Maybe a Religion for "You"?

[rdunk]

I picked the Humor/Off Topic forum board for posting this, although this may not be "silliness" to some here!! However, I do laugh at just the thought of taking a fictional book/movie character, and making him/it a recognized leader of a religion! And that recognized character would be none-other than Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

Actually, I wanted to post this here, because so much is made of fictional situations in our livingmoon arena, I expected this might fit right in with that genre of thought!! Interestingly enough, this article is from the Jerusalem Post!


Turkish theologian believes that the newest threat to the world order may be a brand new religion - "Jediism."

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, a university professor wrote an article in official state-sanctioned media warning of the rise of a Jedi movement among Christians.

"Jediism...is spreading today in Christian societies," Bilal Yorulmaz, an assistant professor at Marmara University, writes in the latest issue of the government's Directorate of Religious Affairs' monthly magazine. "Around 70,000 people in Australia and 390,000 people in England currently define themselves as Jedis."

In the sci-fi-action-adventure blockbuster Star Wars series, the Jedi is a special class of wise intellectuals and poet-warriors dedicated to good deeds and spreading justice throughout the universe.

Perhaps the most recognizable adherent of the Jedi ideology is Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order who trained some of the more formidable warriors, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.

In recent censuses, a number of people in Western countries listed their religion as "Jediism," although many took this to be a tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor.

Earlier this year, Turkish students signed online petitions - which many took to be jokes - advocating the construction of more Buddhist temples and "Jedi" houses of worship.

Apparently, though, not everyone got the joke.

http://www.jpost.com/Not-Just-News/May-the-force-be-with-you-Turkey-fears-rise-of-religion-of-Jediism-413280

[zorgon]

I picked the Humor/Off Topic forum board for posting this, although this may not be "silliness" to some here!! However, I do laugh at just the thought of taking a fictional book/movie character, and making him/it a recognized leader of a religion! And that recognized character would be none-other than Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

Says the fellow who has his own fictional book that he believes to be real



As for Master Yoda,  does he not say the same thing as Master Jesus said about faith moving mountains? (Okay Yoda said spaceship but where is the difference?

I can understand why Turkish Muslims would be concerned... seeing as Muslims blew up an Ancient Buddhist statue...

Jedism is really just a Western modernization of Ancient Shaolin and other Eastern mystical practices... nothing new, just shown in a different light

Levitation (Yoda's spaceship and Jesus's Mountain) was once even considered Holy by the Christians.  The "Force" to move objects with the mind is no different than the Ancient Eastern Chi

On top of that Quantum Science is discovering that Mind over Matter may indeed be much more real than we ever thought

So the pendulum swings again...

But that picture of Yoda in front of the Turkish Mosque   That is AWESOME   

Actually, I wanted to post this here, because so much is made of fictional situations in our livingmoon arena, I expected this might fit right in with that genre of thought!! Interestingly enough, this article is from the Jerusalem Post!

Well your truth is our fiction too but it is amusing that it is in the Jerusalem Post... But then Jews are much more open to humor when it comes to religious humor... Christians tend to feel persecuted and Muslims go all Jihad on you and kill you

Turkish theologian believes that the newest threat to the world order may be a brand new religion - "Jediism."

If only it would happen it would be a good thing. Jedism is a Knightly virtue... for the good of all

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, a university professor wrote an article in official state-sanctioned media warning of the rise of a Jedi movement among Christians.

"Jediism...is spreading today in Christian societies," Bilal Yorulmaz, an assistant professor at Marmara University, writes in the latest issue of the government's Directorate of Religious Affairs' monthly magazine. "Around 70,000 people in Australia and 390,000 people in England currently define themselves as Jedis."

LOL I think I will do that next time someone asks my religion... since I do strongly believe in the force. (I can even give you exercises so you can feel it yourself)

Funny you should post this... it may be more true than you think

Earlier this year, Turkish students signed online petitions - which many took to be jokes - advocating the construction of more Buddhist temples and "Jedi" houses of worship.

Turkey is still one of the Moderate Islamic states  (They still allow public belly dancers ) Amazing that Turkey students even get to watch Star Wars

Apparently, though, not everyone got the joke.

