Question of the Day

[ayoub]

Is Jedi a religion?

What? Ok, read this

Comments

[electricsoupie.livejournal.com]

Only if I can have a real lightsabre.

[delphaicdragon.livejournal.com]

Nope. Totally a discipline.

[mighty-rontor.livejournal.com]

Absolutely yes. If Scientology is recognized as a religion, then the Way of the Jedi should be just as well.

[heardthatnoise.livejournal.com]

Anything can become a religion if enough people believe.

[infinitywhisper.livejournal.com]

Well? The population of the belief has risen past cult status. So you can't define it as a cult any longer. . .
in the social terms of how a religion is defined. . .

yes.

[l-nephthys-l.livejournal.com]

"There is no try. There is only do or do not."

Those are very wise words from Master Yoda, young padawan. Hehehehe.

I have to agree with everyone here... yes it is a religion. There are people who live that life, having gotten so involved with the series. I am with one of your friends though.. if I were to choose the ways of the Jedi, I wanna real lightsabre!! :)

[mighty-rontor.livejournal.com]

I just read what Khisanth just wrote and I have some thoughts about it. I think that the way of the Jedi is a monastic lifestyle by nature, though non-sectarian at its inception. I'm not sure if there are other nonsectarian religions out there. I do know that there are codified systems of living that act as a moral compass and that give structure to how to live life from day to day. Can there be religion without deities?

[the-ravyn.livejournal.com]

With the present day state of "religion", connecting the Jedi with such a word is blasphemy!  The Jedi are light years ahead of that archaic, firebranded chain of slavery.

[fox-bard.livejournal.com]

Ready for this? I'm rather passionate on the subject of religion. SO much so, that this might just generate some flames! Bar-B-que!

Jedi IS a religion - a fantasy one made up by George Lucas that has aspects of shamanic practice.

But you know what? Every religion, that is or ever was, was made up by someone. That's a hard truth. God/s do not a religion make. If they exist, they do whatever it is they want to do. We are just the ants that crawl around on the earth, doing whatever it is that we want to do. I don't believe the gods pay us any more mind than we do ants in a field.

I believe that religion is a subscription to dogma and doctrine that is designed to control how a human being thinks and feels. It preys upon our desire for hope and the need for divine love - that we are not alone out there and can be loved if we do what a bunch of ancient old men told us to do. When in truth I think we are just little programs running our agendas before we expire.

Religion destroys understanding and presents spoon fed values for those who cannot think for themselves. However, I believe spirituality, on the other hand, is the great quest to find the reflection of divinity in ourselves, and to continue our evolution as spiritual beings.

And I bet that was a WHOLE LOT MORE than what you wanted. ^__~

[sabriel007.livejournal.com]

that article is hilarious. And I want a lightsaber too! Maybe I'd agree to interstellar day of tolerance, or whatever it was, if it included free lightsabers for all!

[crescent-fresh.livejournal.com]

why not? it's no crazier than any of the other religions.

[red-bull.livejournal.com]

emphatic no.

why dilute serious belief with common sci-fi nomenclature?

does darth vader influence mohammed. does luke sky walker change the belief of christians. will R2D2 change the pope's outlook?

is this is a serious post ot just intended as throw-away gossip?

[markbuster.livejournal.com]

No, it seems too honorable.

[childeofloki.livejournal.com]

Sure it is. Just like Wicca and Mormonism.

*viscious grin*

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Good point :D

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

LMAO!

True, but...

LMAO!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Indeed :)

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I can't get over the fact that it's the first religion based on a movie...

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Me too!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Isn't nature omnipotent?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Excellent point!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was about what I wanted :D

Yes, spirituality Vs religion is a wonderful debate :D

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Precisely!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

A gathering of opinion mostly...

I can see it being classed as a religion because of size of the following, but I can't see it being more than a monastic way of life...

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

LMAO!

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

I would say so, yeah. There's meditation, celibacy, rules on how to live one's life, structured hierarchy...I'd say that makes it more or less a religious order.

This is talking of the prequels Jedi, of course. The new Jedi order that Luke starts sounds (from the few tie-in novels that i read) to be a lot more practical and less mystic on the whole.

[childeofloki.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many people I have just offended...

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Yes, even though a lot of it seems lifed from Buddhism...

[childeofloki.livejournal.com]

*loud appluase and whistles*

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

What is this "lifted"? It is Buddhism, for all practical purposes. I mean, I think Lucas made the lightsaber part up himself, but that seems to be the only original facet that he tacked on when he stole the Jedi Code from good ole' Gautama.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D Yep!

[dazia.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'd never heard of this before tonight. Interesting. I have no idea if it's a religion or not. By sheer numbers and belief system, however, I guess it fits the profile. I could go on for days about religion v. spirituality...but I digress.

And for you and anyone as curious as me, these are comments on belief net at the end of what looks like a quiz:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/105/story_10570_5.html#realist

And this is a BBC Article from 2002 about the Jedi Religion in Australia:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2218456.stm

[markbuster.livejournal.com]

Ken Wilbur wrote that:
Religion is what someone tells you about God.
Spirituality is what God tells you about God.

[laurel714.livejournal.com]

I know somebody who considers his religion to be Jedi. Great guy, but whatever - LOL.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Yeah... Definitely weird though...

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Well, to each their own :)

[red-bull.livejournal.com]

flawed in the extreme bro... popularity does not mean religion-potential... i'm pretty sure that Lenin and Alexander the Great would have agreed... how about putting forward Bart Simpson for Pope ?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Not popularity, but numbers of followers...

If they believe, then to them, it IS a religion :)

[red-bull.livejournal.com]

wow tefln shoulders LOL ... and what would your brand of islam say?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Let's say Bart Simpson became a catholic, and wanted to become pope, it would take a lot, considering that a pope is not voted for by the majority....

Islam says to respect other's beliefs **shrugs the teflon** And if they want to believe in a work of fiction, let 'em...