It’s sad when people try and abuse the system!

Every day I get several comments to my sermons with a line or two saying nice things in general.  However, associated to these comments are links to various inappropriate sites including pornography and pharmaceuticals.  Neither of these is appropriate for a place of solace such as the academy.  It disappoints me that anyone would attempt to abuse such a sacred place and just reinforces the need for more training and education in the Jedi ways.  If you are truly interested in the Jedi and learning more about our beliefs and teachings then please feel free to comment and help spread the word.  However, if you’re just interested in pawning your wares then please find another place for this, it doesn’t belong here.

Welcome Sermon

Having no religion is often frowned upon.  We’re told we’re bad, without morals or ethics.  We’re taught only religion can give you these things, but at what cost?  Most religions use scare tactics, telling you you’ll rot in hell, and not make it to heaven unless you act a certain way.  These same religions offer forgiveness and provide an out to those who want to abuse the system.  How often are you in the super market (or any store) on a Sunday afternoon and someone in the middle of the isle ignores your excuse me as you try and get by, or you’re standing in line with one item and the person in front of you has a huge cart, looks at you and your one item, then turns and begins to unload their own cart?  How often are you trying to merge and it takes a long time before the one nice Samaritan lets you merge?  How many young school girls are walking around half dressed and how many mothers are trying to compete with their daughters?  How many fathers try to be more macho than their sons drinking their beer and talking crudely?  We’re not saying any of these make you a bad person.  We’re only questioning if this is really the type of morals that are preached by traditional religion?  If not, then how come so many people claim to be highly religious church goers, only to act questionably the rest of the week?  Is it because they can ask for forgiveness which makes it all ok, allowing them another week of indecency and bad behavior?

The Jedi Faith is one about taking responsibility for your own actions, all the time!  There are no exceptions, and you don’t ask for forgiveness.  You need to do what is right all the time not because you’re scared of the consequences but because you know it’s the right thing to do.  We can’t tell you what’s right or wrong, you just have to know it.  It’s the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach.  You know what we’re talking about.  Many choose to ignore it, and ask for forgiveness later.  That’s not the Jedi way!

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  That’s an interesting commandment.  What if you’re a tough guy and don’t mind being treated rudely, does that mean its ok to treat people rudely?  Unfortunately, if you follow the Ten Commandments then yes.  The Jedi Faith doesn’t follow any commandments, because if you truly believe and want to be a good person, you just are.  We all know right from wrong, it’s in our DNA.  Maybe we all have some metachlorian’s in us after all!  Who knows; we like to think so at the Temple.  We don’t believe in fairy tales or magic, but there’s a power in all of us that has no rational explanation.  Our mere existence is proof enough of that.  As a human race we’ve achieved remarkable things and we believe our capabilities have barely been uncovered.  Perhaps together we can untap the secrets of the force and save this Universe.

Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Jedi Temple, a place of peace and serenity for all.  The Temple is based on many of the philosophies from the Star Wars saga by George Lucas.  However, this site is not a sanctioned Star Wars site, and is in no way affiliated with those brands.  It is our hope to open the minds of our readers beyond thinking of Star Wars as simply a cult film classic, but to embrace the ideas set forth as valuable and humbling teachings to guide us towards a better way of life.

We’re also big fans of the genre and will try and keep you abreast of the latest happenings around various Star Wars video games, movies, books, etc..

Check back often for the latest updates, newest sermons, and share your thoughts with us too.

After experiencing the SW saga, many of us realized that we weren’t alone.  We had many of the beliefs portrayed around the Jedi characters but never came forward for fear those thoughts would be frowned upon.  Some would argue it goes against traditional religious beliefs.  We realize SW is just a fictional tale and doesn’t portray real-life.  We also realize that all religion is found on the same concepts of story telling over the millennium.  After all, what is the bible “really” but a story passed down over the years.  And if we look at when these stories were written, it doesn’t take a genius to realize times were different back then.  Our understanding of the universe was limited, we still thought the world was flat and the Earth was the center of the universe.  Many of us grew up with religion but never new how many wanted to challenge the teachings but were scared to speak out for risk of being humiliated or laughed at.  George Lucas used his fictional tale to portray a different reality.  Maybe his inner beliefs are that of traditional religions but somewhere deep inside his imagination he must have questioned it at one point to have come up with the idea.  This opened a whole new opportunity for the rest of us, realizing we weren’t alone.

Today we see many cult religions groups that target people’s problems and capitalize on their fears to suck them into their world.  Some might be ethical, many might be scams, but all are built on stories and fear of what would happen to them if they didn’t believe.  Even today’s most popular religions of Christianity, Judaism, Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism and hundreds more might be classified as cults, so why aren’t they?  Perhaps because their following is so large that once you reach an certain epoch it qualifies as a legitimist religion?

Here at the Jedi Temple we don’t intend to tell anyone what to believe, or what’s a cult and what isn’t.  It’s out hope to open your minds to new ideas, which we believe will free you from the bonds of traditional religion and fear.  We want to make you better individuals who feel more fulfilled, and sleep better at night.  We cannot pick your path for you, that you must do.  We can only offer our viewpoints and teachings to allow you to make your own decisions and follow your own fate.

Please come join us on a journey of righteousness, sole searching, inner healing and well being.  If nothing else you might find it entertaining, and you might realize you’re not alone.  It’s ok have different beliefs and diverge from the path expected by family and community.