This sermon was contributed by GrandMaster Neaj Pa Bol and we are grateful for her dedication in this.
From the Beginning??? What or Who says....
Generations have gone through the mysteries of religions from the dawn of man. Though much is not known of early mans religious beliefs but when we go back as far as we can in history we see the need for answers to man of who, what, why, when, where and how....
It's the eternal answer for us to hold on to something substantial so that we do not feel alone, putting a face to it, letting man feel one with the creator.
Now there are many names for gods, goddesses, singular or plural. It's the individual that becomes comfortable with how they believe. If not, we would not see the emergence of religion in many regions, that are different and that begin to meld together. Prime example... Christianity...
When Christianity started there were other religions in the world. Druids, Celts, Nomads, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and so on... Through the years of trying to convert people to the belief in Christ, his death, resurrection, and ascendance as well as God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Priests over time found that it was needed to meld the culture with the religion and it has done so for over 2000 years. Thus, the formation of Christian belief through the Roman Catholic church. Now there's an interesting view. Christianity started from the belief in Jesus, Rome was picked years later when The Church established themselves in a permanent place, after Constantinople.
Now, today, 2012... How many Christian based churches are out there???? Think about it. They all say they are the true church.... But that is impossible because it has blended and melded culture, other religions and practices into itself that the original is gone from sight.
When we discuss Jediism, it is often that heated arguments begin with bases of Christianity. Yes, there are morals and items that are drawn from it, as well as other faiths. We need to establish a baseline for ourselves in order to have that strong conviction of belief in Jediism. Many of our members came from backgrounds in the Christian faiths, as are those who practice Pagan, Islamic, Buddhist, etc. We just happen to see more because the other faiths have less Jedi members thus far.
So Take a step back and let's look at what it is to be a Jedi in today's world amongst all the faiths out there and look at Jediism and practicing it. Today's world is ever changing, questioning and confused at times. Jediism is looked and laughed at very much like other religions centuries ago. Change and understanding is just a matter of time. Credibility is difficult with Jedi that act as if they can perform as if they are the Jedi of the Films. Well that is a little of a stretch from those who use the films as a base for their church..
In our Church it's the morals, Cannon Laws , Codes, Principles, Creeds, Teachings, etc., that make us who we are in today's world.
So in this world that we live in we can borrow a statement from many other churches of the world that is a principle I personally feel works well...
"Live in this world, Not of this world" Jedi are here for others, we can live amongst the problems of today, but, not be a part of the problems...
MTFBWYAAF
Gr. Master Neaj Pa Bol
