Further Religious Structure

Hello all, I'm interested in this temple. I feel it would benefit from further structure. As such, I propose a Jedi scripture constituted by doctrine, teachings, and stories meant to illustrate both. In this scripture the Jedi theology could be further elaborated. This scripture would easily be distributed to all members at a non-profit fee.

Hi there Koffee, Welcome to the Temple.

Have you had an opportunity to have a read through of our doctrine, teachings and FAQs?

You might find some of what you've proposed is already in there.

Koffee wrote: ...I propose a Jedi scripture constituted by doctrine, teachings, and stories meant to illustrate both. In this scripture the Jedi theology could be further elaborated. This scripture would easily be distributed to all members at a non-profit fee.

Hi, Koffee. Ideas similar to that have been batted around here, but honestly this place takes a pretty unique approach to spiritual enlightenment, because we realize that everyone's journey will necessarily be different. It may be something that happens in the future and it may not. Thanks for bringing it up, though, and welcome to the Temple.

Yes, the doctrines of the Jedi do provide a fine substrate for religious belief and practice, but the theology can be further developed. For instance, it is implicit within the doctrines of the faith that the Force is perceptible, and so a phenomenology of the force may be analyzed on that basis. Further, there are ethical implications that could be explored.

And what of stories? Every doctrine could be illustrated in the form of a narrative. To assume that the present doctrines are sufficient is to assume that a deeper understanding of the Force cannot be achieved. The understanding necessary for the formation of parables and so forth would be multidimensional by comparison. What about a mystical guide to the direct experience of the Force itself? Jediism is relatively new, and all growing religions eventually develop more sophisticated expressions. If handled with care, I feel Jediism could yield a scripture that, in beauty and scope, could rival either the Dao De Jing, Bhagavat Gita, Upanishads, or even Qur'an.

In terms of stories we are rather fortunate.

For those who enjoy the "mythology" ie, the movies and books, there is plenty of resource and inspiration to draw from.

For those that dont, we have a library filled with resources that offer complementing works that detail the heros journey and other concepts that help us find our feet. This includes guides on finding the Force etc.

As we are a relatively new movement, I would imagine that our "scriptures" will still continue evolving over the years until it becomes something as crafted as what you seek.

In the meantime, feel free to look around, get to know us and participate in the discussions.

Koffee wrote: it is implicit within the doctrines of the faith that the Force is perceptible, and so a phenomenology of the force may be analyzed on that basis. Further, there are ethical implications that could be explored.

Is it? The same could be said of other faiths, and yet the idea of perceptibility is different among different people; some may find God in a miracle, and others in a bowl of soup .

Koffee wrote: And what of stories? Every doctrine could be illustrated in the form of a narrative.

Perhaps you've heard of ours ?

In all sincerity, I believe if you take a peek through the Initiate's Program , you'll find that the Jedi of TotJO find teaching and meaning in every story, no matter its origin.

Hello there...

Further refinement of any thing is possible...

And, if the Jedi are as smart as I think they are, we will do just that...

But change, lasting change, usually happens slowly... And in small chunks...

Had you joined 3 days ago, you woulda seen the temple working through one of those changes, :lol;...

Any questions, feel free to ask....

Thanks for the warm welcomes. I will look into this initiation program. I'm glad there is an appreciation for and implementation of Watts' philosophy in the program. Alas, I suppose the scripture must await the appearance of a religious hero, as does seem to be the pattern with these things. My proposal was more along the lines of various Temple leaders gathering to create a more sophisticated theology, but my impression from responses is that such a product will probably arise by other means. It is the destiny of any worthy religion to yield such literature. As for Star Wars itself, I see the saga as playing a role in such a scripture, but mythologies that contain more specific truths are what seem to comprise religious literature of the order to which I refer.

Jestor wrote:

Any questions, feel free to ask....

What brought you to the order?

Looking for answers....

All I keep finding are more questions, lol....

You?