Is Jediism a Religion?

[@Eowyn77]

There are lots of Buddhist references in Star Wars. Yoda was inspired by a Tibetan Buddhist teacher George Lucas had met shortly before he started filming the first Star Wars episode. There's an interesting article about this on lionsroar. Also Yoda's weird grammar is very similar to the way some of the old Tibetan masters spoke English. Many of them left Tibet and fleed to India when they were already relatively old and they never really mastered English grammar. One of my Buddhist teachers spoke in a very Yodaesque fashion; when he spoke English he used English words but his sentence structure followed Tibetan grammar. Yoda's grammar always reminds me of him :-D

[@dojokonojo]

And a temple full of warrior monks that are used as mercenaries by the government is also the Shaolin temple. They were destroyed by the Chinese Empire when the Emperor came to see the Shaolin as a threat.

[@mysticvisionstx]

There's numerous articles out on links to Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, and traditional Yoga teachings having been sources and inspirations.

[@kathryngeeslin9509]

So it feels familiar, comfortable, to most everyone, but a bit unfamiliar, new, as well.

[@Cythil]

You see similar sentence structure in many languages. May sound odd in English but is not that unheard of. In fact the English word order of Subject-Verb-Object order is actually in slight minority, with most language going with SOV word order. Yoda speaks with OSV word order btw. Apparently Yoda speaks with different word orders in different dubs depending on what the native word order is to get the same effect as we see in English. Though it also interesting in that some languages have Free word order. And in at least one of them, Estonian, Yoda speaks grammatically correct by sticking to OSV it seems a bit strange since it seems he is emphasizing the object. This is what a gathered from some quick research I made at least.

[@ianism3]

Lucas deliberately infused what he thought of as buddhism into jedi ideology. the problem was that he thought of buddhism as a philosophy instead of a religion, which is a misrepresentation that goes back to the mid-1800s. the british and german scholars who were responsible for learning about buddhism and spreading their knowledge around europe were only interested in buddhist texts because of their protestant christian background that prioritized the bible over everything else. as a result, the rituals and practices of the millions of actual buddhists were pushed to the side, considered to be "local corruptions" of the "pure buddhism" they found in the texts. in europe and north america (and thus the rest of the world) we _still_ have this very inaccurate idea of what buddhism actually is. I'd argue that the Jedi religion perpetuates that stereotype. Yoda's character is built upon the trope of the "Oriental Monk", which can be found in western media dating back to the 1930s. I'm not going to get into too much detail, but go dig up Iwamura's article The Oriental Monk in American Popular Culture if you can. it's excellent.

[@USERNAMEfieldempty]

You're a Star Wars geek. I remember your cool Tatooine poster from your early videos.

[@widyasantoso4910]

Look for his videos comparing Star Wars canon to the books of the New Testament, or Star Wars fan fiction and the books not included in the New Testament.

[@stevenjlovelace]

2:25: "I'm arguing against the UK government." Aren't we all. ;)

[@CommanderM117]

same from the UK i want to worship the Deadra

[@JC-xp1kl]

Oh how true is this now

[@SEELE-ONE]

Haven’t we all since the 18th century?

[@Mrphilipjcook]

@@CommanderM117 that's fine, but they won't acknowledge Talos. Wtf?

[@CommanderM117]

@@Mrphilipjcook they refuse the word of mighty Talos storm crown

[@tamar7065]

I'll be completely honest here: when I see stuff like this, it's very easy for me to do a spit-take, scoff and then not pay the issue any further mind. But seeing a breakdown like this forces me to think about things in a more serious and constructive way. Thanks for keeping my critical-thinking circuits online.

[@chendaforest]

My thoughts exactly

[@AbdullahMikalRodriguez]

I feel the same way about flat earthers. While their claim is something based upon no evidence, flat earthers represent the skeptics of science in a world where science is taking over as a dominant school of thought. Flat earthers are important...just not very smart.

[@Nemo_Anom]

@@AbdullahMikalRodriguez Dude! I've never come across anyone who thinks about flat earthers in a similar way to me! I'm a philosopher by training, and so it's an interesting epistemologic argument. Also, it's an interesting knock against rampant modern sciencism which often goes unchecked by everybody. I genuinely think it's a very interesting debate to be had, for many different reasons.

