Jediism, The Religion Of The Jedi, The Force is strong with this one... Options

Just when you think you've seen it all...

http://www.thejediismway.org/

While many see it as a joke, a small minority of people have truly adopted "The Force" as their religion and its early practitioners called it "Jedi," as George Lucas didn't give a name for the religion that the Sith and Jedi practiced. Though a new movement has decided to call it "Jediism."

This has got me thinking. What if more people started to believe in it? What if in 20 or 30 years enough devout followers adopted this as their religion that their combined faith and energy pooled together to bring the Force into existence? Do you think it would come into existence? If it did, would you try to master its ways? Merely hypothetical conjecture for now, as, in my opinion, it is too new of a religion to have any real power. But what about in a few decades? Lucas did admit that he based most of his ideas for the Force on Taoism.

Your thoughts?

This post has been edited by Slayden: Jul 15 2007, 06:45 AM

My answers seem a little contradictory.

I said no, beliving in it will not cause it to come into being, because the force already exists. George Lucas adapted the idea of the force from every other principal of universal consciousness and energy. From the Tao, to Brahma, to Mana, Prana, and Chi. There is a field of energy that interpenetrates all of existence - it does bind the universe together, it is intelligent, it will speak to you if you listen to it's voice, it contains all action and possibility, from the beginning of time to the end of existence, and you can see those possibilities throught it. It is the functioning power beyind all psychic and occult phenomenon. The Jedi, are just taking a 'new' kind of look at it, although it really isn't all that new. Their kind of like new age samurai, assuming they follow the jedi code.

There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force.

I personally find it not a terrible code to live by, and have sat in contemplation on it many times myself. The Jedi are an allegory towards the mystical archetype, those who are connected to "The Force", who hear it's voice, and heed the responsibilities that it places on them - to be a functioning part of the universe, not an individual 'making his own way' in it. I could say, I already follow "the force" though I wouldn't say I were a jedi, or even a fan of jediism. I refer to the universal power, however, as the Force on a regular basis. The nomenclature is convenient, and somehow, it sounds less pretentious, believe it or not, in common parlance, to say that I saw something 'through the force' rather than 'clairvoyantly' - explain energy work by saying 'reaching through the force' rather than, "extending one's energy appendage by means of the aether." Also, the term, "The Force" has a connotation in mankind's psyche as an intelligent power that is everywhere. Pop culture allowed for the injection of this idea into the civilized group mind - the 'uncivilized' tribal group mind take the existence of such a power for granted - and so it becomes a nomenclature that everyone recognizes, and understands to a limited degree when you talk about it.

Personally I do not believe in the Light side or the Dark side, but rather in the Unified Force (circa NJO) - that the darkness or light exists in the individual, not within the force itself, and that from the point of view of the Force no such thing exists - the true meaning of "There is No Passion; there is Serenity"; that while we may see the darkside, evil, as abominable, the force sees it as part of the natural order, an aspect of it's manifested universe that is as necessary as the poles of a magnetic field.

That said, I am a very big fan of the Star Wars Jedi, have read every novel put out involving them (minues, for instance, X-wing series), and have memorized so much history and obscure details about the history of the jedi order, the 'current' jedi practices and beliefs, changes in philosophy between the NJO and the Old Republic Jedi. However, even at all that, I manage not to call myself a Jedi. Though, is calling myself a Mage really any better?

peace