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 Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 1:46 pm
www.jediism.org
Jediism is a religion based on the Jedi, as portrayed in Star Wars. This includes living life by the philosophy of the Jedi, as well as deification of the Force.
And now, my fellow men and women, I ask this: what is the fate of a religion based solely off pure fiction? Should it be taken seriously?
Personally, I find it very difficult to take a religion based on Star Wars serioulsly. I have nothing against the philosophy of teh Jedi, it's very noble. However, it IS science-fiction, turned into a pseudo-serious religion.
Is there a limit to acceptance? Can we really take the Jedi seriously, knowing that it's a religion that, simply because of its origins in sci-fi, already loses almost all credibility? Was calling it the Jedi path a good idea, on the creator's path?
Discuss.
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:12 pm
Some people would say that all religion is based on fiction. Though I'm not one of them. If people find satisfaction in a religion, I take it seriously, even if the basis is a little unusual.
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:35 pm
SyphaBelnades Some people would say that all religion is based on fiction. Though I'm not one of them. If people find satisfaction in a religion, I take it seriously, even if the basis is a little unusual. i agree, and i don't know how literally they are taking the religion (ie, attempting to wield the power of the force) or just taking the philosophies and the concept of "the powers that be" to be real. i don't see anything wrong with taking fiction stories and trying to learn morality and spirituality from them.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:54 pm
I think something critical is being missed here. Putting the argument aside that all religions are in some respects constructed form human minds (and thus bear elements of fiction) regardless of all that, think about the connections Jediism has to already existing respectable philosophies, both religions and nonreligious. Regardless of its origins, the ideas of Jediism are good ideas taht are already present in many religions and ideologies across the globe. Who cares if the inspiration that fueled the conglomeration of ideas from these greats was a work of 'fiction' that isn't more than fifty years old? It has damn good ideas!
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:57 pm
One of my favorite quotes regarding religion is "If there were no God it would be necessary for man to create one." If you follow any particular religion, than its logical to assume that others' religions are "made up." All religions were essentially created by people, depending on your beliefs. Even though someone's beliefs may come from a fictitious book series/movie trilogy, the Jedi do have a pretty good philosophy. They show respect for the universe and all living things, similar to Buddhism. Religion is really a choice and I think that everyone's choice no matter what it was based on should be respected, although I do se your point. Some people take religion very seriously, nsd are devout in their beliefs and this seems a bit superficial to be a religion, but it is THEIR religion and should be respected.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:42 pm
This guy, George Lucas, writes a book solely fiction, one so cool that people start a religion after it. How other religions were started probably weren't by media and that. The creators of religions were probably doing it for some moral serious cause. Jediism can't really be taken seriously, but hey, Star Wars is good enough to have it's own country, so what can I say?
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:16 pm
Hmm, it is very interesting to think about. I mean, yes, it's based off of a story which is fictional, but the religious ideas are real--perhaps even similiar to Daoism if I'm not terribly mistaken. And since I do believe people can learn to better themselves through reading fiction (literature and genre), then I'd have to say that you could base your philosophical beliefs off of Star Wars. I don't think it's a first, either--wasn't Scientology created by L. Ron Hubbard, a popular Science Fiction writer? And that's been gathering a large following, as well.
As someone said earlier, I believe, if someone feels the need for something more in thier lives, religion offers inner fulfillment, no matter what the initial belief was founded off of.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:44 am
I actually read somewhere that George Lucas wrote Star Wars and the Jedi philosophy based on his own search for truth and faith. It is an interesting point, i dont know how true it is. I know i've read it somewhere, i'll try and track down the site i found it on....
Surprisingly or not, it was on another site for the Jedi religion.
And i think that based on the concept of "everything is true. Everything is false", there must even be some truth in fiction, and if it inspires someone to want to live their life on that path, so be it. No one can decide what is or is not true, or valid to someone else.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:43 pm
my points have been hit very well already. way to go guys. warm fuzzies all around. 3nodding
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 1:05 pm
Fiction can emphasize a lot of the ideas people have on life. Jediism just takes those ideas on life and philosophy and, because they found it through a fiction story, bases it around the Jedi and the anthropomorphism of the supreme being of the Force.
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:11 pm
If they find satisfaction in it, let them do it. If they don't... well, let them do it anyways.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 2:04 pm
I'm a very serious SW RP'er, So I can understand this. In a way, the roleplaying I do online is very much like actually being a Jedi. I live by the code on there and am training a Padawan right now. The Jedi have a great perspective on things, though personally I would never take it to the level of religion, though all religion is based on fiction in some ways. You never know what could be true.
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Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 10:26 pm
I just remembered a line from Futurama:
And, then, Scotty beamed them unto the Klingon ship, and then they fired the torpedoes.
All power to the engines.
I thought that was hilarious. Unfortunately, YouTube is down right now.
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 4:41 am
Religion, as a whole, is completely based on faith and belief, rather than cold, hard fact. Therefore, I don't think a religion developed from a fictional movie should be considered any less legitimate than a religion developed by some guy who wakes up one morning and goes "OH MY GOD I'VE HAD A REVELATION!"( blaugh ). You wouldn't attempt to delegitimize the beliefs of someone who, while not ascribing to a specific religion, had his own ideas about God(s), the afterlife, etc., would you? Then why not be accepting of a persons beliefs no matter where they're derived from? smile
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Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:15 pm
I think that the code of the jedi are definitely people could follow and be a good person. Guidlines for living? Go jedi code! Religion? Honestly who can really define religion? Believing in the Force, to me, is a little far-fetched, because that part was purely fictional. I mean, I know people believe God is everywhere and others believe in a united energy, but the Force as defined in Star Wars is fictional. Guidline is good, I think.
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