Perhaps it isn't a joke...

[space otter]

for those who need more info or may want to join..

http://www.templeofthejediorder.org/

Temple Of The Jedi Order: Church Of Jediism




personally I think they should be more concerned about   



http://www.venganza.org/



Retirement headgear presentation

Published August 5th, 2015 by Bobby Henderson

I retired recently after 29 years of service in the US Navy and US Coast Guard. The guys I work with know that I am an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. For our holiday party, for example, I ensured that His Noodly Goodness was properly represented, as well as the Festivus pole and other more mainstream (mundane) religious symbols.

In any case, at my retirement ceremony, they presented me with this most excellent headgear, appropriately decorated with my CG rank insignia.

Best Regards,

Bob
Master Chief Petty Officer, USCG (ret)

I find it inspiring to see work people getting along. It's obvious that Bob's coworkers hold him in high regard, and it's touching to see this level of religious tolerance towards Pastafarianism. Have a great retirement!



but then there is this one.. I know some would want to join
http://listverse.com/2009/09/10/10-extremely-weird-religions/

Church of the SubGenius

The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that promotes slack, while in a meta-commentarial way, satirizes religion, conspiracy theories, UFOs, and popular culture. The church claims to have been founded in the 1950s by the "world's greatest salesman" J. R. "Bob" Dobbs. "Bob" Dobbs is depicted as a cartoon of a Ward Cleaver-like man smoking a pipe. The church really started with the publication of SubGenius Pamphlet #1 in 1979. It found acceptance in underground pop-culture circles and has been embraced on college campuses, in the underground music scene, and on the Internet. An important SubGenius event occurred on July 5, 1998: X-Day. The Church had been predicting that on this day the world would be destroyed by invading alien armies known as the X-ists (which is short for "Men from Planet X"). When the event didn't come to pass, the church administrator who predicted it was tarred and feathered – but allowed to continue on as administrator. Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman) is a SubGenius minister. Patrick Volkerding, the founder and maintainer of Slackware Linux, is also a SubGenius affiliate, and he has confirmed the Church and "Bob" inspired the name for Slackware



hey Z.. sign up as a church and you are tax exempt


order to start a legally-recognized church. This is exactly what the presiding ...
501c3 Church Incorporate and Start a Church
www.hushmoney.org/
You'll also learn why it's completely unnecessary for a church to incorporate and become 501c3, and why most of what you've been told about the so-called ...
?501c3 Church Facts - ?501c3 Myths - ?501c3 Forum - ?Events


Nonprofit Law Basics: How Do I Start a Church? - Cullinane ...
cullinanelaw.com/nonprofit-law-basics-how-do-i-start-a-church/
Jan 27, 2013 - While churches are not required to become incorporated organizations or apply for tax-exempt status, your group may consider both steps.



hey Rdunk... I appreciate your sense of humor

[space otter]

sorry 

[rdunk]

Z said, "Says the fellow who has his own fictional book that he believes to be real "


Thank you so much Zorgon, as I just knew that SOMEBODY would likely make that comparison, but of course, I didn't know who might be the first!!

Well, again for the record, "the fictional book YOU are referring to, I assume is the Bible. Fiction?? NO WAY JOSE!! Christians, of the which there are more than a few, regard it as absolute fact!! About 2+ billion Christians who are living now, 600 million more Christians who were living in 1910, millions more in those between years, and millions more in the before years. Maybe a total that exceeds 4 or 5 billion over the past 2000 years total , for the number of Christians who believe the Bible to be the fact of God's Word.

So, not much weight of supported truth for anyone, or the few, who like to claim the Bible to be "FICTION, ..........other than those who have a belief in their own different religions!!

[zorgon]

Thank you so much Zorgon, as I just knew that SOMEBODY would likely make that comparison, but of course, I didn't know who might be the first!!

Your welcome

Well, again for the record, "the fictional book YOU are referring to, I assume is the Bible. Fiction?? NO WAY JOSE!! Christians, of the which there are more than a few, regard it as absolute fact!!

