Is a Way of Life Naturally One's Religion?

I tend to see people say "I don't follow Jediism as a religion but as a way of life", and I was reminded of what somebody else once said about religion. I can't find the quote, but the essential idea was Edit: "One's way of life is (or ought to be) their religion". (If somebody can find the quote, or a quote, that essentially says this, I would appreciate it).

Is this concept of religion what Jediism here at TOTJO aims to communicate and practice? Is this why we call this (and follow it as) a religion?

Is this view about life and religion valid and considerable enough to inspire one to stop and think "yeah... okay, maybe this way of life [is] religion afterall!"?

Am I understanding this idea correctly?

And finally, how many of you (who regularly reply and wish to here) follow this view of what a religion is?

That is how I was always taught. That a religion is one's way of life, because in most religions there is doctrines that teaches you how to lead one's life. For us Jedi, our Jedi Code would be that doctrine. I have always been puzzled by that too. I think people get caught up in titles way too much, and focus on one group saying its a "religion", and the other is saying its a "lifestyle" when really, not matter what we call it between our different groups, it is the same thing for each one of us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tddSSnBIilo

Proteus, you're probably thinking of this. I'll re-post it.

A beautiful and profound thought on religion from Kahlil Gibran. I'll paraphrase it for you. A link to the original text follows.


Religion is everything you do and everything you think.
Can you separate your faith from your actions, or your belief from your occupations?
Do you separate the hours, saying, "This for The Force and this is for myself; This for my spirit, and this other for my body?"
Are your convictions a window, to open but also to shut?

Your daily life is your temple and your religion.

Whenever you enter into it take everything with you.
The things you have fashioned in necessity or for delight.

For you cannot rise above your achievements nor fall lower than your failures.
And take with you all sentient beings:
You cannot fly higher than their hopes nor humble yourself lower than their despair.

If you would know The Force don't dwell on solving riddles.
Look about you and you'll see it playing with your children.
Look at the sky; you'll see it floating in the clouds, illuminating you in the lightning and descending in rain.
It smiles at you in the flowers, then waves to you in the trees.

Peace

Original text: www.katsandogz.com/onreligion.html

Personally I think that Jediism is a religion similarly to how Buddhism or Taoism is a religion, although I'd be willing to bet that there are people who don't count those as religions.

Also, I think that for some they may try to keep Jediism and religion separate due to stigmas that can be attached to both words. Some people here religion and immediately imagine over the top radicals, some hear Jediism and only picture Star Wars.

When I first started I know I wanted to keep those two groups from merging in my head. Then I spent time here and thought about it and grew past both ideas. I personally see Jediism as a religion. I am a Christian Jedi as opposed to strictly Jedi (opposed may not be the best word as they are compatible but it's the best I could come up with, no offense intended) so Jediism is a religion to me.

I hope that helped even if it was just helped you understand me.

I think that whoever said that they follow Jediism as a way of life and not as a religion has one idea of what makes a religion whereas you might have another. Ultimately it all comes down to personal perspective and what connotations are associated with certain words, but it could be an and/or situation. To some people it might be one and the same but to others they might choose one perception over the other. It's really no different than any other "religion." I've used the difference between followers of Buddhism and Buddhist monks as an example before and it fits here as well. For the monks, Buddhism is definitely a way of life, but for your average practitioner it might just be a philosophy or religion.
As Jeddism is today, we unfortunately don't have our version of monks, someone who can devote their entire life to an ideal, because (as it was put to me recently) real Jedi have to pay taxes. So for now I'd say Jediism is whatever it needs to be for the individual. Personally, I am in the process of making it my way of life, but I don't expect that to be the case for everyone.

Well, I think technically a religion is something followed by multiple people, whereas a way of life is something personal. I think the early days of the Jedi community when most people called it a way of life, they had the right idea. None of us really has the exact same belief system. I honestly don't think that's possible, because our individual life experiences define our beliefs.

Streen wrote: Well, I think technically a religion is something followed by multiple people, whereas a way of life is something personal. I think the early days of the Jedi community when most people called it a way of life, they had the right idea. None of us really has the exact same belief system. I honestly don't think that's possible, because our individual life experiences define our beliefs.

Streen, I don't look to pick on you, but your thought on what a religion is, is one widely held by "path" folks...

Not to mention the whole "religion is for the control of the masses"..

I am a "path" folk myself... lol....

Here is what Mirriam-Webster has to say: