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| George Lucas (Photo by Joi Ito) |
One of its manifestations, the Temple of the Jedi Order, sports a detailed website – complete with sermons, clergy, beliefs, doctrines, basic teachings, articles, quotes,
blogs - plus a code, council, creed and store (with 10% off orders exceeding $40 through 5/5/12, Amen).
The Creed borrows heavily from St. Francis of Assisi’s (attributed) 13th-century “Instrument of Peace”
prayer. The Jedi version of this prayer basically wedges its essence between beginning and ending statements that emphasize “The Living Force of Creation.” The Jedi Beliefs are outright adopted from the
ReligiousTolerance.org website. The Council is composed of eight leaders, half of whom seem to lack surnames.
After clicking onto the “For More Information” section, the reader is then introduced to the Three Primary Tenets (Focus, Knowledge, Wisdom) and 16 Basic Teachings (including letting go of many attachments, developing patience, being mindful of negative emotions, engaging in physical training, believing in eternal life, guarding peace and justice, trusting and using intuition, committing to the Jedi cause, maintaining a clear mind, and remaining in touch with the Living Force) of Jediism.
Matthew Cresswell of The
Guardian, examines the roots of such Jedi-based religions. He calls Star Wars “in essence,
a type of multi-faith casserole.” Cresswell sees elements of Christianity in the “overarching redemption theme,” elements of Judaism in “the constant tensions between good and evil,” elements of Buddhism in the reduction of “passions that taint the soul,” and elements of Hinduism in the representation of “a power present in all things.”
Resources
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/may/04/jedi-religion-star-wars-george-lucas?newsfeed=true
http://archive.templeofthejediorder.org/#
Copyright May 4, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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