Physical TOTJO Temple in Texas Project

I don't think there would be a trademark infringement if I have permission to use it and state that in any documents.

A subsidiary would be part of the legal holdings of TOTJO Texas, I think? What I would have is a separate church that teaches TOTJO's doctrine.

steamboat28 wrote:

Connor Lidell wrote: Why is this putting in a twist? This is exactly what SHOULD happen!

That's one opinion, I suppose. Another would be that if it's run just like TOTJO by TOTJO clergy it should maybe probably be a subsidiary of TOTJO, in case of any trademark/copyright/IP (no, not that kind) disputes.

:dry: I do not get a good vibe from you.

Phortis, I agree with you. But, I'm sure Brother John would be able to help you set up anything you'd like to do!

As TOTJO is Br. John's creation, I would not think of doing anything without his authority and advice.

Adder wrote: Cambodia, heck no. I had friends recently visit relatives there and they had to pay off a customs/security agent to board their flight home, and I think you need to be an Indonesian citizen to buy land in Indonesia? PNG might be good if the locals were on side.... and it's close to a 'western' nation if evacuation or specialized medical care is required LOL I'm biased naturally since it would be close to home. What you going to do there Whyte Horse, meditate and survive, or help the locals in some way?

Well I've already done it. There's so much opportunity you can pick what you want to do. I'd probably go back into teaching. I met people who had businesses, worked on oil rigs, had factories, retirees, etc. Yeah there are probably restrictions on land ownership, I've never looked into religious organizations.

I'm pretty sure members of a church can get religious visas and establish churches. Jedis can probably study at any Buddhist temple...

Connor Lidell wrote: :dry: I do not get a good vibe from you.

Phortis Nespin wrote: As TOTJO is Br. John's creation, I would not think of doing anything without his authority and advice.

Whatever kind of religious institution that TOTJO may or may not be, it is also a legally recognized corporation under the appropriate laws in the United States. That means it's not a sole proprietorship--I love Br. John as much as the next nugget, and he deserves props as the founder, but TOTJO is run by a Council that is also the Board of Directors . This means that unless everybody else on the board decides to agree with whatever comes out of his mouth, Br. John doesn't make decisions that legally impact the corporation by himself.

Furthermore, as a corporate body (both religiously and legally) TOTJO has a list of rights it has the responsibility to protect. This includes (legally) intellectual property infringement, adherence to corporate bylaws, legal responsibility, and (religiously) transmission of doctrine, teachings, and experience that is in line with TOTJO itself.

Since ordained clergy members are distinct in that their ordination is permanent without some serious paperwork and hoop-jumping, TOTJO must be that much more careful who it bestows these titles on, and has the responsibility (both legally and spiritually) to ensure that everyone maintaining that status also maintains the party line, since ultimately (again, both legally and spiritually) anything those OCPs do derives from the rights and powers granted to them by TOTJO, which in a negative situation will reflect poorly on TOTJO (best-case scenario) and might embroil TOTJO in a legal battle in regards to ethical practices or worse (worst-case scenario.)

I'm not saying Phortis is a bad dude. I'm not saying I don't trust Phortis. I'm just saying that there's a whole lot more riding on this idea than people like to think about, and it's kind of important to remember that TOTJO has responsibilities to its members, its Board, and the state and country it's incorporated in.

This forum isn't just magical Force-flavored pixie dust. It's a virtual meeting place for a LEGAL PERSONHOOD IN THE FORM OF A CORPORATE ENTITY, SUBJECT TO LAWS, RULES, REGULATIONS, AND PUNISHMENT.

So you can take your Lucasfilms-trademarked "bad feelings" about me and put them someplace warm and fuzzy, because I don't think I was out of line at all in suggesting this might need to be looked at a little more closely before anything's decided.

(obligatory tension-defusing smiley face line)

I am with you brother Steamboat28! :woohoo:

As far as the legal stuff, you seem to know more than I, so I will do my homework when the time comes for me to take on this big step.

Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated.

As I just said in my PM,

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

It's just evident to me in your writing. And, maybe it has nothing to do with you. Maybe it's my problem. Who cares? Just means I don't like talking with you.

In fact, I agree with everything you've put forward. And, nowhere did I contradict what you said. So, there's that.

