A very sincere, but *very* sensitive question for someone

[noam]

theres no practicing jedi either!

[christophera]

says you

[noam]

trolololololololol

[alphacat]

http://www.jedichurch.org

http://www.jediism.org

http://www.churchofjediism.org.uk

http://www.orderofthejedi.org

http://www.thejedifaith.com

http://www.templeofthejediorder.org

http://www.jedicommunity.com


While I wouldn't say that everyone involved in these groups is serious, I would also not say that there are not members who are totally dead fucking serious about it too.

[noam]

i know theres like some jedi religion thing but c'mon...i mean... c'mooooooooooon!

you cant be serious about takin em serious?? or are you not? i'm lost... (cue Parson)

[christophera]

don't get so caught up in names. if i call the moon a cheese sandwich it is still the moon.

[noam]

so if i call someone who practices magick a tnuc...?

joking!!!

i get what you mean but i honestly thought this was strictly limited to talk about the dudes who sign 'jedi' as their religion on government census cos they REALLY love Star Wars or (in about 50% of cases) think its really quirky and cool to do it so it got made an official religion.

space cadets can call themselves Jedi's, Monks, jedi-monks, deep-medi punks... whatever they want i dont care

[christophera]

there's enough truth in it that anybody studying it long enough will see it. doesn't surprise me that there's legions of devotees.

[noam]

wait are we talking about a religion BASED on the star wars films/novellettes?

surely Jedi is just based on various forms of eastern philosophy??

thats how i always saw Yoda anyway, some wise old shaolin monk kinda guy... all that shaolin monk wu tang kung fu lu kang shit was way popular in the 70's when star wars came out

[christophera]

i just looked at some of those links and they all seem to be taking real things and changing the names. just like every other religion.

[alphacat]

i know theres like some jedi religion thing but c'mon...i mean... c'mooooooooooon!

you cant be serious about takin em serious?? or are you not? i'm lost... (cue Parson)

I take it as seriously as all religions founded on mythologies. Whether or not the mythology started based on the legend of a magickal rabbi who healed lepers and raised the dead, or whether it was based on a modern legend created by the film industry - it's pretty much moot.

Or rather, when it comes to most organized religion, its basis in "truth" and "reality" are irrelevant (imho.) What ultimately winds up being of any consequence is how real people think it is and react based upon, not how real the object of their belief actually is.

Now, I know it's a hoot for a lot of us but - some people saw the model of the Jedi faith and it struck a chord with them. What's interesting is that it's very possible that stuff like movies, comics, and general pop culture will become the foundation for religions down the road for us - they are, after all, our collective cultural mythology now. People laughed at the idea of anybody seriously thinking Elvis was the messiah for a long time - and yet he has a church now too. I was reading about a Southeast Asian tribe that deified Bruce Lee after being exposed to his films because his power was so self-evident in his movies (wish I had the link for that right now! Argh.)

FWIW, much of the Jedi ethos was taken from both the Shaolin school of Ch'an Buddhism with smatterings of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Basically Shaolin Samurai, as it were. The whole concept of the story was based on Joseph Campbell's "Hero With A Thousand Faces" which all of you should read if you have not done so already.

Now Matrixism, on the other hand...

[christophera]

archetypes can be dressed up in all kinds of ways

[NickUndercover]

For quite a long time german people were so ashamed they tried to make him disappear like Russian did for Stalin in 1956. Can't blame them. But I don't think it's the case anymore

[seckle]

Joseph Campbell's "Hero With A Thousand Faces"

one of the most beautiful books ever.

[64hz]

yo, wheres the darkside websites at?

[christophera]

http://www.xeper.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Set
The Temple of Set was established in 1975 by Lt. Colonel of the US Army Michael A. Aquino and certain members of the priesthood of the Church of Satan,[1] who left because of administrative and philosophical disagreements with its founder, and, as Aquino said, because he was disgusted at the corruption within the Church of Satan.[1] The Temple of Set was incorporated in California that same year as a nonprofit church. [2]

[adikt]

the video on the first page is brilliant. if it wasnt funny it would be the most depressing thing ever tho




also...christophera...are you Run DMT? if so you played a show for me in Gainesville this past March

you must come back sometime

[christophera]

there's apparently some other guy that uses the name Run DMT who does psychedelic guitar music, but that is not related to me

gotta go through amonly to book us http://amonly.com/RUNDMT

[adikt]

lol indeed. psych guitar music is what played for me. show was called Night of the Weirds

at least it wasnt a completely abstract question lol

[NW_DUBAHOLIC]

Just in case anyone was wondering there was a documentary released in October of this year called "Lesson Plan" that is about The Third Wave.