Contents
| Offensive Language | Multiple Accounts |
| Links | Journals |
| Advertising | Name Changes |
| Stealth Advertising | Teaching |
| Usernames | Spam |
Temple Rules
We are a spirit of the law, not a letter of the law, community. We prefer to think of them as guidelines or even just as good manners. Most of these are common sense and simple etiquette, but we have to post them so that there are no excuses for not abiding by them. The guidelines cover all and every section of the site. To be clear, that means the forum, articles, chat rooms or any other official TotJO owned location or function, Facebook, Google+ etc, whether such mention is made or not.
All of these areas are subject to constant monitoring and disciplinary action will be taken at the discretion of the Council.
Any unsatisfactory behaviour is unwelcome and disciplinary action will be taken to address the situation. The rules listed below should cover the most obvious actions but unruly behaviour, whether it be threatening, carrying out some form of online attack, or behaviour deemed grossly innapropriate is a breach of the moral conduct we expect of all people here. We are a Church and you should treat us as such.
Disciplinary action is not something we like enforcing but if necessary we will implement it. This can range from a temporary or permanent account suspension, IP banning and, in the utmost extreme cases where the safety of our site or members is at serious risk, legal action.
When interacting with others always bear in mind RESPECT:
R - take Responsibility for what you say and feel without blaming others
E - use Empathetic listening
S - be Sensitive to differences in communication styles
P - Ponder what you read and feel before you speak
E - Examine your own assumptions and perceptions
C - be Civil in your interactions with others
T - Trust ambiguity, because it can be difficult to communicate meaning
(Adapted from "The Bush Was Blazing But Not Consumed," by Eric H. F. Law)
Offensive Language and Swearing (and general abuse of other members)
TotJO is a place for spiritual enlightenment, self discovery, and discussion of many varied and wide ranging topics. Here at TotJO we debate arguments not personalities, and ideas instead of people.
We understand that everyone makes mistakes so it is not simply a case of one breach of the rules and your account is suspended.The people for whom this rule applies are those who are persistent in breaking the guidelines and do so in a flagrant manner, even after unofficial and official warnings.
It demonstrates negative traits in an individual - namely disrespect for fellow users and lack of control of oneself. 'Heat of the moment' is not a viable excuse, for as a Jedi one must possess more control.
So, please think about what you have typed before sending. Show your respect and consideration for your fellow Temple members by simply maintaining the self-restraint to not swear. As it is much easier to control this behaviour when typing than it is in verbal conversation, there really is no acceptable excuse.
Post what you think is acceptable for an 8 year old to read (be it your own child or another) as this is in fact a family, and public, forum after all. If in doubt, leave it out.
Please note also that swearing is not the only way to offend. One can be just as demeaning and derogatory without resorting to swear words. These cases are equally inappropriate and are covered under the same regulation on the forum.
Links & Linking
Blatant spam will be deleted if it is found on the site (with the possibility of your account being blocked).
If you’re unsure about the suitability of a link then please ask a senior member (Knight or higher) for advice. If the post, or material, could be considered 'mature' then please make this clear in the title (eg. 'WARNING 18 RATED). However, blatant pornography will be deleted.
Please use the appropriate forum when linking material. If you want to post a funny video you can use the Humour sub-forum. The Miscellaneous Forum is considered an "anything goes" area.
If you wish to post a link to your own site or a sales site then get permission from a Councillor.
There really is no limit on the number of links you can post, however generally the material linked to is the property of the original artist. While it may very well communicate your feelings or thoughts, continued linking and abuse of the ability is frowned upon. If it gets excessive enough we may ask you to refrain from making links.
Here are some rules of thumb to abide by: if you think it could offend then it probably will, or if you think whether or not you would be happy for an 8 year old child (your own or a relative etc) to see/hear the material then don’t post it. This is a family and public forum so please keep this in mind.
Advertising
We do not allow people to post any sort of for-profit advertising on the website, be it in signatures, on a forum post, or otherwise. This includes any requests for donations or similar.
TotJO cannot be, and doesn't wish to be, held accountable for services offered by other websites that are not affiliated with TotJO but are advertised on on our forum or other owned official services.
If you wish to provide advertising of any sort please contact a member of the Council.
Stealth Advertising (Member Poaching etc)
Similarly to unsolicited links we do not tolerate the activity some resort to in order to increase membership of their own site, be this by using our private messaging system, the forum itself, the Shout! box or chat function.
TotJO cannot be held responsible (liable etc) for the content of websites to which links are found on the forum. Additionally neither is a link to another website a sign of approval or endorsement of its content by TotJO or its membership.
If you wish to provide advertising of any sort please contact a member of the Council.
Usernames
Please do not use ranks as part of your username. We do not allow usernames with titles in them such as 'Darth', 'Knight', 'Lord', 'Master' etc simply because such names can and do cause confusion with those who have genuinely earned the ranks within our temple.
The avatar box displays your appropriate rank and you can edit your signature box to display the same information or whatever you wish.
Multiple Accounts
The simple rule is one account per member. There is no point, need, or reason for anyone (except appropriate administrators) to have more than one account with which to access this site.
