A Curious Outsider with Questions

Hello all Jedi,

I am a university student taking a course called Religious Issues in Death and Dying and my friend, a hard-core Star Wars fan, told me about this church and I immediately became curious.

I have several questions for all the members of the Temple of the Jedi Order:
You guys can answers the questions from a personal or the church's point of view.
Feel free to answer all questions or focus on one and elaborate.

1. How does your church (and the Jedi) define religion?

2. How does your church define death?

3. Does The Temple of the Jedi Order believe in an afterlife? If so, what does the afterlife look like for a Jedi?

4. What is the church's stance on resurrection?

5. How does your church honor the dead? What kind of traditions exist to honor the dead? What kind of funerals do you hold for them?

6. Can the members of your church (the Jedi) communicate with the dead? (for example, using the force?)

7. Is there a honorable form death in your church? (for example, martyrdom, sacrifice, war?)

8. How does your church cope with sufferings in the earthly world?

9. What are the guidelines for suicides, euthanasia, and abortions? Who/what determines the morality of those actions? What happens to those who die by: suicide, euthanasia, and abortion?

10. Is there a predicted end to the earthly world? (a Jedi version of the Christian eschatology?)

11. What role does the force play in all this?


Thanks so much for all your time,
May the force be with you.

Have you read our doctrine page and our home page? I think you would find some of your answers there.
I cannot answer them now, but I think many questions will have an answer of 'it depends on the individual' as the church doesn't really have its own stance on certain individual topics like abortion.

You guys can answers the questions from a personal or the church's point of view.
Feel free to answer all questions or focus on one and elaborate.

Is an answer of TOTJO...
Personal answer...

1. How does your church (and the Jedi) define religion?
TOTJO asks each person to define it for themselves...
Any philosophical "path" one chooses to follow in a seriously devout manner...


2. How does your church define death?
TOTJO lets each person define it for themselves...
The cessation on life as I understand it...


3. Does The Temple of the Jedi Order believe in an afterlife? If so, what does the afterlife look like for a Jedi?
The Temple of the Jedi Order has no beliefs, it is an organization... However, individually, we believe we rejoin "the force"... Definition of "the force" (after this life) is up to the individual...
We cease living... I'm curious after that myself...


4. What is the church's stance on resurrection?
None...
lol... Anything is possible...


5. How does your church honor the dead? What kind of traditions exist to honor the dead? What kind of funerals do you hold for them?
As an organization, only one member has passed, and we honored him as best we could with a little ceremony if I remember right... His account is also frozen...
Standard way... Occasionally remembering them in stories, attending funerals were applicable...


6. Can the members of your church (the Jedi) communicate with the dead? (for example, using the force?)
Not that we are aware...
lol...


7. Is there a honorable form death in your church? (for example, martyrdom, sacrifice, war?)
No policy or stance by TOTJO...
By living as the best Jedi they can... What more could be ask of anyone?


8. How does your church cope with sufferings in the earthly world?
Up to the individual to find peace...
By doing what we can to alleviate suffering the best we can...



9. What are the guidelines for suicides, euthanasia, and abortions? Who/what determines the morality of those actions? What happens to those who die by: suicide, euthanasia, and abortion?
TOTJO has no stance...
A. Guidelines? Not recommended, lol...
B. A judgmental observer? Idk, not me...
C. They rejoin the force...


10. Is there a predicted end to the earthly world? (a Jedi version of the Christian eschatology?)
None predicted by TOTJO...
I don't think I've heard anyone except myself, state a stance... My stance is "if it was born, it will die".. After that, who knows...



11. What role does the force play in all this?
Again, TOTJO has no stance... It is up to each to consider...
The force is everything... Your question comes from the position that "the force" is a separate entity from us and everything else... Like a river is separate from the bank of the river... Without the banks, the river would not exist... The borders help define the river... The river is just your focus, but you envision boundaries without definition...


Any more in-depth, feel free to PM me...

This is just my own personal view and not shared by everyone or this temple

1. How does your church (and the Jedi) define religion?

It dosn't. I define my own path and set of beliefs. The Jedi and their various temples/Churches/Groups/Organizations are just ways for me to interact with like minded indaviduals, share my own thoughts and beliefs, and seek knowledge.

2. How does your church define death?

There is no set definition of Death save for the Jedi Code itself which states "There is no Death, There is the Force." or "Death, Yet the Force" In otherwords, when we die our spiritual essence or energy transcends into the overall universal essence or energy which is The Force.

3. Does The Temple of the Jedi Order believe in an afterlife? If so, what does the afterlife look like for a Jedi?

This is catered to an individual perspective and there is no one answer. Myself, I believe that "Afterlife" depends on a certain point of view. I believe that as Energy and both apart of and creator of 'The Force' we simply transition from one vessel into another. If that is what an "Afterlife" is, then sure.