We do have one offline group affiliated with us, and that would be Zanthan's group in Minnesota...

Unbeknownst to most of you, Charters/Chapters/whatever, have been discussed...

We have discussed (not too in-depth, but its been talked about) it, ideas, thoughts, whatever...

Just an fyi...

Adder wrote: it's close to a 'western' nation if evacuation or specialized medical care is required

Health care has changed a lot over there. A lot of westerners are going to Thailand and India because of the poor healthcare in the US/UK/CA. I'd take the Thai socialized healthcare system over the US private system any day...

Connor Lidell wrote:
It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

hee heee heee :whistle:

Zenchi wrote: It's not impossible, it only takes some effort focusing more on what the Jedi in the movies were based upon instead of the fiction itself, which is to a large extent, in my opinion, crap...

No intention of derailing this thread but I disagree with you here. While of course this is the real world and not fiction, I think a lot of inspiration can be taken from the fiction. For example, I am currently working on a lightsabre hilt and I am trying to look into molecular physics to explore if something like the midi-chlorians might indeed exist.

So of course we should separate to a certain extent but if we call ourselves Temple of the JEDI Order. then we owe tribute to the fiction, whether we like it or not....

What does an Initiate need? They need to have taken an oath and filled in an application. They need to have listen/watched/read the material and have written a response to each part giving their views and so on, and they need to have been a member for at least six months.

An application can be them filling out a form and have Phortis send it to a central database (PMing it to Jestor).
An oath can be a signed document and sent to a centralised database (a special thread in our 'oaths' forum).
Their work can be emailed as a word file to us and recorded in a special forum etc...

The website isn't TotJO. We have our records on here, because that is the most sensible way of keeping them, they have to be on a computer somewhere... The requirements for people singing up to the website are the same requirements as those who don't sign up to the website. If you want us to call you a knight of TotJO, then prove to us that you have done the required amount of training etc.

Building a physical temple requires: money, dedication, commitment, follow through and patience. None of of what most folks have... I have three to four Jedi living in my area and they can't even meet (many invitations) because they have a LIFE. I drive 150 miles to meet with those who will meet. Can't blame them for that. We're lucky if 30 people are active int this online site. The dream of a temple is good though.. Keep dreaming.

Plokoon, it's possible that the lack of a temple or real existence is why so few meet. Why would someone risk their personal life time for something going no where(in their opinion)?

Remember, I am not suggesting this temple to be over night or even this year. It just needs to be in the works if we are to be more than a forum religion.

A fundraiser would show the actual interest TOTJO has. If we meet our monetary goals, we will in fact have attendance or at least the motivation. This fundraiser would have to be official TOTJO tho.

That's exactly right.

This may be real. Our connections and learning are real. The Jedi are real.

But, the moment we have a real location open up. In Chicago, in Colorado, in Texas, in New York.. in Germany...

Things are gonna go crazy. Everything will change. When I was 10 years old, I had that vision (only, it was for the Sith). Now, so many years later, I'm sure it will happen soon.

OK, I hereby officially ordain the TOTJO temple fund. Send donations to the TOTJO donation link and add "temple" in the comments so it can be earmarked for that purpose. When the funds reach $2000 we'll open discussions about locations and the next steps and have a vote to decide. There.

:blink: I'm suddenly very confused.

I'd like a more structured plan AND the councils agreement. We have only slightly discussed what is to be in this temple :laugh:

One thing Id like to see in the temple is a biofeedback device to improve focus as well as other things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofeedback

Drexid wrote: I'd like a more structured plan AND the councils agreement. We have only slightly discussed what is to be in this temple :laugh:

One thing Id like to see in the temple is a biofeedback device to improve focus as well as other things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofeedback

More structured plan:
1. Start a fund(done)
2. Wait for $2k
3. Discuss where to build a temple
4. Vote

Council's agreement:
Br. John: Said he wants a temple
Jestor: said he wants a temple
Akkarin: said he wants a temple
Brenna: said she wants a pony

Oh wait, maybe I got one of those wrong

Biofeedback device is cool. I'll throw one in there. No charge.

Drexid wrote: AND the councils agreement.

Agree to what?

Its a good idea?

Lol, there's nothing to agree to..