What would help the Temple Be A Better Place? Suggestions please...

Manu wrote: The Force (and most of the Jedi "religion") in the movies is a bit of a Rorschach test: it is vague, incomplete, and people project their own mind onto the imagery and fill in the blanks with their own bias.

How much of this could also be said to be true of religion and philosophy as well - including here.

"In other words: Let the geek die. Kill it if you have to."

No not at all! I said nothing about geeks and consider that statement nothing but a diversion from the point I was making.

To help illustrate my point try this little experiment. Tell people you know and don't know that you are a Jedi studying Jedism as a Religion for spiritual development and and to cultivate the living force in your life. Observe their reaction and statements. Many will snicker, think you're joking and a role player.

You will say they don't know what Jedism is all about and they are confusing it with the movie. Now we'e getting close to my point. What happens here to dispel or confirm their observation. The opinions of others may mean nothing or something. Listen to them and think about them before you so easily dismiss them.

That is a struggle we all will face. And must stay. True to the force. We do not recruit into our religion if they laugh they laugh but there will be someone that will think hey this might work.

Rickie wrote: No not at all! I said nothing about geeks and consider that statement nothing but a diversion from the point I was making.

I was not intending to divert from your point, simply playing it out. I did try to address it later in my post.

To help illustrate my point try this little experiment. Tell people you know and don't know that you are a Jedi studying Jedism as a Religion for spiritual development and and to cultivate the living force in your life. Observe their reaction and statements. Many will snicker, think you're joking and a role player.

You will say they don't know what Jedism is all about and they are confusing it with the movie. Now we'e getting close to my point. What happens here to dispel or confirm their observation. The opinions of others may mean nothing or something. Listen to them and think about them before you so easily dismiss them.

I am all for improving the quality of the explorations that go on here, if that is what you are gettting at. Personally, I feel the politics and arguments that pop up from time to time are a much better disuader for newcomers than the goofiness of StarWars fandom.

"I feel the politics and arguments that pop up from time to time are a much better disuader for newcomers"

Agreed!! Those are moderator's challenges. I feel they are too tolerant with the intention of hopefully helping and guiding the offenders. They are guilty of kindheartedness.

Rickie wrote: "I feel the politics and arguments that pop up from time to time are a much better disuader for newcomers"

Agreed!! Those are moderator's challenges. I feel they are too tolerant with the intention of hopefully helping and guiding the offenders. They are guilty of kindheartedness.

I can assure you that it isn't "kindheartedness" that is keeping us from dealing with "offenders". It is an effort to remain objective and realize that one who you call an "offender" may not be offensive to others. We are human beings first, Jedi second. We are not perfect. Humans argue about politics and get emotional. Sometimes these conversations go off the rails and become personal. This is when I will step in and ask people to follow the rules or suffer the consequences. Prior to anyone breaking the rules of the forum, I won't step in and subjectively discipline someone just because another got their feelings hurt. That is part of learning and growing. We face the challenge or we learn to avoid it, but it is a part of life we all have to deal with. It is also a huge part of training to be a Jedi, and I think newcomers benefit from seeing how we act and react to these situations.

For those more Doctrine oriented, these are the two Maxims I lean on most as a Security Officer:

Discretion: To become invisible.
A Jedi knows there is a time and place for all things. They do not actively interfere in worldly affairs and refrain from overtly supporting or opposing other individuals or organizations.

Intervention: To know when not to act.
A Jedi knows how inaction can have as great an impact as action and how some of the greatest lessons are self-taught. To be a victor is also taking that victory from those you protect. A Jedi intervenes only when a Jedi's intervention is required.

In reference to the arguments- I find a lot of these are due to one major problem that this temple can not currently change....communication. This temple is online. while reading, you can't always interpret things like voice inflection. It's how things are interpreted that's causing a lot of the fuss, not the accual words that are written, or the intent behind them. Not always the case but a good percentage of the time that's what I see.

Reference to Star Wars posting- I personally don't care how anyone else sees me or my beliefs. I'm more than willing to share them with anyone who asks. I'm here for me and my spiritual needs, not anyone else's. ( that's what the clergy are for) If I were questioned publicly about my faith Id openly say I'm a Jedi. If they laugh I'll smile and explain, If they are curious I explain in more detail, If they ask about Star Wars, I'll say there great movies that sparked the idea for my faith. I'm here because I relate to the fictional Jedi. I strive to be more like them. That being said, I'm a grown up, and more than capable of separating the two. But a lot of things that make me a better person came from those movies. Things like lightsabers of course arnt real, but what they represent is very real. There are a lot of us who own robes. And I assure you it's not because we believe we're space warrior monks, or think there super warm, But it's what the robe represents that makes them important to us. I personally don't wear them daily or out in public nor do I see a need too. The temple home page explains that we don't worship George Lucas, or Star Wars. It's the very first thing you read. But those movies are a common ground to a lot of people, and if posting about them helps even one person better understand what I believe, in a way they can visualize, then not only do I think they should be allowed, but I'd encourage more of it. Just my opinion.

In reference to Senan being human- not sure...never met him in person. Lol

Zero_storm wrote: In reference to the arguments- I find a lot of these are due to one major problem that this temple can not currently change....communication. This temple is online. while reading, you can't always interpret things like voice inflection. It's how things are interpreted that's causing a lot of the fuss, not the accual words that are written, or the intent behind them. Not always the case but a good percentage of the time that's what I see.

Agreed. This is why more people should join the discord and get involved in verbal chats.

Agreed ari

Senan I still think your kindhearted. Please don't take that as a criticism. You're a good person.