mind is a song by Culture Club (1980’s).

@jca Oh. Thanks. I just watched it on YouTube. Nice music.

It doesn’t really sound like you want a church.

@Seek Correct. I just don’t know what to call it. A place like Fluther, but in the real world.

The closest real world equivalent to Fluther would be, I think, a local pub. Your own Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Everyone meets up to share a few rounds and bullshit about whatever comes up.

Unfortunately, such things develop over time, you can’t just poof it into existence.

@talljasperman: Find a hobby and join a group around it. There’s a site, I think it’s called Meetup, where you can join groups of people that do different hobbies.

Do some things in your community – volunteer, etc.

Get yourself out – go to a coffee shop, book store, library. Do you read books? Join a book group. See if your local community college or other university has lectures you can attend. That’s how you will meet people and get to know them at your own pace.

@jca As has been told to him many, many times. I give up.

You might want to consider the Unitarians. The members have a wide range of beliefs, including agnostic. I don’t know if they have any churches near you.

Alternatively, you may wish to join the REM church, you may place yourself in the spotlight, or if you feel you’re losing it, you could move in the corner.
Consider this…consider this…

I joined in with the Cult of the Blue Oyster at one point.

We drank from the Schnappster until we didn’t fear the reaper anymore. And the Blue Dot landed right on me, man.

^ That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream…

Romeo and Juliet, are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet, like Romeo and Juliet….......

@talljasperman You have this one life. What do you want to do with it?

That’s an honest, open question, @talljasperman. Let’s talk about what you want.

I want to be comfortable. To not go hungry anymore. My dream is to be the first person to get a PhD in general studies.

Thank you. Those all sound like reasonable desires. I think we can work with them.

I think we might want to start looking at your desire for a PhD.

Did you graduate from high school?

@Hawaii_Jake Yes. I graduated from high school.

OK. Good. So we only have to start with college/university ideas.

Have you taken any university-level classes before?

Yes. I have two years of post secondary, and one year of college. Failed both from starvation.

I’m sorry those didn’t work out.

But I needed to know. Thank you for telling me.

Is there a college/University in Red Deer?

I looked it up.

Tomorrow, go to Red Deer College, and ask to speak to an admission counselor or someone who helps people with admissions. They’re called counselors here in the States. They may have another name there.

Ask this person how to start taking classes.

Do this, and then report back here. Tell us what you found out.

If going to the college tomorrow is too big a step to take, sit down and figure out how you’re going to get to the college. Can you take a bus? Can you walk? Just figure out that part, and don’t worry about actually going.

@ucme Oh no. You’ve said too much. Have I said enough?

Try a non denominational church. They tend to be quite welcoming, and less judgmental than others, and usually will help people with needs like food.

@dxs You’re like a hurt lost & blinded fool, fool…now i’ve said too much

Do one thing today for your desire to get an education. Figure out how to get to the college, or look up their phone number. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic thing. Just one thing.

Little steps, @talljasperman, as @Hawaii_Jake is explaining.

@Hawaii_Jake I looked at their Web page have a mild panic attack. I will save up money first. All programs cost $5,000 per year. I would take individual philosophy classes later.

Ok intro to philosophy is $300 tuition plus $200 – $400 for books at red deer college. Plus $66 a month for bus pass per month.

You can speak to an admissions counselor about grants and scholarships. That’s a major reason to give them a call.

@Darth_Algar I follow advice but I’m not beholden to it. I go bowling every Thursday morning. My doctor is saying that I am doing well and might discontinue my anxiety medication. I shower with soap now and not just lie in the bath tub. I get my teeth cleaned free every three months. I brush and floss my teeth more now.

@talljasperman You had a mild panic attack looking at their webpage and your doc wants to discontinue your anxiety meds? Find a new doctor!!!

@Darth_Algar What a hateful thing to say! I hope your mother is proud of how you degrade strangers on the Internet. You should be ashamed.

@talljasperman You aren’t committing to anything today. You’re not spending money today. Take 3 slow, deep breaths. Not 2. Take 3. Just find the phone number to admissions. You don’t have to call them. Just find the phone number. And then report back.

@anniereborn Never give unwanted medical advice on the Internet to people you do not know. Are you a doctor? Are you licensed to prescribe psychiatric medicine? Your interjections are not helpful.

@talljasperman Just find the phone number. After you tell us you’ve found it, we’re going to make a plan to call them. The plan will include the time and date you want to call and questions for you to ask and some questions they may ask you.

We will make this plan together.

@Hawaii_Jake

My mother is a pile of ashes in a wood box. She’s rather beyond caring about what I post on the internet. If you want to talk about hateful your attempt at shaming is far more hateful than anything I’ve posted to @talljasperman.

@talljasperman and I have taken this conversation to PM in order to save us from having to sift through the hatefulness on this thread.

I am now unfollowing this thread.

Have fun. Play nice.

Good luck with your “plan”. Just remember the old saying about leading a horse to water.

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

…but you can put salt in his oats and make him thirsty.

You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead #oldschool #gagsforfree

Does anybody here seriously think @Hawaii_Jake was being mean? I don’t think so.

I think he is trying a different approach with @talljasperman. People have been giving TJM a lot of advice which he seems not to be taking. Therefore it seems he is not articulating what he is actually looking for. Maybe he doesn’t know? I can see why it might be frustrating to take the time to answer questions in good faith and to be ignored. But if you take yourself out of the picture, what do you see? I see someone looking for something but I don’t think it’s advice. I like @Hawaii_Jake‘s counselling approach and hope that this might help.

Lions Club, or Boy/Girl Scouts. Whatever, no churches or religions! What you want is a club, like for chess. Or cribbage. Or checkers. Or bridge. Or pinochle. Find a night class at your local school. Or join a bowling league.

@ucme Get out of the spotlight and go sit in the corner.

I don’t know why people are criticizing @talljasperman . He came up with a good idea for going out and connecting with people and also for giving an outlet to his spirituality. For those of you talking about taking small first steps, this is a small first step.

@LostInParadise: I think some people here (like @janbb) are critical because @talljasperman has asked similar questions many times in the past, and yet seems to take none of the suggestions. He readily admits to staying in all day, eating lots of fast food and drinking lots of soda and being not very active.

@jca

Pretty much.

@LostInParadise

He might come up with an idea, and he’ll ask questions, and we’ll give him advice about first steps, but he never seems to actually take that first step. In this thread, for instance, going by subsequent replies from him he seems to be asking less about an outlet for spirituality and more about socializing. We’ve given him plenty of advice on getting out and socializing, connecting with people, but he doesn’t really seem willing to step outside of the cloistered comfort zone he’s built up for himself in his apartment.

I hear you guys, but it does not get any simpler than this: Stand up, walk out through one door and in through another, and sit down. Hopefully, there will be some social interaction. I am sure that socialization on Fluther is appreciated, but nothing beats face to face contact.

@LostInParadise We’re all in agreement – it just doesn’t happen.

@LostInParadise: You’re preaching to the choir.

Hallelujah!

Amen, Brothers and Sisters! :)