The Jedi Religion

The fictional Jedi faith was contructed by George Lucas in his Star Wars series of movies. A modern-day movement has arisen in which people are declaring themselves to be Jedi on census forms, and several self-declared Jedi churches exist.

The Jedi Church web site declares that the Jedi church has "no official doctrine".

The Jedi church recognizes that all people have an innate knowledge of what is right and wrong, and the Jedi Church celebrates this like no other religion. The basic concepts and ideals of the Jedi religion were introduced by the fictional Star Wars movies. However, these concepts were quickly and readily recognized by many people throughout the world as being a religion that they could more readily ascribe to than traditional religions.

The site goes on to describe the basic concepts of the Jedi faith - there is a Force which binds the Universe together, and it has a dark side and a light side.

The first Star Wars movie (episode IV) really doesn't give viewers much more than this, and for many people is their only exposure to the religion, or philosophy.

Despite its scant detail, the idea of making the Jedi faith into a "real" religion has had wide appeal for a young audience disenchanted with traditional organised religion.

The Jedi Church very helpfully provides demographic information on its site, which shows that the adherents of the faith are overwhelmingly male, primarily born and living in the US, the UK, or Australia, and the majority were born between 1970 and 1999.

At The Jediism Way, there has been a little more philosphical development.

On their page entitled "What is a Jedi", they explore the distinction between the fictional religion and the practices of their members.

At this site you are going to find individuals that refer to themselves as Jedi Realists. The first thing is, the Jedi at this site do not pretend to be the Jedi from the movies. We do not have lightsabers, can't shoot lightring out of our fingers, can't make objects fly across the room, and do some of the other amazing movie magic tricks you saw int he movies. A Jedi Realist as quote from www.thejedi.org is:

"Jedi Realists are people who have recognized the philosophical value of the Star Wars mythology, mainly the fictional Jedi, and have integrated the outlook and values they present."

Pages on the Jedi Code and Jedi Truisms explore concepts which are clearly drawn from the cultural background of the contributors, many of whom are Asian. Buddhist and Confucian ideals take on a new life, encased in a far less codified religious framework.

The Jedi are big on individual responsibility and an internal moral compass, but the classic Star Wars moment ("use The Force, Luke ...") has a yin-based letting-go which resonates well with Buddhist teachings.

Census Reports of Jedi Religion

There has been a movement in recent years to have people in English-speaking nations declare their religion as "Jedi" when the national census is taken.

In Australia, the 2001 census showed over 70,000 Jedi. The Australian Bureau of Statistics made noises about prosecuting people for providing "falso or misleading information", but didn't actually do it.

New Zealand's 2001 census showed over 53,000. That would make Jedi the second largest religion in New Zealand, after Christianity, if the New Zealand government recognised it as a valid religion.

In Canada, the 2001 census showed around 20,000 Jedi.

Engalnd and Wales had almost 400,000 Jedi in 2001, making Jedi the fourth largest religion (after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism), larger than Buddhism or Judaism.

Not all Jedi sites are serious. At VoteJedi.com, they claim a history millennia long for the Jedi religion, which they say existed as a secret society, boasting such famous (secret) members as Democritus, Lucretius, Hypatia, Voltaire, Thomas Hobbs, David Hume, Thomas Paine, Bertrand Russell and A J Ayer.

The Temple Of The Jedi Order claims to be registered in the state of Texas as a legitimate non-profit religious and educatioal 510(c)3 organisation.

So, is all this just a bit of fun, or do these people have their hands on a new world religion?

Perhaps we can give the last word on the matter to the Jedi Church:

The sun existed before it was given a name, and it could be revered as a God, however, when the sun finally had a human name, it could be written about and communicated with others. The Jedi religion is just like the Sun, it existed before a popular movie gave it a name, and now that it has a name, people all over the world can share their experiences of the Jedi religion, here in the Jedi Church.