Regarding it as fact doesn't make it fact. I can no more convince you that the Force is real than you can convince me your book is real... though I could point out MANY parts in your book that would be examples of the FORCE being used

It really is all a matter of interpretation

About 2+ billion Christians who are living now, 600 million more Christians who were living in 1910, millions more in those between years, and millions more in the before years. Maybe a total that exceeds 4 or 5 billion over the past 2000 years total , for the number of Christians who believe the Bible to be the fact of God's Word.

World population: 7,095,217,980

Roman Catholic 16.85%
Protestant 6.15%
Orthodox 3.96%
Anglican 1.26%)
Muslim 22.74%
Hindu 13.8%
Buddhist 6.77%
Sikh 0.35%
Jewish 0.22%
Baha'i 0.11%,
other religions 10.95%
non-religious 9.66%,
atheists 2.01% (2010 est.)

And ALL of them believe 100% that THEIR version is correct

Oddly I do not see JEDISM in that list

So, not much weight of supported truth for anyone, or the few, who like to claim the Bible to be "FICTION, ..........other than those who have a belief in their own different religions!!

Problem is without proof it is merely a BELIEF  and despite the numbers that claim to belong to a certain group. very few believe it 100%

Just wait till the ORI come through the Star gates... then was shall see

But I think Jedism is an awesome idea...  I bet we can just form a Church and apply for tax exemption...

Anyone up to be a Prior?  We could get cool robes too 

[rdunk]

Just curious Z, do you accept the "Dead Sea Scrolls" as being some proof for the non-fiction fact of some parts of today's Bible??

[zorgon]

Just curious Z, do you accept the "Dead Sea Scrolls" as being some proof for the non-fiction fact of some parts of today's Bible??

I accept the scrolls as an early WRITTEN version of the story... that does not make the story TRUE

The texts are of great historical, religious, and linguistic significance because they include the third oldest known surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Hebrew Bible canon,

As it says they were include LATER

Take a modern cult for example... like Heavan's gate...

You have one guy who is charismatic and makes up a story... like a Comet coming is really a spaceship that will take you to God...

He has NO PROOF what so ever  but tells a good story... people who listen to that story either thing he is a total nut case or believe him...

Based on what? Just his word that he is telling the truth... nothing else

They were basically Christians... with their own version of Rapture

Heaven's Gate members believed the planet Earth was about to be "recycled" (wiped clean, renewed, refurbished, and rejuvenated), and the only chance to survive was to leave it immediately. While the group was formally against suicide, they defined "suicide" in their own context to mean "to turn against the Next Level when it is being offered"[23] and believed their "human" bodies were only vessels meant to help them on their journey. In conversation, when referring to a person or a person's body, they routinely used the word "vehicle"

Group members gave up their material possessions and lived a highly ascetic life devoid of many indulgences. The group was tightly knit and everything was shared communally. Eight of the male members of the group, including Applewhite, voluntarily underwent castration in Mexico as an extreme means of maintaining the ascetic lifestyle.

On March 19–20, 1997, Marshall Applewhite taped himself speaking of mass suicide and asserted "it was the only way to evacuate this Earth". After claiming that a spacecraft was trailing Comet Hale–Bopp, Applewhite convinced 38 followers to commit suicide so that their souls could board the supposed craft. Applewhite believed that after their deaths, an unidentified flying object (UFO) would take their souls to another "level of existence above human", which he described as being both physical and spiritual. This and other UFO-related beliefs held by the group have led some observers to characterize the group as a type of UFO religion. In October 1996, the group purchased alien abduction insurance to cover up to 50 members at a cost of $10,000

The members took phenobarbital mixed with apple sauce, washed down with vodka. Additionally, they secured plastic bags around their heads after ingesting the mix to induce asphyxiation. Authorities found the dead lying neatly in their own bunk beds, faces and torsos covered by a square, purple cloth. Each member carried a five-dollar bill and three quarters in their pockets—said to be for interplanetary toll.

So the point is that it is VERY easy for one person to convince a large group that they have the TRUTH...