[@JohnSmith-sk7cg]

​@@AbdullahMikalRodriguez That's not a good analogy. Flat Earthers are not skeptics in the science world, scientists are skeptics in the world of science. Science, which is the application of the scientific method, is the process by which a person thinks of something, then tries to disprove it using the scientific method, making them a scientist. After which, they show their documented experiment and results, and every other scientist tries to both highlight issues with their methodology and/or replicate the results. Flat Earthers don't do any of this. They are not denied access to journals because of their hypotheses, they are denied access because their methodology is sloppy and/or not in accordance with the scientific method. TL;DR If flat earthers were skeptics of science, then they would be focused on attacking the scientific method, which they aren't. If they were skeptics of a theory in science, then they would be using the scientific method to disprove it, which they aren't; this is by definition what makes someone a scientist.

[@tamar7065]

@@nodruj8681 ...What exactly do you think I was convinced of? Are you under some impression I saw this, then went out and converted? What this video _reminded_ me of is that everything humans do, however bizarre, or even in some cases unhinged and harmful (e.g. the Snapewives cult mentioned around 4:50), is worth viewing through a lens of genuine curiosity.

[@chowyee5049]

Ever thought of looking into the Christian community of Malaysia? We're probably the best case study you could find of a significant religious community made almost entirely out of recent converts and their children. Unlike the Philippines and sub-Saharan Africa, Christianity only begun to boom here after independence. Add that to the conversion laws and you would find we distinguish religious and racial identity much more than many other groups.

[@firstlast5454]

This sounds very interesting!

[@kusiosine9868]

@@firstlast5454 I'm from Malaysia and in not Christian but my friends are I'll ask them this

[@firstlast5454]

@@kusiosine9868 please do!

[@timurtheterrible4062]

​@@kusiosine9868What did they say?

[@kuyab9122]

@@kusiosine9868 Do you have an update? It's been three years.

[@AudenLonginus]

From what I’ve seen, it seems very close to Buddhism and Taoism, more concerned on a philosophy than theology.

[@ianism3]

the idea that Buddhism is a philosophy is a myth propagated by colonial-era protestant european scholars (particularly german and british) who were only interested in buddhist texts because of their text-focused protestant background. they dismissed the lived experiences of hundreds of millions of practising buddhists as "local corruptions" of the "true buddhism" they found in the texts. more or less the same thing happened with the construction of hinduism. hinduism and buddhism _weren't even words_ until the mid 1800s. yeah. Buddhism as a philosophy is what George Lucas drew upon and mixed with New Age ideas to make Jedi ideology. it's cultural appropriation. I love star wars, but it's good to be aware of that.

[@johnnyb357]

The “Force” is based on Taoism.

[@stellartoad]

Thankyou, I'm partially taoist, but now I'm jedi. May the force be with you.

[@Frahamen]

So is Dudeism...

[@SiriusDraconis]

@@Frahamen Dont put a dude in a box

[@msgnomi9727]

I noticed that ☯️

[@wachyfanning]

And Christianity is based on Judaism. Still classed as separate religions.

[@DallasMay]

So a discussion on Copyright and religion and no mention of L. Ron Hubbard?

[@horricule451]

Didn't want to get taken down

[@TheBossManBoss319]

“Even offer Jedi wedding services.” Wait, that’s illegal! It sure would have save the galaxy a LOT of trouble if it was aloud though.

[@andrewjenkins9965]

It's not illegal, just frowned upon. :P But nothing against officiating for others' weddings.

[@dreamingcolour]

Not illegal. My father and stepmother were married in the Quaker Tradition. They had a poster sized certificate created and everyone who attended signed the certificate making their union official. It was then taken to a local courthouse and is officially recognized. Prior to the ceremony my father did have to go to the courthouse and request an application for this to take place.

[@TheBossManBoss319]

@@dreamingcolour bruh this is pretty old but I was meme-ing. You know since anikin wasn’t allowed to be married to Padme.

