ello, my name is Lisa M. Rich, and here is a little bit about myself:

     My name is Lisa, I'm going on 24 years old and from the time I was 5 years old - when my mom remarried, my parents believed and practiced Scientology. Most kids grow up with their parents' religion and have no choice in the matter.

      When I was 15 years old I wanted to see what other religions were out there. I did a little research to find out why there were so many different religions and what they were all about. I already (thought) I knew Scientology but it wasn't a choice I had made myself. So I started with my real dad, who is Buddhist, and then went on to study all my relatives who are Christian, Catholic, you name it. They all had their good points that I liked and some things I didn't - but the one thing that really caught my attention is the fact that with all my relatives - they believed that their religion was the ONLY way of life and with a Scientology upbringing, I was allowed to believe whatever was true to ME.

      So, to make a long story longer, at that point I knew that I wanted to really BE a Scientologist and not just because my parents happened to be ones - I did the research on my own and found out what made sense for me. That is probably the greatest factor that holds me to Scientology - no matter what book I read, tape I listen to, or what course I do - it's all knowledge that I can really see and understand and apply to all of life's situations. I can really take responsibility for my life and choices and consequences and handle it with all of the knowledge and FACTS that L. Ron Hubbard put together.