Jediism takes a belief in a sentient Life Force and pulls from several different religious and philosophical sources such as Taoism and Buddhism as well as comparative mythology works. Even within the Jediism movement there are several internal factions with different beliefs, rituals, and concepts about the Force. There is some difference of opinion as to whether the Force was created by a deity or whether the Force is its own entity much like the GAIA hypothesis of a living Earth.

Because of the diversity even within the religion of Jediism it is a difficult faith to pin down to exact detail. There are four main flavors of Jediism: Pure Land Rite, Buddhist Jedi, Pagan Jedi, and Spiritual Humanist. Some prefer to wear the robes of the fictional Jedi and participate in religious rituals while others prefer to be more solitary. Some believe that the Force has distinct light and dark sides while others believe that the only sides are created from human intention.

Despite their efforts, Jediism has not really gained popular public approval mostly for the comedic image of people running around in hooded robes and carrying toy sabers. Some view it as a joke and the actions of some within the community have made it much more difficult to obtain public acceptance. Only recently there was a situation at a local British supermarket with a shopper who refused to remove his hood claiming it was a matter of religious freedom. It should be noted though, that these examples are not necessarily representations of the whole.

Jediism is not the only path to travel in order to learn to live as a Jedi. Here at the Jedi Academy online a more simple and austere path is taught. The Force is an energy that is not sentient and should not be worshipped. It is much like electricity or gravity, just an energy connected with all life that should be studied and used as such. The focus is more on learning to live by the Jedi Code.

The Jedi Code is shared between many of the different Jedi paths including some Jediism groups. It’s advice is simple and not hard to understand. The challenge is in bringing it into your life.

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.

Whether one chooses to believe in the Force as a sentient entity or an energy field, and whether one chooses to follow a more religious or a more philosophical path, these words when followed bring you ever closed to the goal of walking in life as a Jedi.
By Sorilea Dailin

There are good examples of what a Jedi is, people who dedicate there lives to helping others, and learning how to make themselves better as individuals; basing their practice off of the behavior demonstrated by the fictional Jedi. There are also good examples of Jedi imposters, who instead of basing their ideals off of what has been inspired from the star wars saga, take things away from other religions, trying to incorporate it into what they teach.

On one end of the spectrum there are those who pursue Jediism as a religion, trying to attract media attention so that they can be officially recognized as a religion. Jediism promotes false ideas such as what is practiced in their creed; they teach their students to use love and joy. Contradicting what we gather from the fiction that Jedi don’t act from emotions such as love and joy. Then there is jedi-church.co.uk/ who claims that by joining their church you will see a “mass life improvement over night.” Most would agree that very few things can happen as soon as overnight.

On the other side of the spectrum there are those who follow the Jedi path, considered by some to be the real Jedi of the community. They don’t wear robes, hoods or carry plastic lightsabers, instead they seek to use fictional Jedi as inspiration for self-betterment in their own lives, using them as examples, not trying to portray them in role playing games, or worshiping them in Jedi prayers. They follow the Jedi Code and the Jedi Circle exhibiting part of what the actual Jedi stood for as well as experience from members who have been apart of the community for many years.
By: Silver Surfer

Tags: Jedi, Jedi Training, Jediism, Real Jedi Knights, Jedi Academy, Lightsabers, Force Training, Force Academy, Project Jedi, JAO