[@natureswrath7665]

Probably Luke's jedi, he was more chill on that

[@christopherstein2024]

@@TheBossManBoss319 Padme still would have died. "Let go of your fear to lose." is the true spirit of the light side of the force and if Anakin had done that he wouldn't have destroyed the republic, Padme might have died or survived and Anakin would have become a real Jedi and protected/brought back the balance.

[@Mountain8ear]

I don't think I'd ever be comfortable with being called a Snapist.

[@MrTypicalPlayer]

I was thinking the same thing!😂

[@boodle399]

"You can't make a religion out of silly pop culture stories! Now excuse me while I worship a book comprised entirely from popular cultural folklore"

[@joeblow5658]

Lol.see what ya did there

[@zakattack8624]

Why isn't there a Sith religion? Sithism!

[@robinfa1477]

I think there is.

[@paxanimi3896]

Darth Vaderism ?

[@manfromnantucket9544]

Satanism?

[@horricule451]

Scientology

[@chulritti]

It only has 2 members though

[@syerra1]

"Cultural production has been locked up into the hands of authors, publishers or corporations" is a great one-sentence summary.

[@TheFaustianAlchemist]

Sums up most religions very well

[@knightslax42]

Yes! I'm adding this to my class meeting on "Invented Religions" for my intro course. Thanks!

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Awesome! Hope the students like it.

[@socksumi]

All religions are invented, that is human constructs, even if followers think the one they believe comes from a divine source.

[@PGraveDigger1]

Aren't all religions invented?

[@golgarisoul]

The sacred Jedi texts!

[@GraemeMarkNI]

Uuu read them have you?

[@ArkansasRed2012]

Page turners they were not.

[@AllansoHmm]

its ultimately up to george lucas in the near future.

[@Tout-Le-Monde02]

So, as per UK law, a religion has to be "non-secular"?????

[@andrewjenkins9965]

RIP Buddhism.

[@godspeedhero3671]

@@andrewjenkins9965 Exactly. UK law must be weird.

[@InhabitantOfOddworld]

Which is most surely a tautology. A religion by it's nature, and by the definition of secularism, is non-secular.

[@coolguy082]

You know, at first I laughed at this. I thought, “Ha, people actually think Jedi can be their religion? That’s crazy talk!” But the more I look into it... it’s starting to make sense? Honestly, it seems like it promotes good morals and ethics, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Honestly might convert to Jediism now...

[@madhatter1057]

If you're serious just look into the various training orders out there. Find a doctrine that fits you and start their initial training program. None of the orders that are decent charge anything and so it costs nothing but time to see if its a good fit for you.

[@shadoww4818]

Also on the topic of religion online, I've been a member of a Witch Coven on Discord for over a year now and it's very weird the subtopics that pop up and how the head priests navigate the moon cycles and passage of the seasons in a community that has people in the US, England, and Australia.

[@clevelandryan821]

I'm a sociology major and this reminds me of a journal article by Ritzer and Jurgenson on the rise of prosumer capitalism. Specifically as it relates to the notion of Web 2.0. I think this ties perfectly into what you've discussed about use of media and gaining social capital from not just being a consumer, but generating content aswell. Welcome to prosumer capitalism

[@preachez]

Watching this in the era of Covid where the majority of church services are online and man, does this argument hit harder

[@manurr10]

Jediism is more like a pop culture version of Hinduism.

[@renatlottiepilled]

Of buddhism rather, as is an atheist religion

[@kittye8340]

René Venegas Ummm, my boyfriend was a Buddhist. It's not Atheist. There is Secular and Religious Buddhism though.

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

@@paradisecityX0 Actually, it was George Lucas back in the 1980s who stated that the idea of Jedi was based on both Buddhism and the Japanese Samurai, as well as all the Asian Martial Arts.