4. What is the church's stance on resurrection?

Again that is a individual perspective and very "Christian" Heavy. Honestly the thought and idea behind it never crossed my mind as important or pertinent to my beliefs and practices.

5. How does your church honor the dead? What kind of traditions exist to honor the dead? What kind of funerals do you hold for them?

Individual Perspective: There is no organized or standard way of honoring the dead. Our code states "Death, Yet the Force." It is my belief that - By honoring life and living life we in turn honor the dead. If I were asked to set up a funeral for a fellow Jedi, I would set up something Akin to Viking traditions simply because there are many of us who resonate closely to those old ways and we have performed viking like ceremonies (The Blot) as a growing tradition..

6. Can the members of your church (the Jedi) communicate with the dead? (for example, using the force?)

None that I know of. Though some have made such claims.

7. Is there a honorable form death in your church? (for example, martyrdom, sacrifice, war?)

No, there really isn't.

8. How does your church cope with sufferings in the earthly world?

It depends on the kind of suffering. As Jedi we determine the cause of it, and seek to heal the source while defending/protecting those caught up in it's path.

9. What are the guidelines for suicides, euthanasia, and abortions? Who/what determines the morality of those actions? What happens to those who die by: suicide, euthanasia, and abortion?

The Jedi and it's associated community organizations tend to keep an open heart on these matters. Each indavidual is free to decide what is morally right for them and while we may, as members, debate and argue about eachothers choices, we know and recognize that - Jedi come from all over the world, from many various religious and social backgrounds. What is viewed as immoral in one Jedi's lifestyle, may be perfectly acceptable in another. Find the group that is right for you and stick with them.

10. Is there a predicted end to the earthly world? (a Jedi version of the Christian eschatology?)

No.

11. What role does the force play in all this?

The Force is in and of everything. So, whatever "All of this" is, the Force is just a natural byproduct that has and will always be there. It is YOU and those around YOU that "Plays the roles" the Force is just energy that comes from it, and gives you life to do it.


*bows*

1. How does your church (and the Jedi) define religion?
We don't really. Religion, philosophy, cult, path... they're all the same thing essentially, perhaps expressed slightly differently, but whatever we call it, we're all at TOTJO together.

2. How does your church define death?
If you mean by meaning, then I define death as the end of one's conscious life. I believe when one dies their energy rejoins the greater whole.

3. Does The Temple of the Jedi Order believe in an afterlife? If so, what does the afterlife look like for a Jedi?
The Temple has no stance. I personally don't believe in an afterlife that exists in a kind of conscious way, I believe that we simply become part of the Force.

4. What is the church's stance on resurrection?
I think my comments above cover this questions.

5. How does your church honor the dead? What kind of traditions exist to honor the dead? What kind of funerals do you hold for them?
We don't have any traditions, our traditions for death depend on the cultures from which we come. I would like to think that as a Temple we honour life, rather than focus too much on death.

6. Can the members of your church (the Jedi) communicate with the dead? (for example, using the force?)
No.

7. Is there a honorable form death in your church? (for example, martyrdom, sacrifice, war?)
No preferred 'method' of death. We do what we can while we're alive.. as long as we do that, any form of death is an honourable one.

8. How does your church cope with sufferings in the earthly world?
By doing what we can to help others, even if it's only small. But it's up to the individual to recognise the sufferings they can help alleviate.

9. What are the guidelines for suicides, euthanasia, and abortions? Who/what determines the morality of those actions? What happens to those who die by: suicide, euthanasia, and abortion?
No-one decides the morality for everyone. The doctrine will give one guidelines as the value of life etc, but how you understand the doctrine will reveal different opinions towards those things.

10. Is there a predicted end to the earthly world? (a Jedi version of the Christian eschatology?)
No.

11. What role does the force play in all this?
For me, the Force is all things... the connection, the energy, that links every single thing in the universe.

I agree with the above posters.

We are all born into cultures and these bring with them perspectives on these issues which we absorb and believe to some extent. I sort of see it as three distinct types of belief in death and the afterlife; 1. belief contradicting science, 2. belief outside of scope of science, and 3. belief in agreement with science. Generally speaking if a belief doesn't directly contradict science then it feels acceptable to accept it as 'possible', otherwise people without prior established belief would probably tend to revert to a belief about death within the conditions of life as outlined by whatever current science told us.

