Star Wars movies as "Sacred Texts"

They are sacred in the fact that they lead to a deeper meaning for jedi and they are texts in the loosest of modern day terms. Media of today can be called a text just as any written work.

It seems there are opinions on both sides of this topic.

@OBI - You should not so redily discount the new movies based on simple bias. As one who grew up with the originals as they evolved and never thought they could be topped, i have been pleasantly surprised, especially by this latest installment. I consider it thee best of any of the movies by far.

@trisskar - i really appreciate your views on this. I think its important for each of us to take these mythologies and interpret them in our own ways that work best for us personally in our lives.

Finally in general i was most surprised by the ideas put forth that we should abandon these works altogether in favor of something else. If these movies have been of such deeply profound inspiration that an entire functioning spiritual movement has been build from their teachings why would we then turn around and abandon that very source of inspiration? What was even more disturbing to me in this was the idea that we put this path into the hands of a few individuals to create new doctrine. This seems a path rife with corruption not unlike catholicism. Why would i ever give control of my sprirituality to another in this way? This is where Trisskars idea really comes home. We are each responsible for our own path. Given this concept I wonder why we would have to create new myth when we already have such profound works?

Anison wrote: As I mentioned in another post in the forums, rules and texts have caused many of the world's religions much strife over the years.

No, individual interpretations of those texts--some intentional misinterpretations--have caused strife. The problem with religions isn't in the religions, it's in the adherents.
[hr]

Wescli Wardest wrote: I believe a better solution would be to look toward our own clergy and ask them to provide/create a text, or tome, that we could use.

I think that would require at least some fundamental agreement on how we view the path at its foundational outset, regardless of how people deviate from it individually. Which is something I've been suggesting for a bit, but didn't think was possible.
[hr]

Xiam wrote: I certainly think there's a place for Star Wars as our mythology...

I think this is the most accurate way to describe the canon films in regard to general Jediism. They're a mythology, not a holy text. They are metaphors and examples, not static dogma.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: Finally in general i was most surprised by the ideas put forth that we should abandon these works altogether in favor of something else. If these movies have been of such deeply profound inspiration that an entire functioning spiritual movement has been build from their teachings why would we then turn around and abandon that very source of inspiration?

Heh....been arguing that for years

I love the fiction. In fact I learn more about myself through fiction then I ever did through philisophical/religious works. It really sits well with my more artistic mind frame. AND THAT IS OK. Some people like my husband are purely logical and get divine inspiration doing Math problems to rap (I have no idea please don't ask) while others see it through imagination and fantasy.

I think honestly the biggest problem is that we all tend to expect others to learn the same way you do. We forget that there are many various ways to learn and not one of them is better than the other.....just different. Heck...Even in Fiction this we recognized and younglings were divided into teams to assist these variance of learning.

Jediism finds its roots from the star wars universe, not from the movies. The movies themselves only show the force as a form of magic, the philosophy behind it is rather weak. Kreia, a character from Knights of the old republic II, is what converted me. The philosophy of that character (botched jobs from the rushed release and strange background excluded) is deeply existentialist, and so is my take on Jediism. I find the other philosophies of star wars simply at odds with the real world.

Considering many do not believe in the Force as described on the Doctrine, I don't see what it is they actually have in common other than a few words taken from star wars. Jedi sacred texts seem far far away....

steamboat28 wrote: They're a mythology, not a holy text. They are metaphors and examples, not static dogma.

In the first place I did not say holy text, I said sacred text. Holy text implies a perfect goodness and righteousness while sacred implies simply being worthy of veneration. My point in the original post was that mythology and sacred texts are not exclusive to each other. What I was asking was can we consider the mythology AS sacred texts that can be studied in and of themselves as metaphor for a real life spirituality in Jediism.

If you consider mythology as sacred in this way it becomes something living that grows over time. In ancient times these mythologies were not even written down but passed from generation to generation orally and thus evolved and were added to over time. I'm proposing the idea that this is what is also happening today to the Star Wars Mythology as it relates to Jediism, only in a different format.

ren wrote: Jediism finds its roots from the star wars universe, not from the movies. The movies themselves only show the force as a form of magic

have you seen the latest movie, Rogue One? Cus that movie blows your comment out of the water I think.

I believe that Jediism is a praxic religion, not a doxic one. That is to say, it is focused more on right practice than right belief. Sacred Texts inevitably steer a religion in towards orthodoxy, that is to say right belief. Your worth as a member of said doxic religion is how in-line you are with the "right" (read: most widely accepted) interpretation of the beliefs of a group. Going down that course would be rather contrary to the core principles of Jediism, and many would leave the Temple if they felt like it was going in that way.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote:

ren wrote: Jediism finds its roots from the star wars universe, not from the movies. The movies themselves only show the force as a form of magic

have you seen the latest movie, Rogue One? Cus that movie blows your comment out of the water I think.

Actually even in Rouge One the Force was still Magical even in the religious connotations. Which I honestly believe was added in there for our benefit - I have no doubts Disney and its makers kept our strange community in mind when they developed that. They purposefully made sure the movie adapted to ALL "Fans"

Not a luxury or care when George Lucas and various authors of the past did their works.

Trisskar wrote: Actually even in Rouge One the Force was still Magical even in the religious connotations. Which I honestly believe was added in there for our benefit - I have no doubts Disney and its makers kept our strange community in mind when they developed that. They purposefully made sure the movie adapted to ALL "Fans"

Not a luxury or care when George Lucas and various authors of the past did their works.

Well considering any religious following is also a devotion to a form of magic i would agree, but at least in rogue one there were no "magic tricks" performed (mind tricks and force lightening as so forth) It was a more subtle form of interaction that might have been coincidence or might have been divine.

"Well considering any religious following is also a devotion to a form of magic..."

Thats an awfully broad assumption...:huh:

J. K. Barger wrote: "Well considering any religious following is also a devotion to a form of magic..."

Thats an awfully broad assumption...:huh:

That has no relevance on the truth of the statement.