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

@@kittye8340 Buddhism does not believe in a "god", and while you are correct that it is not technically "atheistic" because it completely ignores any type of religion, there has grown up over the centuries a "religious" Buddhism that, if Gautama Shakyamuni were alive today, he would be appalled at. He even forbid his monks to officiate at religious rituals such as weddings and funerals, which, of course, today has been completely abandoned. I say this as a person who has a Buddhist practice, but I do not consider myself "Budddhist", because, after 40 years of studying, I have concluded that the only "true" Buddhists are those who are monks or nuns. That is only my belief, of course, and not admissible in a court of law. (::smile::)

[@aliciamontero7061]

@@kalinystazvoruna8702 in the suttas you can read a lot about gods and goddeses. Actually some popular suttas, like Mangalam sutta, are answers by Buddha Shakyamuni to a god's question. There is no a creator allmighty God like the one of the Abrahamic traditions, but gods appear a lot in Buddhist scriptures. Nowadays you can read them for free in Internet.

[@LailokenScathach]

Scientology was based off science fiction, so why not Jediism?

[@LazyCat010]

@Pecu Alex And far less litigious.

[@LailokenScathach]

@Pecu Alex lol, forgive me, if you are being serous but what makes it more "legitimate"?

[@delasee1383]

@@LailokenScathach Scientology seems to be built around getting money and power for their "church". From what I've seen of Jediism, it seems more like they took the symbols and systems of Star Wars to craft a frame work of looking at the world. Kind of like how parables are not actual events but rather stories to express a real life point.

[@LailokenScathach]

@@delasee1383 I wasn't even thinking about the corruption of money and power by a religious organization, but rather the system of belief - both based on science fiction. Abuse of money and power now that's a whole other can of worms. - lol

[@delasee1383]

@@LailokenScathach Well, in that case, Jediism, for the most part, knows what its based on is fiction.

[@dojokonojo]

I follow the way of the Dude, and the Dude abides. This is the way.

[@MasterChief-ht9pg]

Dudeist Priest lol

[@tribudeuno]

What about Dudeism? It is based on the movie The Big Lewbowski, the main saint being The Dude, or the Dudester, or His Dudeness...

[@westnile21]

tribudeuno - I watched that movie before high af and I was confused yet intrigued the entire time lol. But yea those cult-classic have the most hardcore fans that they legit go out and create a religion out of it. I’m surprised there isn’t a Joker-type religion.

[@seannyboy501]

El duderino

[@Ulyssestnt]

When I was a kid I pretended I could use the force when approaching automated doors with sensors.

[@daniellogan-scott5968]

In a similar vein, we are seeing the emergence of new pantheons from pop-culture such as the Aedra and Daedra from The Elder Scrolls and The Endless from the Sandman comics.

[@dragonwarsro]

I'm a pop-culture pagan myself, like what's described here, and honestly? bending the rules of what is and isn't spirituality and what is and isn't real is an absolutely fascinating path to travel. I've learned way more than I ever could've hoped about existence and humanity - and my own self - by opening up to being, well, "a little bit" out of the norm in terms of spirituality. Pushing the boundaries of one's own beliefs and challenging them constantly sometimes leads you to see things like this in a completely different light. Also, it's super fun to not be so serious with spirituality. Sometimes it's great to turn around and be like "wait, oh yeah, that's right, I based my spirituality off of a video game, this isn't as dead-serious as it's felt". Reality is a playground, let's make the most of it.

[@TheFaustianAlchemist]

Same

[@emilybucklew]

I dabbled in Jediism for a bit and I haven't given it up. I've had experiences that I can't explain. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!

[@jackattackanims8387]

Are there any instances that are simple enough to explain? How long has this lasted? What colour is your lightsaber? Mine’s a candy cane.

[@andrewjenkins9965]

What experiences can't you explain?

[@Danko_Sekulic]

Where can I get a real light sabre?

[@aryanvirdi458]

Have you experienced the Force

[@onewholovesvenison5335]

“Snapeist” sounds a little too close to the R word

[@coolguy082]

Or the S word... Shape, Snape, Severus Snape...

[@luke-alex]

@@coolguy082 Dumbledore!

[@nathanhunt9105]

How about a video on Paganism (Germanic, or specifically pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon or Scandinavian)? I don't know what the specific topic would be (perhaps the revitalization of some of these, like Asatru), but I'd be very interested in anything you had to say about those.

