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Innocence_Lost
Hello, i am very new to this site, obviously and Jediism. I come looking for an structured class setting, which i hope is here. I have discovered that many of what Jediism is, i already believe and in that it seems to be a perfect fit. Since i have discovered Jediism i have already begun to be a better person. I am currently looking into the Tao, I believe it is giving me a strong connection to the force and threw the Force i am getting a strong connection to the Tao. To me they are one and the same and viewed very similarly.
Okay, for the personal stuff. I am 23, live in So Cal, I am a girl, obviously, i have a fiancee and no kids. I do have a cat, Baby Girl, lol. I have been to school for massage therapy, but that is hard to find a job in. I guess that was enough said for now.May The Force Be With You
Jax
Welcome. Just be aware, we don’t practice Jediism, which is the Jedi path as a religion, but Jedi Realism, which is the Jedi path as a philosophy and way of life. That doesn’t mean you can’t practice Jediism, just that you will be learning about Jedi Realism here rather than Jedi religion specifically. But then again, what does that even mean?
Feel free to jump in to discussions while awaiting the start of the academy term in september.
LOL, okay, in truth i don’t see much of a difference but eh. I will continue to follow. Thanks for the clarrifying though.
Nairys
Welcome,
Always happy to meet someone new.
May The Force Be With You.
NairysMagdelene Nashira
Welcome Innocence Lost! Am also a student of Jediism, though like Jax said, what does that really mean? Have been in many the forum where they have tried to determine that. I think for most practical purposes they are pretty much the same thing with possibly the Jediism crowd incorporating religion into it more. Yet there are many people at the Jediism site I go to that don’t believe in any type of religion too, so . . .
Yeah, i find it strange that although we are all supposedly believe in the Force, people put the labels on it, ie God, or what ever other label (not trying to single out christians or anything, that just seems to be the dominant [as usual] religion involved). I personally like the idea of The Tao, and if i hadn’t sought out Jediism i wouldn’t be studying it now.
Kol Drake
It comes down to the terms “religion” and “philosophy”…
Is religion just a type of philosophy?
Is philosophy a religious activity?Truth be told, there are some very strong similarities between the two.
The questions discussed in both religion and philosophy tend to be very much alike. Both religion and philosophy wrestle with problems like: What is good? What does it mean to live a good life? What is the nature of reality? Why are we here and what should we be doing? How should we treat each other? What is really most important in life?Clearly, then, there are enough similarities that religions can be philosophical (but need not be) and philosophies can be religious (but again need not be).
Does this mean that we simply have two different words for the same fundamental concept? No. There are some real differences between religion and philosophy which warrant considering them to be two different types of systems even though they overlap in places.
To begin with, of the two only religions have rituals.
In religions, there are ceremonies for important life events (birth, death, marriage, etc.) and for important times of the year (days commemorating spring, harvest, etc.). Philosophies, however, do not have their adherents engage in ritualistic actions. [ Students do not have to ritually wash their hands before studying Maslow or Hegel and professors do not celebrate a “Utilitarian Day” every year.Another difference is the fact that philosophy tends to emphasize just the use of reason and critical thinking whereas religions may make use of reason, but at the very least they also rely on faith, or even use faith to the exclusion of reason. Granted, there are any number of philosophers who have argued that reason alone cannot discover truth or who have tried to describe the limitations of reason in some manner — but that isn’t the quite the same thing.
You won’t find Hegel, Kant or Russell saying that their philosophies are revelations from a god or that their work should be taken on faith. Instead, they base their philosophies on rational arguments — those arguments may not also prove valid or successful, but it is the effort which differentiates their work from religion. In religion, and even in religious philosophy, reasoned arguments are ultimately traced back to some basic faith in God, gods, or religious principles which have been discovered in some revelation.
A separation between the sacred and the profane is something else lacking in philosophy. Certainly philosophers discuss the phenomena of religious awe, feelings of mystery, and the importance of sacred objects, but that is very different from having feelings of awe and mystery around such objects within philosophy. Many religions teach adherents to revere sacred scriptures, but no one teaches students to revere the collected notes of William James.
Finally, most religions tend to include some sort of belief in what can only be described as the “miraculous” — events which either defy normal explanation or which are, in principal, outside the boundaries of what should occur in our universe. Miracles may not play a very large role in every religion, but they are a common feature which you don’t find in philosophy. Nietzsche wasn’t born of a virgin, no angels appeared to announce the conception of Sartre, and Hume didn’t make the lame walk again.
So, Jediism is seem by many (and referred to by itself) to be more ‘religion’ — setting strict guidelines, rituals, standards as to how one ‘followed’ the ideals. Like just about any religion ‘out there’, it is based on the philosophy of the Jedi (as shown/written of in the movies and many novels in the Star Wars Universe).
Sounds like nitpicking I suppose.
It all goes to similar arguements… Jesus wasn’t a ‘Christian’; he was jewish. Buddha wasn’t a buddhist, etc. Their philosophies (and lives) became the groundwork for what was later created ‘as a religion’ to celebrate/emulate their way of living and philosophy of ‘being’.Quote:Jesus wasn’t a ‘Christian’; he was jewish. Buddha wasn’t a buddhist, etc. Their philosophies (and lives) became the groundwork for what was later created ‘as a religion’ to celebrate/emulate their way of living and philosophy of ‘being’.I think that’s the most awesome point you made.
Jesus did not create rituals, he encouraged people simply to live as good people and do the right thing. He didn’t say worship me, he said to love everyone. Jesus created a spirituality, not a religion. Humans after made it a religion. And, in my experience religions tend to distort the original lesson and message. I’m a deeply spiritual person. I am not religious at all. So I will fight any attempt at my spirituality being turned into a religion. That doesn’t mean others can’t do that for themselves. But I don’t want anyone to tell me that I need to have a religion, because it’s simply not true. Allow and accept. A hard but important lesson.Thank you Kol Drake, i knew there was a difference but no one ever told me exactly what it was. Thank you too Jax, well said, i don’t exactly have a religion, more or less i have joined with Jediism because it reflects most if not all of what i believe, but now that you put it that way calling it a religion would make it something far greater, better or worse, for some people and especially for myself. You two have given me a great deal to think about.
Oh, but I don’t want to discourage you from visiting Jediism. It’s a good site with good people. You can learn a lot there. We’re just stressing that you won’t learn about Jedi as a religion here at the academy.
Lots of people visit Jediism without viewing Jedi as a religion, because there are still many common things that can be discussed. Enjoy!
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