So Peaches Geldof is a Scientologist. Yayyyy! Another famous person is attached to my favourite religion.

She joins the list including Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Nancy Cartwright, Kirsty Alley and Isaac Hayes. The religion that believes aliens came to Earth. The religion that believes that one can elevate the body off the ground. Scientology is a faith that scares and interests in equal measure.

I popped in to see them once when I lived in London. I was intrigued by this 'religion', so I decided to talk to one of their enthusiastic, beautiful 'preachers'. I did one of those stress tests they're so famous for, I looked at the books they offered, and I thought I gave all the right answers and gave them my full address to contact me. I would be perfect material, I thought.

But I didn't hear a thing from them.

I must be doing something wrong.

Maybe I need to be a guest on Oprah Winfrey like Tom Cruise was and bounce up and down like a mad man, like he did. Or maybe I need to make a low-key, sexy home movie like Peaches. Guys, just tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it!

Take it from this atheist, you don't need religion to know what's right and what's wrong

I had a Jehovah's Witness tell me the other day about how we are living in Satan's world.

The religious plumber was repairing my boiler when he looked up at me and said: "All the corruption, the wars, abuse, pain. This planet has become a horrible place to live in."

He explained that it will all change when the world as we know it is destroyed. There will be a new world -- but only for the Jehovah's Witnesses. It certainly makes a difference from, 'You'll need all-new parts for this job and it's going to cost'.

Terrible

Only for Jehovah's Witnesses, eh? Well, that leaves me out. But I don't see the world in nearly such a negative light, despite all the terrible things in it.

There has always been war, and corruption and abuse and pain and there always will be.

The Jehovah supporter painted a depressing picture, compounding all the reports over Easter. From the dire opinions of Friday's Late Late Show panel to the sermon of Cardinal Brady on Easter Sunday -- the Easter Bunny had his work cut out. Yet despite all the complexities and challenges, I found hope.

At 3pm on Good Friday, I had to stop the car. I was listening to a radio show about Jesus's last moments and the indescribable pain his mother must have felt as she saw her boy take his final breath. I found it very moving.

It reminded me of a mother on the radio last week, who described seeing her son knocked down and slip away. She then had to make the brave decision to donate his organs.

A courageous and painful decision that helped wrought a glimmer of silver into an otherwise overpoweringly dark cloud.

I then listened to Rick O'Shea broadcasting from Malta. He and 2fm DJ Cormac Battle had been to a vigil in a little village. It was a 3D Stations of the Cross, with candles and villagers silent and prayerful.

I was waiting for the punchline from two normally satirical broadcasters but they had one of the most spiritual moments of their lives.

Reflecting

I spent Sunday reflecting on the year so far and thought of my Jehovah's Witness again. He had asked me what motivated me to do good, when I don't believe in God. I always find this an interesting question, especially when it is put to people who do believe in God.

Is it because of their Ten Commandments; their Koran, their Biblical quotes?

My motivation for doing good comes from something a little less complex. It comes from trying to be aware of the impact on another person when I do something hurtful. But if we live only by rules, we can cut out that individual responsibility to our fellow human beings.

I thought about the bishops and bankers who insist that they didn't break rules. And I reflected on the hypocrisy of some of those who live what they call 'religious' lives or live adhering to 'rules'.

Worst

They were the ones who committed the worst atrocities of the past 50 years.

So no, dear plumber, I don't think we live in Satan's world. We live in a world where good and bad will always coexist.

We don't need rules to know when we are hurting someone else.

We simply need to show responsibility to our fellow man.

iPhones are getting app-surd

MY partner wants me to get an iPhone. She got very excited when she saw an ad explaining the 16 new apps. These are tiny iPhone icons which, when pressed, bring up can't-live-without websites.

But as I read through these 16 apps, I thought to myself, surely I can survive without these absurd, time-consuming, pointless additions to my life.

Take the Starbucks app, which points me to the nearest branch.

Whatever happened to the crazy notion of asking someone? Same goes for the Tesco app. It's hardly such an underground store that no-one knows it. Why on earth would I need my phone to help me find the nearest one?

Another new app is Lego Photo. You take a picture with your iPhone and, hey presto, the image is transformed into Lego bricks. Who in their right mind would want to do such a thing? Perhaps a very sad character who likes to build full-sized family members and friends out of Lego bricks on the living room floor?

There are 150,000 apps that can apparently entertain, inform, distract, annoy and thrill. In the past, if one were to muse over the big questions, such as how far away is Pluto, one would have a peaceful moment -- allowing the mind to ponder. Now, you can find out in under 10 seconds.

These apps have stopped us from wondering and pondering. There is no more surmising and guessing. "How does" has become "Here is". How very dull.

- Anna Nolan