[@matthewbateman6487]

I was wondering just the other day if you would make a video about this phenomenon. Nice !

[@johndemeritt3460]

Let's add two more examples from modern culture: Scientology and the neo-pagan Church of All Worlds. L. Ron Hubbard started off as a science fiction writer, but built Scientology out of related writings. On the other hand, Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land became the founding mythos of The Church of All Worlds. In the first case, Hubbard seems to have built Scientology intentionally, where Zell founded The Church of All Worlds based on the fictional Church of All Worlds described in Heinlein's classic. If I recall correctly, Heinlein eventually gave the neo-pagan CAW his blessing. CAW seems to have been the origin of neo-paganism in America. In either case, it strikes me that religion is more about behavior than belief: whether Jediists believe anything particular is less relevant to their being a religion than whether they have norms for practitioners that help them create social solidarity within their community.

[@Mick0Mania]

Some people bring up that before George Lucas stopped working on Star Wars, the only mentions of the "force" being a religion came from people being skeptical. Han Solo and Imperial officers mostly. It was only after the acquisition by Disney, Luke used the word "religion" to describe it (and even then rather mockingly).

[@MrHyde-bp1nb]

There’s an upcoming documentary. You should do a video on the Church of the Subgenius. Alternate modern religions (like Satanism) are always an interesting view.

[@PGraveDigger1]

@Mark David Chapman Why?

[@gordonyork6638]

Wait... what about The Triumphant Church of the Apathetic Agnostic? They neither know nor care.

[@gordonyork6638]

@Mark David Chapman Let me guess, with your overwhelming compassion and love proves, that you are a Christian.

[@markusarseneault7358]

Love when you put pop cultural examples on; think you'd ever discuss the Episcopal Church using Rhianna for worship music?

[@carlcarlington7317]

It makes me wonder if other religions started this way. People telling stories for entertainment with magical beings but then later finding some deeper truth (at least in the personal sense but perhaps in a wider sense ) to the story. I don’t know of any evidence for this but it is interesting to think about imo

[@mechanicleyse]

Can I just take a moment to thank you for the awesome content. This is my favourite channel on KZbin.

[@deankiely5921]

The Jedi are based on the Bene Gesserit from Frank Herbert's Dune. The force is LITERALLY the Tao!. That's what I've been able to glean from my scant research. Please note I might be wrong. Andrew, please do a video talking about Frank Herberts Dune Saga. I'd love to get your perspective on its themes.

[@dersitzpinkler2027]

Another excellent video, Andrew! Thanks for all you do to promote religious literacy!

[@esteban___________________4424]

Could praying could be a form of meditation?

[@frankendragon5442]

Yes, indeed.

[@soiboisixtnine8848]

no. never.

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

Only if you are able to concentrate on your prayer so completely and on nothing else, having no other thoughts than the prayer itself, then you would be doing a kind of meditation. The Eastern and Russian Orthodox have a technique that is similar to meditation called the "Jesus Prayer" (look it up online) that is similar to Buddhist meditation practices, which they probably got from the Buddhist monks wandering around the Eastern Mediterranean area. What most people do with praying is similar to a light bulb - they're scattering the energy all over the place. True meditation, which takes years to master, is like a laser beam - the energy being focused on one spot and one spot only - name the prayer you are saying/thinking.

[@QuasarEE]

Some examples I have encountered are a branch of Druids who practice Eruism and veneration of the Valar, as derived from JRR Tolkien's mythos, and goddess worshippers who employ symbolism from The Legend of Zelda series, where the fictional religion depicts a triune feminine divinity (inspired by the Adi Shakti originally).

[@Shatterverse]

You should do some analysis of how Covid and the proliferation of remote services has changed things like this, along with older established religions.

[@ScholarVisual]

Will you ever make a video on the Christ Myth Theory? I know its a bit fringe, but I would be interested to see what your perspective is on it.

[@barkasz6066]

Yeah I’ll be that guy, I apologise in advance. But “from fantasy to reality?” So like every religion essentially? :D

[@qwertyTRiG]

"Wales and England" sounds really odd. It's always the other way around. On the topic of the video, I've seen quite a few Wiccans say that they draw some inspiration from the Discworld witches, not in terms of actual beliefs, but definitely for practice, mantras, and aspirational role models.