Members found to have more than one account will be asked which name they wish to keep and the other account(s) will be locked from further usage. If you have an unusual situation, for example sharing a connection or single computer, then please contact one of the Council members for help with this.
If you have an account that has been (for example) temporarily locked for disciplinary reasons and another account is being used or has been setup in order to 'get around' that action, then all accounts will have a permanent suspension placed upon them effective immediately. This can include bans to that user's IP address.
In the immortal words of our founder, “Membership is a privilege not a right” or in the not so immortal words of grump Grand Master Kana Seiko Haruki: 'If you don't like the way we do things here - you don't have to stay.'
Journals
Journals are strictly for Jedi training and the only person who is to post in a journal is the journal's creator. Knights and Masters are the exception to this and we have good reason for not posting within such journals too often. The whole point of said journals is to enable potential Teaching Masters (be they Knights or Masters) to look at prospective apprentices work and make informed and frankly important decisions. They are not a source of 'socialising' as such; you can do that in chat or off topic elsewhere.
Name Changes
Your username can be changed but it must be for a good reason and not “cos I feel like it”. If a username change is required please contact the Membership Affairs Officer. If you do have a name change then please post this information in the general section of the forum.
We have thousands of members and the administrators cannot be expected to remember who is who if they keep changing names; it causes confusion and disassociation with members and their journals.
Teaching
While we appreciate the knowledge that members of the Jedi Community have, we unfortunately cannot allow those Community members to join our Temple with the intention of teaching their own material without having gone through TotJO training at a minimum.
We like to get to know people before we allow them to start offering any sort of training to other members of the site so we would ask that you reach the rank of Knight before you offer your teaching services. We like to think of it as you getting to know the sort of people and the sort of place you will be teaching in before you begin.
However, we are always open to additional topics and ways in which the things we do teach may be improved. While not all suggestions will be implemented, if you have suggestions please contact either your Training Master or a Councillor.
Spam
We do not appreciate spam posts on our website. Spam could consist of many things such as blatant advertising of services under an account made purely for that purpose. Spam can also vary from persistent posting of a singular topic to posts that cannot be understood.
In any event the Council or one of their representatives will contact the individual and explain the situation. Clear and unacceptable violations may result in permanent account suspension.
We do not allow specific hateful, derogatory or otherwise uncivil and unwarranted behaviour, or Sith or Anti-Jedi spam posts on our forum.
Mental health discussions
The Temple of the Jedi Order is a religious order. Its members (irrespective of rank) do not function as mental health practitioners and are not trained to handle a mental health crisis.
We strongly encourage those experiencing mental health challenges to seek the professional help of a mental health provider in their local community rather than utilizing the Temple for something that is beyond its scope. Using the Temple as an alternative to professional mental health services:
-Obligates members of the Temple to engage in conversations for which they have no training
-Distracts from the actual purpose of the Temple
-Puts an undue burden on the community
Therefore, in order to maintain the Temple community spaces and scope, the following conversation topics are prohibited:
-Discussions about suicide or suicidal ideation
-Discussions about engaging in self-harm
-Discussions which encourage potentially hazardous delusions.
The Clergy are here to provide limited support with these things including providing information on appropriate resources, but other members may not be consulted and are not obligated to engage in these sorts of conversations. This includes both discussions on the official Discord and in the forums.
The consequences of engaging in such conversations in public and/ or with members who are not Clergy will be:
1. Warning
2. Restricted access to study only
3. Removal
If you are in need of mental health services, Psychology Today has a search function which allows you to find a local professional, while BetterHelp provides therapy services online. If you are experiencing high suicidal ideation or believe that you are at risk of seriously harming yourself due to a mental health crisis, please call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 in the US, 999 in the UK, or your area's local emergency number.
Further support lines and sites can be found here.
Terms and Conditions
This website was created for the exchange of ideas. The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only, published in good faith. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information on our website is strictly at your own risk.
The site may include facts, views, or opinions of individuals or organizations not affiliated with Temple of the Jedi Order and do not necessarily reflect the views of Temple of the Jedi order or its affiliates. Information on site is not legal advice and should not be treated as such. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will Temple of the Jedi Order or its affiliates be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Any opinions stated are solely those of the one who posted it and do not reflect the stand point of Temple of the Jedi Order as a whole or any affiliates.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Temple of the Jedi Order. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, Temple of the Jedi Order takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For inquiries, please contact the Council Secretary.
Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement
If you believe your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement please contact us as follows. We respond quickly to the concerns of rights owners about any alleged infringement.
Please provide us with this information:
- A physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest;
- A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed upon;
- A description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the site;
- Your address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
- A statement by you that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
- A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.
Temple of the Jedi Order's Copyright Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement on its site can be reached as follows:
Copyright Agent
Temple of the Jedi Order Legal Department
6955 Limerick Dr
Beaumont TX 77706-4147
phone: (409) 866-0806
e-mail:
Courier address:
Copyright Agent
Temple of the Jedi Order Legal Department
6955 Limerick Dr
Beaumont TX 77706-4147
USA
Please note that this procedure is exclusively for notifying Temple of the Jedi Order that your copyrighted material has been infringed.
