Unifying the Jedi.

Go to www.Google.com type in Jedi relgion and you will see about 7+ Jedi religions jump up on the screen, my question is, do we have any contact with any of these other Jedi?

I am under the impression we are all the same religion broken off into many small online communities.
We seem to all believe in the same values the Force and the way we should aspire to live yet we are seperated.
Are the ranking Jedi trying to create a single religion? Are they even aware of these other communities?

Strji Towoo wrote:

Go to www.Google.com type in Jedi relgion and you will see about 7+ Jedi religions jump up on the screen, my question is, do we have any contact with any of these other Jedi?

I am under the impression we are all the same religion broken off into many small online communities.
We seem to all believe in the same values the Force and the way we should aspire to live yet we are seperated.
Are the ranking Jedi trying to create a single religion? Are they even aware of these other communities?

As far as my memory serves me I am certain the members here are aware of the presence of other communities. It would be very sad if they didn`t. But as you problably noticed yourself even though many call themselves Jedi there are say a variety of belief systems. For example some consider their form of Jedi tradition as a philosophy (not a religion) and others as a religion. This per say preconditions the formation of differing communities.

The problem is that religion is a 'hot word' AND nobody knows its definition. There is an entire book on the subject of the problem of defining religion in international law. Some dictionaries don't even try.

Barns & Noble (Cambridge) Encyclopedia (1990):

\"...no single definition will suffice to encompass the varied sets of traditions, practices, and ideas which constitute different religions.\"

Now look at all these. See: http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn.htm

# The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1990):

\"Human recognition of superhuman controlling power and especially of a personal God entitled to obedience\"

This definition would not consider some Buddhist sects as religions. Many Unitarian Universalists are excluded by this description. Strictly interpreted, it would also reject polytheistic religions, since it refers to \"a\" personal God.\"

# Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary:

\"a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.\"

This is a curious definition because it does not require elements often associated with religion, such as deity, morality, worldview, etc. Also it requires that a person pursue their religion with enthusiasm. Many people identify themselves with a specific religion, but are not intensely engaged with their faith.

# Webster's New World Dictionary (Third College Edition):

\"any specific system of belief and worship, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy.\"

This definition would exclude religions that do not engage in worship. It implies that there are two important components to religion:
1. one's belief and worship in a deity or deities
2. one's ethical behavior towards other persons

This dual nature of religion is expressed clearly in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) in Matthew 22:36-39:

\"Teacher, what is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.\"

# Qumran Bet, \"A Community Striving to Come to the Pure Essence of the Worship of YHWH,\" cites definitions from an unknown dictionary: \"religion (ri-lij'[uh]n) n.
1. The beliefs, attitudes, emotions, behavior, etc., constituting man's relationship with the powers and principles of the universe, especially with a deity or deities; also, any particular system of such beliefs, attitudes, etc.
2. An essential part or a practical test of the spiritual life.
3. An object of conscientious devotion or scrupulous care: e.g. His work is a religion to him.
4. Obs. Religious practice or belief.\"

# The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM):

\"An organized system of belief that generally seeks to understand purpose, meaning, goals, and methods of spiritual things. These spiritual things can be God, people in relation to God, salvation, after life, purpose of life, order of the cosmos, etc.\"

Dr. Irving Hexham of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, has assembled a list of definitions of religion from various authors and theologians. A few are:
1. William James: \"the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto.\"
2. Alfred North Whitehead: \"what the individual does with his own solitariness.\"
3. George Hegel: \"the knowledge possessed by the finite mind of its nature as absolute mind.\"

Wikipedia defines religion as: \"... a system of social coherence based on a common group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object, person, unseen being, or system of thought considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine or highest truth, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, traditions, and rituals associated with such belief or system of thought.\"