[@Froggy711]

Admit it, you made this video just so you had an excuse to make that cartoon jedi avatar. ;)

[@piperar2014]

Is the Church Of All Worlds (based on Stranger In A Strange Land) still active? How serious does a practitioner have to take it for it to be a religion and not a LARP?

[@octavionateras7893]

Awesome video. Any chance you’ll do one on spiritual/religious/esoteric practices involving the Cthulhu mythos?

[@mysticvisionstx]

There's also the Church of All World's, inspired by Robert E Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Another government recognized religion.

[@sabrinaantonioverita3061]

Listen, I’m 100% a Christian, but I SWEAR I’ve used the force before.

[@Nemo_Anom]

I knew someone in high school, hard core christian girl who loved star wars. She told me a story of how she was taking a test one time, and was taking a break, staring at the back of the neck of the girl sitting in front of her, idly imagining doing the "force choke". She said that, suddenly, the girl's neck popped audibly, and the girl flinched, and rubbed the back of her neck. It freaked my friend out so much, that she didn't do it again. lol!

[@nosuchthing8]

Uh huh 🙄

[@SEELE-ONE]

Well, most Christians have used force at some point...

[@godspeedhero3671]

I mean... technically moving your limbs could count as telekenesis with extra steps...

[@leandrospitzer2551]

Heretic

[@compareandcontrast6629]

Thank you so much for this! A mention of some of the Satanists, as well as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Invisible Pink Unicorn, Dudeism, and others - appears warranted.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

This is a topic I am something of an expert in.

[@AllenJones206]

A few years back, I heard a news item to the effect that a high percentage of new police recruits in Scotland put "Jedi" in the religion spot in their application forms. I wonder how you would work that into a police funeral?

[@LangThoughts]

The idea of Syncretism with fiction actually can exist in non-fiction based religion. I'm Orthodox Jewish and I found Dune's Litany Against Fear to be expressing the same ideas Chassidic Rabbis say about fear, but in a more active form, and, talking to some people with more understanding than me of those Rabbis' views, started using a slightly rewritten form to help my Anxiety Disorder.

[@pablolloyd1450]

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for making the video! I especially like the explanation of the shift from traditionally “free” culture to the “corporate ownership/copyright” culture with the comparison of Moses/Buddha to Obi Wan/Yoda (the latter of which I guess I have to trademark 😂). Anyway, another awesome and informative video! Thanks

[@CosmiaNebula]

I've been constructing my own religion out of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It is essentially made by taking very seriously the idea of peace and harmony, magic, and the control of the sun and the moon by the princesses (two alicorns). I don't have a name for it, though Equestrianism could work.

[@jaxthewolf4572]

Sounds pretty much like wicca

[@mattbaines5262]

I enjoyed this video, but I feel like it missed a remarkable point, that this is an example of a religion based on source materials intended to be received as fiction. This may have happened in the ancient past, i.e. where a story was created to entertain or caution, but has been adapted by others into a religion where the story is revered as truth, but we are far less likely to have evidence for that, than for religions based on modern day pop culture. Please note, the point here is not that the Force is fictitious whereas all other religious focuses are factual, but instead that we have a clear example of religion been adapted from something intended as fiction here that we did not have in the past.

[@FranciscoTornay]

I absolutely agree. It's a glaring oversight on the part of the video. The author seemed to be so focused on his "religion is adaptable, religion can be based on culture phenomena" message that he completely missed that point, which is very relevant for the discussion. I do like the channel but this particular video appears to be rather shallow

[@luciamorenovelo8345]

Wow. Two questions: 1) what defines what is a religion and what isn't? and 2) was participatory culture at play in the creation of Christianity? if yes, how? I'd love a video about that in your Forms of Earlu Christianity series.

[@bradyryden1841]

Do another Hyper-Real Religion such as Dudeism from The Big Lebowski and congrats for hitting 100k subs

[@effigytormented]

@@paradisecityX0 "Like, that's just your opinion man."