I was reading how some Kadampa (the old one, not the modern 'New' one) monks were teaching the mindstream patterns itself around in three types of conceptualization (NB: reverse order to the above 3);
1. "destroying-at-contact"
2. "chasing-after"
3. "not-existing-yet-manifest"
So I sort of feel like they relate to the same things if considered in the terms of 'death'. Do our minds/spirits cease to exist upon contacting that boundary of 'death', or does our mind/spirit chase after some other nature of existence, or are we already manifest in the realm of death but experiencing some nature of perception which we define as living!!! Haha
:whistle:
I don't have the answer, but think the first is likely but not really meshing with the Jedi Code line about death beyond philosophy, the 2nd might be a possible experience at death as the perception of joining the 'Force' upon death as an actual neurological process, and the 3rd seem's less likely but would work more easily with the Jedi Code line about death if some metaphysical reality did exist beyond our perception.

Personally I actually prefer the 3rd, not existing yet manifest, being the whole damn show doesn't actually end - its just the appearance of it ceasing and revealing something more. It's just more interesting to work with to exercise perception and contemplate complexity. This particular belief though, is probably quite clearly a form of delusion (as is anything outside science probably, technically?), so needs to be understood in the context of physical reality else delusional action would manifest
:lol:

Jestor gave an excellent response for the Temple so I'll just give it to you from my personal view.

To understand my answers, I just want to let you know where I draw my inspiration from. I grew up Christian but I don't hold to a whole lot of that faith anymore, but I'd be a fool to say it doesn't still influence my views. I hold more closely to an odd mixture, mostly involving shamanic beliefs and my own experiences with a splash of ideas drawn from fictions and myths.

1. How does your church (and the Jedi) define religion?
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion ;)

2. How does your church define death?
Death is the ending of the physical body.

3. Does The Temple of the Jedi Order believe in an afterlife? If so, what does the afterlife look like for a Jedi?
I believe that death is not the end of life. The spirit lives on. I'm not sure what it LOOKS like but I'd imagine it'd be rather familiar.

4. What is the church's stance on resurrection?
Raising from the dead? In some instances like the medical instances where the body is technically dead and then the medical professionals jumpstart it again that's about all I believe in resurrection beyond mythology. Rebirth however I believe in. The spirit returning to don on the physical form again. Human or otherwise.

5. How does your church honor the dead? What kind of traditions exist to honor the dead? What kind of funerals do you hold for them?
I served in the Honor Guard for a year. I've only had one person I was close with die so as far as my personal rights, they're still under works.

6. Can the members of your church (the Jedi) communicate with the dead? (for example, using the force?)
I have. Much of my work with shamanic practices involve speaking to spirits. Mostly those beings that exist as a spirit and not as a person who has died but there's been a few times where I've spoken to one who has passed. Most of the time they approach me for one reason or another.

7. Is there a honorable form death in your church? (for example, martyrdom, sacrifice, war?)
Nope, it's more life that we honor.

8. How does your church cope with sufferings in the earthly world?
By doing what I can while I also take care of myself and my family.

9. What are the guidelines for suicides, euthanasia, and abortions? Who/what determines the morality of those actions? What happens to those who die by: suicide, euthanasia, and abortion?
Up to the individual. I'm mixed on what I feel is right or not in these departments. But in all instances, the spirit rejoins the Spirit or Force again.

10. Is there a predicted end to the earthly world? (a Jedi version of the Christian eschatology?)
Nope

11. What role does the force play in all this?
The Force is defined by each individual Jedi. For me, it's simply put the Spirit. Everything has a spirit. Each person, each animal, each computer, each leaf, each tree, each forest. And each spirit has a collective spirit. Each fox has a spirit, then there is the spirit of all foxes. I think that we are all an extension of Spirit or Force. It is what we are. I don't want to say it's what we're FROM because I think we're still connected to it, we are it. It's the final, largest ...power? entity? that we are all an aspect of.

Thank you all for replying and responding positively to an outsider! :laugh:

The responses are really helping me to understand your religion better.
Primarily, I learned that you guys are not a group of Star Wars, Comic Con nerd who have formed a fake church. haha

Your responses have conjured up a question.
Many of you responded by saying that the church does not focus on death but honors life. But I recently learned that to have a good death, what an individual does during their life time is crucial. For example, in a book "The Rules and Exercise for Holy Dying" the author states that:
"He that desires to die well and happily, above all things must be careful that he do not life a soft, and delicate and a
voluptuous life"
This is a very Christian definition of a good death, but many religions go to Holy War and many saints are revered as saints because of the life they lived.
So does The Temple of the Jedi have (ethical/moral guidelines) for living a good life (if not a good death)?

I would say that the 16 teachings and 21 maxims as a whole could describe how to live as a 'good' person... Jedi teach the connection between people and all things through the Force, and once you start looking at that it's hard not to start considering the effect your life has on others.