In 1995, subscribers to the newsgroup \"alt.memetics\" attempted to define religion.
1. Scott Hatfield: Religion is \"a behaviour, process or structure whose orientation is at least partially supernatural.\"
2. One subscriber quoted H.L. Menken : Religions' \"...single function is to give man access to the powers which seem to control his destiny, and its single purpose is to induce those powers to be friendly to him.\"
3. Jerry Moyer: \"Religion is a system of beliefs by which a people reduce anxiety over natural phenomena through some means of explication.\" He also cited a quotation from the writings of Paul Tillich: \"Religious is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern\"
4. Clifford Geertz defined religion as a cultural system:

\"A religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.\"

Michael York of Bath Spa University College, Bath, UK defines religion as:

\"A shared positing of the identity of and relationship between the world, humanity and the supernatural in terms of meaning assignment, value allocation and validation enactment. A religion need not accept or believe in the supernatural, but it takes a position on. Likewise, some religions deny the reality or at least value of the world, but they still take a position.\"

Some people do not consider their personal spiritual path to be a religion:
1. Many conservative Christians refer to Christianity not as a religion but as an intensely personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
bullet Many Native Americans believe that their spiritual beliefs and practices are not a religion in the normal sense of the term. They form a integral and seamless part of their very being, totally integrated into their life experience.
2. Agnostics and Atheists often do not regard their beliefs to be a religion. To most, Atheism and Agnosticism simply represent a single belief about the existence or non-existence of a supreme being. They do not necessarily include ethical matters.
3. The New Age is sometimes referred to as a religion. However, it is in reality a collection of diverse beliefs and practices from which a practitioner may select those that appeal to her/him. The individual often grafts these beliefs and practices onto an established religion.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn.htm uses this compromise and broad definition of religion:

\"Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, a philosophy of life, and a worldview.\"

Worldview: http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldview.htm

(A worldview is a set of basic, foundational beliefs concerning deity, humanity and the rest of the universe.) Thus we would consider Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Native American Spirituality, Wicca, and other Neopagan traditions to be religions. We also include Agnosticism, Atheism, Humanism, Ethical Culture etc. as religions, because they also contain a \"belief about deity.\" Their belief is that they do not know whether a deity exists, or they have no knowledge of God, or they sincerely believe that God does not exist.

Br. John+

Well, phfttt.... can't top that..... whew!!!

I like this topic and I'll tell you why. It brings discussion, no matter if it is positive or even negative. But people think and that can be a good thing....

Here's something I learned a long time ago, maybe it will help, maybe not, but I'll do the best I can....

\"Religion is one concept of what they learn, listen to, study and believe...\"

Each one of us will look at the teachings, philosophy and all, and as perfectly quoted in Ep. VI, Obi-Wan stated, \"...you will find that what we cling to is from our own point of view....\"

I have seen it for myself, no matter how well read one may or may not be in their holy book,(Bible, etc.) we each have our own concpetion of what we read.

There are those that look to Jediism as a religion, others a Philosophy and so on. But not one that I have seen, yet, has said anything negative about the other.

Religion is a \"hot button\" in our world and we as a society don't take quickly to new start-ups. Jediism as of yet has not gotten a nod as an actual religion. In time things will change. The last real \"hot button\" that stirred peoples angered responses was Mormons.... almost 170 years later, it is still looked at as a cult by some but understood to be a religion.

So, you're question has different answers only because if you talked to each group, Religon, Philosophy, etc. You'll get their opinion. But here, we are a church and have called it a religion, not only in our charter but in our Cannon. We don't tell you how to believe, that is your choice on how to. We are aware of many groups out there whether on a web site, forum, etc. and we respect them. We have a sister site whose link is on the main page.

As for Ranking members knowing this and trying to bring together one religion... We know about each other but to have a Council of Councils I feel is way off in the future at this time. Someday, who knows. With people searching for more answers or what ever their reasons are that come to our site or others, I believe is a manner of calling. Jedi belief's have been around since the beginning of Star Wars by folks who were looking for some clarity in life. From those few it has grown and will continue to grow. Not as fanitics but as real people with real beliefs.....

I try to get to as many sites as I can and check them out/make contact with them. I've been a little tied up as of late job hunting. The main site we commune with is Temple of the Jedi Force. Most I have gone to are role playing sites. Those that are not are aware of our being around and some of their members visit and visa versa.