[@XaaviWillow]

We need more Dudeism on youtube

[@robertodell3366]

Awesome stuff keep bringing us information

[@orsino88]

Now you will have to talk about Life Day. At long last, the Star Wars Christmas Special and Religion for Breakfast converge.

[@andrewjenkins9965]

That's more of a Wookiee thing, though.

[@matthewgleason7495]

Great video. I would have liked if you'd gone more into some of the philosophy behind the movement. Considering the various Eastern religions Star Wars borrowed from it's possible a genuine follower of this religion would believe in the fundamental truths shared between those religions and the Jeddiis so the Star Wars elements are more about the ritual element of the religion than the belief.

[@reveranttangent1771]

So would the fact that I do rituals around the allegory of the cave count as participatory culture?

[@luiseneas]

What is the author's religion, denomination, or lack of?

[@PaulineMontagna]

You forgot to mention Dudism based on the Big Lebowski.

[@MichaelJonesC-4-7]

The _Dude_ will abide. ; )

[@trondbirkeland8094]

Superb! Lots og things have happened since I studies the history of religion last millennia! Thanks for the bibliography!

[@zciliyafilms5508]

I actually investigated this very question as part of a book that I'm sort of forever writing about superheroes (it's in the chapter discussing whether or not they are our new "gods" as their fans say. Short answer: it's complicated). One note in favor of the Temple of the Jedi Order is that they were granted tax-exempt status by the IRS in 2015: not full recognition, but as the IRS doesn't like to give up money all that readily, not that minor, either. I'll say in its favor that Jediism, at least as represented by the TotJO, seems to have done more than any pop-culture based faith to mean what it says. I agree with you that this doesn't seem like an ironic game; they seem sincere and committed, and have put an impressive amount of effort into their works. While I think "hyper-real religion" might indeed fit it better, if any pop-culture religion deserves legal status I would say it's these guys.

[@AbstractTraitorHero]

Definitely agree, especially in Australia, if seventy thousand people consistently call themselves Jedi we should maybe take it seriously.

[@jokester3076]

Reformed Nerdism

[@USERNAMEfieldempty]

Yes, they're reformed. There was a schism. The Nerds separated from the more traditional Orthodox Geeks because they felt that The Jedi Temple in Coruscant was not the unique and eternal centre of Jediism. They protested against Master Yoda's rule by nailing their objections to the Jedi Temple door in Naboo.

[@lexodius]

Gratz on the 100k

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Thank you! Exciting to have finally passed that milestone.

[@lexodius]

@@ReligionForBreakfast keep it up

[@Praktically]

Wasn't expecting Fractal Sponge to get a name drop in a RFB video.

[@framblesblog]

Jedi weddings? That’s literally an oxymoron

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

No. The jedi where allowed to marry before the age of the new republic. Its Joda who constantly told everyone that your not allowed to have atachments for 800 years, Kvaigon Džin was way more of a jedi than Joda because he understood that your allowed to have atachments its how you deal with them that determines if your going down the darks side path not having an attachment on its own. No Im not a jidis I just know the SW loar and honestly I wish I didnt waste of memory.

[@kennethpinder7983]

Sadly, the Temple of Trek (as in Star Trek) meets the criteria of the US Internal Revenue Service as a religion even though the founder never intended it to be more than just fun and fan conventions.

[@zoeald]

I’m very late to this party, but just wanted to say thanks for such a great video and thanks for citing me appropriately in it! - Zoe Alderton

[@redspartanbeta]

The main reason I'm looking this up is because I heard you can enlist into the us military as a Jedi. I've also seen actual dog tags with jedi as religion so just wanted to research.

[@alexandergonzalez8852]

Interesting so jediesm and budda and Christian are very similar also remember it’s close tai chi because Energy and such

[@stevencahn4019]

"Herald the apocalypse, the clash of Jedi and Sith will..." - Master Yoda, Journal of the Whills - Ch. 34, verse 453

[@vstorm4148]

Where is your research about the Church of Elvis Presley? An entity started before Jedism. Comments, input anyone?