This in my opinion is the real danger of any and all religions (not a spiritual belief)

So yes I accept the scrolls as written proof that the story was written down back then,,, but it is still just a story

[zorgon]

And don't forget THESE guys,,, they are getting a lot of followers

Inside the world of the Raëlians



They have a lot going for them   

One: They are a UFO cult, so they apeal to Aline believers
Two They include a lot of New Age stuff
Three They use naked women like the Hippies did in the 60's

There symbol is a little disturbing...




They have cool Temples 



And an Embassy


They are already all around the world spreading Peace and Love like the Old Hippy days


Montreal Canada

Just one of the tamer pictures but I can see the appeal

[Gigas]

That's the ZioNazi symbol.



The Zion symbol is a triangle up and a triangle down, overlayed.

The Nazi symbol mates the zio symbol to reveal the true nature of who rules the planet. They hide behind the mask of the jew acting as the Nazi. They began as far as I can tell, in Russia during the Bolshevik revolution, moved on to Germany and settled in Is ra el, a fictitious place from religious doctrine.

[zorgon]

Is Ra El --->  Ra El ians 

[rdunk]

Gigas, since you have posted the "Official Raelian Symbol", does that imply that you are a member of that group, or might be sympathetic to their thoughts and views? Their symbol certainly does bastardize the Jews "Star of Davie emblem, but I guess it is whatever works for some! Wiki does term Raelism as "a UFO religion"!!

Raelian Symbols - http://altreligion.about.com/od/symbols/ig/Raelian-Symbols/Official-Raelian-Symbol.htm

Raelism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABlism

[zorgon]

Just proves how easy it is to start a religion based on ONE person making up a story  and how easily people fall for it

Christians have Mary bat Eli
(She told the story of an Alien that gave her a kid but left her a Virgin)

Islam has Ab? al-Q?sim Mu?ammad ibn ?Abd All?h ibn ?Abd al-Mu??alib ibn H?shim
(the last prophet sent by God to mankind. While non-Muslims generally regard Muhammad as the founder of Islam, Muslims consider him to have restored the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.)

Buddhists have Gautama Buddha
(Gautama Buddha rejected the existence of a creator deity, refused to endorse many views on creation and stated that questions on the origin of the world are not ultimately useful for ending suffering. Buddhism instead emphasizes the system of causal relationships underlying the universe [The force ]

Mormons have Joseph Smith
(Joseph Smith was called by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ.)

Lutherans have Martin Luthor
( He didn't like Hell or selling green stamps to get into Heaven, and he allowed marriage of priests and was responsible for moving song and dance from Devil worship to Gospel Music)

ALL of them were HU-MONS  -with a good story  and look where they ended up today?

Rosicrucians have Akhenatin and Nefertiti
(That family had elongated skulls and were likely either Aliens or Ancients (like the skulls in Peru pre Inca)

[rdunk]

Zorgon said, "Christians have Mary bat Eli
(She told the story of an Alien that gave her a kid but left her a Virgin)"

Z, as you well know, the story of Jesus does not start in the New Testament, where Mary comes into the picture. but rather the Old Testament is fraught with a plethora of scriptures of the coming Messiah Jesus.

Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled

The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the Messiah—all prophecies Jesus Christ fulfilled. For instance, the crucifixion of Jesus was foretold in Psalm 22:16-18 approximately 1,000 years before Christ was born, long before this method of execution was even practiced.

Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 prophetic Scriptures completed in the life of Jesus.

Just FYI - At this link are 44 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus that are fulfilled in the New Testament:

http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm


                                                                               

[zorgon]

Z, as you well know, the story of Jesus does not start in the New Testament, where Mary comes into the picture.

Nah  You had to have Mary before Jesus... that's the way it works

but rather the Old Testament is fraught with a plethora of scriptures of the coming Messiah Jesus.

THAT Messiah hasn't come yet...  ask any Jew

The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the Messiah—all prophecies Jesus Christ fulfilled. For instance, the crucifixion of Jesus was foretold in Psalm 22:16-18 approximately 1,000 years before Christ was born, long before this method of execution was even practiced.

The Roman's read the book  and thought "hey this is a good idea!"

Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 prophetic

"Suggest"?  Hmmmm Power of suggestion, says Obi Wan, works best on weak minds    






Its ALL about interpretation