Terrible Idea

The virtual temple is a terrible idea. We will get no followers as a religion if we make it a online chat, we should keep waiting for the day we get a physical temple.
idea for a new word to describe this , either overdigitalism or nerdism.
We should try to grow to more and new people, not geeks finding there way on the internet.
You know, we should try to expand in this physical universe, not the computer world.

Yes. People are already doing this. No reason to not have an inline temple too.

Online. I hate posting from my phonetics.

Dumb it.

Trashboat wrote: The virtual temple is a terrible idea. We will get no followers as a religion if we make it a online chat, we should keep waiting for the day we get a physical temple.
idea for a new word to describe this , either overdigitalism or nerdism.
We should try to grow to more and new people, not geeks finding there way on the internet.
You know, we should try to expand in this physical universe, not the computer world.

I don't think you realize that we don't have the people, the funds, or the popularity and diversity to expand too much physically.

Trashboat wrote: We should try to grow to more and new people, not geeks finding there way on the internet.

Geeks are a welcome part of this community. Most people here recognize where the line is between fiction and religion/spirituality, and those who don't rarely stick around. I understand what you are saying, but (if you haven't already) take a look at the comments in some of the other threads where this topic is being discussed. I think they (and Sha Karn's comment) express quite well why our attention isn't focused on developing plans for a physical temple at the moment.

Jediism is a very personal path - one that individuals with genuine interest will find whether or not TotJO (or other Jedi churches/organizations) has an offline presence. Jediism doesn't share the goal of many religions/spiritual paths, in that the Jedi community is more concerned with substance and serving with sincerity than it is with increasing the number of practitioners.

initiative is better than criticism

i think anybody that has any plausible idea on how to help develop the community should be encouraged to pursue their idea and see what the results are

why be negative?
you can always NOT participate but get this: a temple is coming eventually
theres no telling who or how
growth happens eventually irrespective of who objects to it; such is the nature of things

each person individually can either be a part of it or be an impediment to it but it happens regardless

if this virtual temple is the next step then its the next step

anyway why object to someone who wants to give something positive to your community?

surely whatever happens the people here are capable of making the best of it

Gaterings & Chapters. And Aurora....Assuming Aurora actually complete what they are working on.

We are not here to amass followers. This is not about who has the biggest church. It's not that kind of group. We speak often of growth, but not in terms of sheer numbers. This is not a competition. Nor is it a fight for legitimacy.

Don't respond right away, Trashboat. Take a few hours. Why do you want us to "get followers?" Why is that important? And what is gained by judging these people before they arrive? No geeks or nerds. Why do you need these things? What does it mean to not have them?

As my apprentice just pointed out, this is not about seducing the masses into a throng of "followers". That would be catastrophic and lead to cultism ; it should not make us proud to think that people would mindlessly 'follow' any path given to them - which, as a more institutionalised 'religion' is what it would come to.

I usually do not argue with people who do not want to regard Jedi as a religion, albeit I serve this Temple as its pastor. Religion does not insist on itself, for when it does it becomes submission to authority. Submission to 'spiritual' authority is nearly as close to hypocrisy as one can get ...

As to whether we should be doing this online has more to do with what how we live and how we use the internet. There are people who study this sort of thing -- Elias Aboujaoude (Stanford psychiatrist) and Jeremy Rifkin (social scientist), just to name two. Certainly the risks of our "e-personalities" usurping our 'in-person', face-to-face characters is one that we run, but on the other hand, the opportunity to interact honestly and openly with others who pursue similar ideals is afforded to us too. Wherever we would build a Temple, there would be a handful of people in it regularly ; our on-line Temple allows us to be in contact most of the time.

The question to probe ones own motives with is : Am I here to be able to call myself a Jedi Master and 'stink of the Force' whilst hiding a life in (according to my insecurities) shambles behind a computer screen, or am I actually, actively living according to Jedi principles and using state of the art communications media to share that experience with others ?

Maybe it is a little of both. Who knows ? The human experience doesn't seem to differ much according to demographics ...

Nevertheless, 15 years ago, I may have agreed that 'this is a bad idea'. Now, I just admit that it is, it is what it is and I'm participating in it ...