[@werelemur1138]

I've heard it referred to a "Presleyrerian."

[@NityanandaChandraGranger]

The whole story is from the Ramayana. Joseph Campbell lived at Lucas ranch when Star Wars was conceived.

[@JrgeLb]

Have you heard about the religion centered around Maradona in Argentina? Is there something that you could say about it?

[@valviform]

Didn't even think about this, but as a Norse pagan, I consider the works of Tolkien and his notes divinely inspired and sacred texts along with the Eddas etc.

[@spartanx9293]

0:58 most of that is the gray jedi code (several examples exist for example) Flowing through all, there is balance There is no peace without a passion to create There is no passion without peace to guide Knowledge fades without the strength to act Power blinds without the serenity to see There is freedom in life There is purpose in death The Force is all things and I am the Force This is the other one I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Gray Jedi. This is the full jedi code There is no emotion, there is peace There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.There is no passion, there is serenity.There is no chaos, there is harmony.There is no death, there is the Force.

[@jbvibrations]

I love this. Well done

[@wallaroo1295]

I have been a licensed "Minister of The Force" with Temple of the Jedi Order since 2007. Like a lot of new religions, we've had some "growing pains" - mainly keeping party politics OUT! It hasn't been easy. Something I think is of critical relevance, that isn't mentioned in the video - the US First Amendment regarding the foundation of religion. In the US, by filing as a 501(c3) [Don't quote me on that law - I might be off by so numbers and letters - it's law, so inherently goofy.] Point being, in the US, because of our RIGHT to found a religion, the US government has to recognize it. However, the numbers of active people in "TOJO" is about like any other organization, a small percentage. There are some really great people to talk to there. And compared to other religions, that have done (or continue to) some really horrible things?.. Being a Jedi gives an outlet for the human spirituality need, without the bad history of behavior... For now. 2,000 years from now, who knows. Certainly, it will be a MAJOR world religion... But not while we today, are alive. That's how history works.

[@wallaroo1295]

If you look at the formation of the early Christian Church, you see the same arguments and discourse about their beliefs. It's interesting to observe these changes in religions.

[@innominatusambrosius7103]

How does one start a religion?

[@news_internationale2035]

So when are they actually going to levitate objects?

[@UNRULYILLUSION]

Do you have something against blinking?

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Does it exhibit the 7 Dimensions of Religion?

[@ChrisS-tu4pj]

2011 Census I put Jedi, this year I put Jedi again

[@oishikadatta5128]

Finally I've found my people! 🥰😍

[@l0_0l45]

What about the believers in zeus? They also wan't to be recognized but no one takes them seriously. Kind of similar.

[@johnrodgers2018]

Please explain any difference between 'the force' and 'the logos' mentioned in stoicism and st Paul's letters in the bible. I believe they are the same thing.

[@aliciamontero7061]

What do they do when someone dies? This is something that marks, for me, a religion. Do they think that this life, what se believe, what we do or don't do, have or might have any consequences after our death ?

[@johnfagan1113]

Have you read Carl Jung's Answer to Job?

[@jcamaya1395]

Hey, ever think about doing a video on Dudeism? I'd be curious to hear your take.

[@kiesarisunny13]

should've done this on may 4th

[@gordonyork6638]

When can I practice Bokononism?

[@ShadowJedi527]

Jediism is a religion that has the Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, The Clone Wars, Rogue One and The Mandalorian as their sacred texts (or movies and tv series in this case). Scientology, Mormonism or the church of the flying spaghetti monster are more stranger religions than Jediism. Convert to Jediism and may the Force be with you!

[@zakattack8624]

The sacred texts!!!! (Legends novels and KOTOR)

[@patmullarkey7659]

Church of the Spaghetti Monster is a recognized religion in the United States and it has ministers. It won the right for followers to wear a colander on their heads for pictures on driver licenses. It originated in Oregon and has branches in other countries such as Spain.

[@michaelkrull3331]

I wonder if anyone has made a religion based on the Divines and Daedra from the Elder Scrolls?

[@deepthinker8063]

I am a new subscriber, love your channel!!!