In the News: I am A Jedi

Because of the circumstances surrounding it. If you could find a belief system that carried around a weapon for ceremonial purposes only, which has been permitted, then you could use that as a precedence.

For example, if an Athame were permitted, then you could use that as reason for allowing a Jedi to carry around a bladed weapon for ceremonial purposes. If monks are allowed to wear their robes around with the hood up, then a Jedi should be allowed to wear a hooded piece of clothing.

The idea is to find like with like. In history, Shikhs were required the bladed weapon because they needed to defend themselves. It has become a major part of symbolism for them. But in a day when the belief systems are being created from a time when bladed weapons are the most ineffective form of defense, people expect you to pick up something more civilized.

:woohoo: :laugh: :woohoo: I wonder if that means that if Jedi made it a requirement to carry a sidearm they couldn't deny it later when the US finally decides to take away our guns :whistle: :woohoo: :silly: :laugh:

Locksley wrote: Someone from some Jedi group posted down in the comments though, and made me intensely dislike him [the poster] in about two sentences. :dry:

You mean the long one from someone speaking 'for the community'? It was a bit mean.. :dry:

For me, the point I find more important is a valid recognition by the local authority of his Jediism and that is why I posted the article. Lightsaber or no lightsaber.

EDIT

who exactly is the local authority and why should he care for their recognition?

why is that important?

I refer to the local authority as the Police, and it is important for him to know that he is recognized that when he's walking around his local community with his lightsaber he won't get arrested.

is his lightsaber dangerous?

That depends on how it is used and who is using it OB1Shinobi!

I think that he is happy with who he is. I for one am proud of my beliefs and chosen path in life and so should we all be.
If one chooses to carry a lightsaber then one should, personally i wouldn't because I don't want to make others wary of me or thinking that my belief is aggressive or violent.

is it more dangerous than a really good laser pointer?

i mean, is it really so dangerous that it ought to be registered with the police before he should be allowed to walk the street?

could you rob a liquor store or assasinate a congressman with this lightsaber?

i dont desire to be rude - to me it seems wrong that a citizen in a free society should feel that any "recognition" is needed to walk the streets in strange clothes with a giant flashlight

im sure it is a very bright light

the handle could maybe be quite sturdy

if i affix a good lazer pointer to a large mag light i have as much of a weapon as whatever this guy is carrying, right?

or had a good solid length off of a mop handle?

there are people who put a lot of love and effort into their sabers, and i respect that

there are also people who really enjoy them as basically just really cool toys, and i respect that

but so far as i know, no one has made a "real" lightsaber as they are portrayed in the movies

i think the greater danger might be in someone having an exaggerated sense of their own capabilities if they think its needed to "register" their lightsaber or "be recognised" (in othet words ALLOWED) to carry one publically by the police

why should it be any business of the police if you want to walk the streets with a flashlight and a funny outfit?

besides the obvious issue of his overall mental stability

i sincerely wonder if he isnt just in need of a social circle which is intelligent without being critical

maybe acceptence is what hes after, in which case it might mean a lot to him to be acknowledged by the authorities

i think he would find a more fulfilling kind of acceptence if he would spend a few years taking jujutsu or being a part of a skulling team

or even some zumba

if he wants a girlfriend he will have better luck with zumba

im sure hes a nice guy

i agree with what he says about compassion, and knowledge, and wisdom

but i wonder what knowledge he is pursuing personally

and how wise is it to walk the city in an outfit that looks like something from a mortal kombat video game

its all well and good to me for him to do this

i also dont mind that now many people will think of him when the idea of "real jedi" comes up

what i wonder, in this thread, is why anyone should think there is any more reason to be "recognized" by the police for his lightsaber than a pool player might need to be "recognized" that its ok to carry his pool cue or for a carpenter to carry a hammer or screw driver

or a musician to carry a metal clarinet

those are lethal weapons if someone wants them to be, but i would laugh at someone who thought they had the right to tell me (or anyone else) "you have to register that with the law"

the most lethal thing i see about this guy is the way he color coordinates

Ob1shinobi, you cannot deny that it is represented in popular fiction, very popular and widespread to the extent one of the most on the planet, as a weapon. A toothbrush can be a weapon as well but most people have them to brush their teeth. I guess it makes sense for 2 reasons; 1. the public perceive it as a weapon and have concern the person carrying it thinks of it as such, and 2. the person carrying it associates its use to fighting and therefore is more likely to wield it in circumstances where it might not be acceptable. These not only promote other people carrying similar 'weapon' items (basically an arms race who has the bigger/better weapon feels safer, which defaults to wealth and increases the capacity fear to be leveraged for the poor to be controlled by those with wealth), but visible carriage of weapons also reminds people of risk and threats - where in some countries they prefer to have a peaceful environment where people do not have to be reminded at every moment that someone might be capable of hurting them. I've never been to the US which has a unique gun culture, but in Australia and perhaps in the UK the police like to have a less visible presence, sort of just out of sight and only really making themselves known for deliberate effect for some reason... in an effort to promote a peaceful and reduced stress environment. So by having this registered as a religious item, he (and the authorities) can clearly address any concern people might have with a legitimate reason that nicely contradicts the major concern carrying it might create - unless he is Sith, as everyone also knows the Jedi prefer to live in tree stumps and meditate in cave's full of leaking natural gas...
:pinch: