Wear the uniform
Speak the language
Follow God and the Code
Protect yourself and your family
Raise your children to be Christian
Contribute to the welfare of those you serve
When called to serve by God, rally to his cause
-The Resol'nare, 7 basic principles of being a Mando Christian
Mando Christians
The C.A.A. was founded by a bunch of Star Wars fans, whose ultimate dream was to make science fiction, science fact. That dream morphed and changed over time, but the basic idea is the same. We chose to borrow and merge the concept behind the fictional Jedi and Mandalorians of Star Wars into a real entity of the C.A.A. for a couple of reasons. In Star Wars the Jedi were always the heroes, the super ability good guys fighting for good and the light, and facing an unimaginable evil. We could all easily relate to their struggle, and feel as though we were a part of it, well we are. The parallels between Jedi and that of Christians are so obvious that it took very little imagination to make the connection. The bridge between Mandalorians and Christianity is slightly more complicated however. In Star Wars Mandalorians are for the most part, a mixed lot prone to violence, and totally consumed by self interest. However two concepts of theirs greatly appealed to us. The first being the family as the paramount purpose of a Mandalorian's life. Their family was their life, and they were totally loyal to their family. The fact of family not being strictly bloodlines also helped promote this concept, since we already considered ourselves brothers and sisters. Mandalorians could adopt anyone into their family, reardless of their background, and it was considered official. That appealed to us, since all Christians, all people for that matter, are one family, under one God. The second thing that greatly appealed to us was the concept of cin vhetin, which is your past being erased once you became a Mandalorian, only your future mattered. That mirrored exactly the most important message God has for us. The fact that once we accept him, then our past is gone, we are forgiven, and only our future in Christ matters.
Since we weren't copying the idea directly, we basically took the idea and morphed it to meet Christian values, we changed the name to Mandojetti or just Mando rather then Mandalorian. Since we speak our own version of Mando'a, we renamed it Mandoese or also just Mando to designate our alternate, C.A.A.-specific version. Now throw in the Jedi who were created to be the real-life equivelant of the concept behind the mythical characters in Star Wars, some key aspects of the Mandalorians, Christian principles, and a liberal helping of fun, and you get the final product of Mandojetii, and Mandoese. All C.A.A. personnel are welcome to participate in our Mando "culture" but it is not a requirement. It exists primarily to help bring the Jedi closer as Christians and individuals, thus enabling them to be more effective as a group overall. And because we believe faith is between an individual and God alone, Mandojetii does not interfere with Christian faith or principles in any way. It only serves as an addition too, and is a fun and different alternative approach to the idea of Christian Fellowship.
The Manda
Mandojetti is based around the concept of a Manda or spirit. The Manda for us is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit of God, which burns bright in all Christians. All humans posses the "candle" or starters of a Manda, but many hide it away, or fail to use it when called to service by God. A Manda is also a physical thing as well, when you give yourself fully over to God, you can actually feel it acting inside of you. It's a fire that always burns, warming you, and giving you the strength and energy to pick yourself up, and keep moving forward. We all have Manda's, and God asks us all to serve. What sets a Mando apart from everyone else is, when the call to serve goes out, we respond. All you have to do to unlock your Manda is give yourself fully over to Christ. Accept him into your life, and give him total control, then the Holy Spirit will flood you and your Manda will burn strong and bright.
Main aspects of Mandojetti
Mandojetti is very family oriented. To a Mando, family is more then blood. Mandos literally treat others in their aliit or "clan" as good as blood family. A "clan" can be a group of friends, your family, your church group, anyone who holds meaning to you in your life. To a Mando, the aliit is the focal point, behind God, because family is so very important. They stand with you, they support you, and they are with you when things go wrong.
Mandojetti has a language that goes with it as well, known as Mandoese, it is based on Mando'a created by author Karen Traviss. The only difference is, it is more specifically conformed to meet the needs of the Jedi and C.A.A. Christian concepts. All Jedi speak Mandoese, and it is required to pass the Trials.
Mandos are also big on honor. Honor to God, honor to others, and honor to fellow Mandos. Mandos will often wear clothing, adornments, or keep possesions that either once belonged to, or hold special meaning between the Mando and another person. They do this to honor them by showing that they are thinking about that person. This is often done to honor and remember those that have passed on, but can be done between close friends, as a symbol of friendship, or to signify that they miss each other when apart.
Colors displayed on Mando emblems, clothing/uniforms, and color swatches can also hold specific meanings. Although colors a Mando displays may simply be of personnel preferance and may not hold significance at all. But in general:
Black for Justice
Gold for Truth and/or Honor
Green for Duty
Blue for Reliability
Gray for Mourning/Perserverance
Red for Honoring or Remembering a loved one
Yellow for Strength
Orange for Courage
White for Hope/ and or Optimism
Mando Symbols
Similar to colors, Mandos have certain symbols that hold specific meaning to a Mando. Symbols are used to convey meaning to other Mandos through how they are displayed and used. Mandos have many symbols with many different meanings, the basic four Mando symbols are shown below:
The Mythosaur Skull may seem archaic and demonic in nature, but to a Mando it means none of these. The Mythosaur Skull is used to symbolize strength, toughness, stamina, and capability. It is also used often as a call sign from one Mando to another, and is the universal emblem of the Mandos.
The Infinity Dragon is a symbol of eternity, the circle of life, as well as the perpetual motion of things. It is also often used to describe longevity, and as a remainder that all things come full circle.
The Ixthus has been a symbol used by Christians since the time of Christ. Long since been used as a callsign of Christianity, and as a way to identify fellow Christians, to a Mando it symbolizes the Christian faith, and our eternal connection to God. It also serves as a reminder that our purpose here is not our own, but to serve our God and spread his word of love.
The Wings of Ijaat symbolize honor, justice, and solidarity.
Mando symbols are never to be taken at face value, they are layered with meaning through use of color, sub symbol usage, and overall layout. Pretty much all C.A.A. symbols were created with this in mind, and all have multiple levels of meaning and depth.
Mando Summary
Mandos follow the Morality Code and the Mando Code of Honor which harkens back to the chivalrus codes of the Knights of old. They also take faith very seriously, as God is a Mando's master, and guiding light. Being a Mando could be summed up by saying that it is really a mindset of a Christian, rather then a physical state of being. It's having that will, that strength to hand it all over to God, and serve him with every fiber of your being. Mandos are very open to newcomers, and love to invite and welcome new faces into the fold of the C.A.A. The word Mando in Latin means "order", we find it quite fitting then to apply this name and meaning to ourselves, what we stand for, and to represent us as servents of our God. Being a Mando is only required of Jedi, however the invitation is open to all C.A.A. personnel interested. All you have to do is follow the Seven Actions, it's as simple as that.
The Mando Code of Honor
A Mando always follows God
A Mando follows the Resol’nare
A Mando values honesty and integrity highly
A Mando always keeps their word when given
A Mando always acts with dignity and intelligence
A Mando must be polite towards others, especially women
A Mando is prepared for anything
A Mando values all life
A Mando acts with strict morals and good judgment
A Mando respects others with views opposed to theirs
A Mando is not afraid to make personal sacrifices for the greater good, or to help others
A Mando fears nothing, for they have God
A Mando always looks after his family
A Mando keeps their emotions in check, and always keeps a level head
A Mando is always willing to share their Faith, and their Mando culture with others