For those of you who know me or of me, I do a lot of thinking about stuff that surrounds me that has to do with Jedi Teachings and teachings in general. I am always reading stuff or researching to understand. The last few months have been very frustrating for me. Facing medical issues that I wouldn't want to see anyone with, but that's my journey in life, so I will leave that at that. So I am always looking at the concepts that come to focus for me: Religion, faith, and understanding. All religions have a base. Whether it is called God, Allah, Buddha, Creator(s), etc. Everything has that base no matter how you look at it. Humans have an insatiable drive to find the one truth, the "who, what, why, where, when and how " did we come to be. But through all this, humans have this same drive to always be right! And what has been lost over the generations is the fact being right is everything that each believes is right. Doesn't matter how or what you call this Creator of all things. We tend to become arrogant in our ways and because of this " I'm right" thought process we don't look past our noses to see the larger perspective. So we fight over it. Wars over religion have gone on for centuries and even still today. Through the Jedi code, knowledge to me is the greatest key in all of this. I can remember in the early days of TOTJO the in-fighting over what is now our SIG's or previously "Rites". People didn't want or didn't believe the same as others but the lesser of the known rites didn't have the backlash as the most known. We fell into the same trap. Whether you follow the Jedi path as "just" a Jedi, a "faith bearing" Jedi, etc. try and remember that the focus and base of TOTJO is "Just being Jedi".
The Jedi Creed
I Believe in The Living Force Of Creation; I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace; Where there is hatred I shall bring love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. I am a Jedi. I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; In pardoning that we are pardoned; And in dying that we are born to eternal life. The Living Force Of Creation is always with me; I am a Jedi.
Note: This is a direct adaptation from the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi.
Jediism is the belief in a Living Force Of Creation.
The Creed of a Real Jedi is:
I believe in the Living Force Of Creation and all that is seen and unseen. I am a Jedi The rest is a variation on Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
See: http://www.prayerguide.org.uk/stfrancis.htm
The Jedi Creed (Christian Jedi Orthodox Version)
I believe in the Living Force Of Creation and all that is seen and unseen. I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace; Where there is hatred I shall bring love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. I am a Jedi. I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; In pardoning that we are pardoned; And in dying that we are born to eternal life. The Living Force Of Creation is always with me; I am a Christian Jedi.
Grand Master Neaj Pa Bol (Rev. Patricia J. Bolcerek, D.D., O.C.P., O.S.M.) Charter Member Matriarch of the Order Grand Master SA & Bishop Abrahamic SIG
Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see...
Faith is a journey, not a guilt trip...
Quiet your emotions to find inner peace. Learn from ignorance to foster knowledge. Enjoy your passions but be immersed in serenity. Understand the chaos to see the harmony. Life and death is to be one with the Force
