It was commented not long ago that someone had said that the world needs a new religion for us to believe in. And it was also said that Joseph Campbell would have seen this new religion in Jediism. I, for the most part, believe this to be true. I have given this a bit of thought. Why would a man of such a background believe that Jediism, a religion with its base in a Fictional series, as that very religion? While thinking on this I came to a few conclusions, most importantly the fact that the fictional series was only the base of this religious tree. The roots go far deeper. There is the belief in an all encompassing energy which can be taken from Taoism. The thought of honor and loyalty may hold its claim to Chivalry and Samurai. The deep connection to all things may have come from different Shamanistic practices. And of course the fact that even though you can claim Jediism on any religious survey or census, you can still believe that the Force is what ever you have been raised to believe, or what ever it is that you have come to believe it is. Complete freedom to believe what you want to believe while being part of a religion, no expectations to believe in a single ‘higher power’ or multiple. Also, if you find that you loose faith in your current deity, or lack there of, you can simple switch rites. In this it doesn’t matter if you are ‘dark’ or ‘light’ simply that you are there is a blessing. I think this is why so many people get drawn here, even if it is a temporary haven. They see it as maybe some ridiculous little thing that a bunch of geeks put together but end up seeing a community that has evolved far beyond the movies and books and even the religions that make up its root. We have a great tree blooming here and I feel much honor to be a part of that tree, even if I am merely a branch or leaf. I hope that all people who come here can see what a great place this Temple is and how wonderful this religion can be.
On a side note, even branches and leafs get blemishes from time to time, they are only branches and leafs and can not be expected to look and act beautifully all the time. In truth, isn’t that character what makes them truly beautiful?
