This was posted on a Masonic Website and is only available to view via google 'cached' article, the site was called Tracing Board, Free and Accepted masons...in other words a mason wrote this:
" Star Wars & Freemasonry?
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the startling similarities between the Jedi Order and the Order of Freemasons? Both are a noble order of protectors. They both have a belief in a universal Force. Both are ancient orders of selective initiation. The enemy of Freemasonry is the "Dark." Etc,
Perhaps George Lucas looked back to a time when Freemasons were the eternal warriors of the Truth and the Light, and then saw how the Order had fallen from its once noble state, as if overcome by the "Dark Side" to only dream of their classic history and past glories. When reading the works of Masonic authors of the late 18th and 19th centuries one is overwhelmed by the similarities between the ideas and legends presented, especially in light of the Star Wars films.
Lucas states: "To become a Jedi requires the deepest commitment and most serious mind. It is not a venture to be undertaken lightly. As such, Jedi instruction is rigidly structured and codified to enforce discipline and hinder transgression."
Freemasonry is also a "rigidly structured and codified" system that requires the deepest level of commitment to truly master. Its degrees create a structured school of instruction and initiation that leads the Candidate to Light, and away from the Dark Side.
Compare this to Albert Pike's statement in the Blue Lodge degrees:
"If you become a Freemason... , you will find the stern realities of duty behind its symbols. You must not only war against and subdue your passions, but must in earnest strive and strike to overcome other foes of Humanity - the hypocrites who deceive it, the faithless who defraud, the fanatics who oppress it; the ambitious who usurp it, and the corrupt and unprincipled who make a profit of the confidence of the masses. Have you the energy, the resolution, the devotion, to engage in that long warfare against darkness, perfidy, and error?" - Albert Pike, Liturgy of the Blue Degrees, 18xx(?)
Again, Albert Pike, in Morals & Dogma, seems to be defining a Jedi-like Order:
"The Order of Free-Masons is, or ought to be, an association of intelligent, virtuous, disinterested, generous, and devoted men, regarding each other as Free, Equals and Brothers, and bound by the obligations of fraternity.... And, Free-Masonry is a system and school, not only of morals, but of political and religious philosophy, suggested by its allegories and concealed under its symbols. And, including in itself several Degrees of Knighthood, it is also a Chivalric Order, requiring the practice and performance of the highest duties of the man, the citizen, the patriot, and the soldier."
This same theme echoes throughout all Masonic philosophy and ideology.
Classical Freemasonry traced its origins back to an order of warrior monks of the middle ages: the Knights Templar. As legend relates these warrior monks possessed magical skills, allowing them to do miraculous things. They attained these skills after reading the hidden materials they found beneath the Temple mount in Jerusalem of an ancient order of mystical warriors.
Now compare this to the Jedi in Star Wars:
The Jedi Order
(from
http://www.starwars.com)A noble order of protectors unified by their belief and observance of the Force, the Jedi hearken back to a more civilized, classical time in galactic history. Their order is ancient, spanning over a thousand generations. As the Galactic Republic throve and grew over the centuries, the Jedi came to serve it as guardians of peace and justice.
To become a Jedi requires the deepest commitment and most serious mind. It is not a venture to be undertaken lightly. As such, Jedi instruction is rigidly structured and codified to enforce discipline and hinder transgression. Only 20 Jedi have ever voluntarily renounced their commissions. It is with great regret that the Jedi order recognize the so-called "Lost Twenty." A Jedi who fails in his training can be a very serious threat. The dark side of the Force beckons to the impatient, and students in the past have been lured to its call with devastating consequences.
The sworn enemies of the Jedi are the Sith -- a cult-like order bent on domination through subservience to the Force's dark side. Founded by former Jedi, the Sith abandoned the precepts of knowledge and defense, and instead seek abandon and strength through the Force's hateful energies. Centuries ago, the Jedi destroyed the Sith order. A dangerous complacency set it, wherein the Jedi believed the Sith extinct. Little did they know the order would arise anew, to destroy their ranks.
Jedi Temple
(from
http://www.starwars.com)Removed from the surrounding bustle and urban sprawl by benefit of its colossal height, the Jedi Temple was the home of the Jedi order on Coruscant. It stood alone in its section of the planet-wide city, a towering edifice capped by a crown of five spires that housed the most important temple chambers.
Within one of the outer spires convened the Jedi High Council, the governing body of the order. From its circular Council chamber, a ring of 12 Jedi held court, monitoring galactic events and contemplating the nature of the Force. It was the Council that held final authority on Jedi missions on behalf of the Republic, and on whether prospective candidates were worthy of training.
Elsewhere in the temple, training facilities were staffed by revered Jedi Masters, who guided young Padawans in their first steps toward Jedi Knighthood. The most influential of Masters had private offices to plan and meditate. A well-stocked library contained knowledge from across the galaxy. Advanced communications networks kept the Jedi in touch with galactic events, and landing pads allowed Jedi transports and vessels to launch and land.
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