Jedi 'Religion' Grows in Australia

BBC ^ | 8/27/02

[marshmallow]

More than 70,000 people in Australia have declared that they are followers of the Jedi faith, the religion created by the Star Wars films.

A recent census found that one in 270 respondents - or 0.37% of the population - say they believe in "the force", an energy field that gives Jedi Knights like Luke Skywalker their power in the films.

Most of the 70,509 people who wrote Jedi on their census forms were suspected to have done so in response to an e-mail encouraging all Star Wars fans to get it recognised as an official religion.

But the majority do not seriously tell each other: "May the force be with you", according to Australian Star Wars Appreciation Society president Chris Brennan.

"When you look at it you probably have got about 5,000 people in that 70,000 that were true hard-core people that would believe the Jedi religion carte blanche," he told ABC Radio.

"Then you would have 50,000 fans that said 'oh yeah we'll just put down Jedi for fun, we don't actually have a religion of our own'.

"Then you probably have 15,000 people who did it just to give the government a bit of curry," he said.

'Not defined'

An e-mail was sent around the world in 2001 saying that if 10,000 people declared they were Jedi, it would be recognised as an official religion.

But the Australian Bureau of Statistics said it would be categorised as "not defined".

Thousands of people in New Zealand and the UK also followed the advice of the e-mail - with Jedi Knight even being included on the list of religions by UK census authorities.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

He just has to get a few people to say that he did. 17 posted on 8/27/02 9:34 AM Pacific by BikerNYC

More specifically, he has to get at least 500 eyewitnesses who are willing to die rather than disavow the truth of their claims.

Which is not the kind of sacrifice which a man will typically make for something which he knows to be false... but which sacrifice he will make, for something he knows to be true.

[Grig]

I'm looking forward to the Jedi vs Calvanist flame wars in the religion forumn here. :-)

[BikerNYC]

Or just get some people to claim there were 500 witnesses that died rather than disavow the truth of their claims. It doesn't take much to start a religion.

[jpl]

Well, he already thinks he walks on water...as do many of his fans!

I'll bet Jesus never would have released "Howard the Duck".

[jlogajan]

Well, people have been killing other people over their religious differences for 10's of thousands of years. If being killed for your religion proved its reality, all current religions would be proved -- thus a contradiction.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

I'll bet Jesus never would have released "Howard the Duck".

ROTFLMAO!

[GSHastings]

He just has to get a few people to say that he did.

Of course, those people will have to keep on saying that he did while they themselves are being tortured and killed.

ANY TAKERS?

(By the way, a "few" in this case means approximately 500.)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Sith Lord Pingarooni.

[johniegrad]

Actually, I think he's referring to coming back to life after being killed.

A stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles

[alloysteel]

If enough people can be enrolled in the "Jedi religion", that shall leave no room for incursions by the militant Muslims, which seem to be threatening practically every other country on the planet.

Aren't the Jedi warriors? And isn't that the kind of army we should be considering sending against the Islamofascists?

[stainlessbanner]

Shh! Don't tell em wrastln's fake, either!

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Will the Hollywood flakes switch from Scientology to Jedi now?

[steve-b]

Some books, like this movie, are entirely without basis in fact. Others deal with more dangerous realities.

[Billy_bob_bob]

And so it begins.

A thousand years from now....the evening newscast.

"The Jedi ground forces are attacking the Elvistian stronghold. The John Lennonites have joined forces with the Elvistian's and are flanking the Jedi forces. But the Jedi forces have deployed chemical weapons, wiping out the Lennonites and forcing the Elvistian troops to retreat."

Is it just me or are people just basically nuts?

[steve-b]

There are several appropriate responses to a government that insists upon knowing which religion you profess.

Feeding them gibberish is the most restrained and polite of the options.

[Darth Sidious]

The problem with the Sith religion is that we limit ourselves to only two adherents at a time. You can imagine how paltry the offerings are when we pass around the plate on Sundays.

[rustbucket]

Why does the Australian government need to know the religion of Australians?

[colorado tanker]

I'll believe they're Jedi when I see their mitichlorian counts.

[GSHastings]

Well, people have been killing other people over their religious differences for 10's of thousands of years. If being killed for your religion proved its reality, all current religions would be proved -- thus a contradiction

You missed the point entirely.

Subjecting yourself to death for what you BELIEVE to be true, is a common virtue.

Subjecting yourself to death for what you KNOW to be untrue, is extremely rare.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Posted by jlogajan to OrthodoxPresbyterian On News/Activism Aug 27 9:46 AM #25 of 38 ~~ Well, people have been killing other people over their religious differences for 10's of thousands of years. If being killed for your religion proved its reality, all current religions would be proved -- thus a contradiction.

Only the Apostles weren't interested in "dying for their religion".

They were simply willing to die rather than deny their own eyewitness knowledge of the resurrection of Jesus Christ -- hardly something for which a man would be willing to die if he knew he was lying.