There are now Jedi churches in New Zealand and the United Kingdom (177,000 people registered as Jedi in the UK in 2011). More than 15,000 people have also registered as Jedi in the Czech Republic. Jediism may not be recognized as an official religion in the United States.
The Church of the Force was a religious institution composed of loosely-affiliated worshippers of the Force. Members of the faith, such as Lor San Tekka, believed that balance would continue to elude the Force until the Jedi Order was reestablished.
But others took the message from the Star Wars films further, aiming to build a belief system and religious code inspired by the franchise. In its ruling the Charity Commission said Jediism "lacked the necessary spiritual or non-secular element" it was looking for in a religion.
In 2005, the Temple of the Jedi Order was registered in Texas. It was granted IRS tax exemption in 2015. In May 2005, an article on the growth of Jedi religion by Catholic author Jon M. Sweeney was the most read article on the website Explorefaith.org that year.
A Jedi's promise must be the most serious, the deepest of his or her life. A Jedi seeks not adventure or excitement, for a Jedi is passive, calm, and at peace. A Jedi knows that anger, fear, and aggression lead to the dark side. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.
That may sound whacky to you, but, in 2015, the U.S. government recognized Jediism as an international ministry and granted its request for tax-exempt status. The movement, which draws inspiration from the mythology of the “Star Wars” films, has had less luck in the United Kingdom.
Their creator, the Star Wars writer and director George Lucas, seems to have been heavily influenced by real religions and philosophies such as Buddhism, Taoism, Kabbalah and the medieval code of chivalry. This gives verisimilitude to the Jedi religion in the films.
It's easy to join the jedi church, just look inside yourself, and feel the force... There is no hierarchal structure, it's just a free for all in our public forum... You can purchase a certificate if you like, but this is completely optional. The jedi church is a place to meet online and share your ideas.
A comprehensive religious forecast for 2050 by the Pew Research Center predicts that the global Muslim population will grow at a faster rate than the Christian population – primarily due to the average younger age, and higher fertility rate of Muslims.
The Jedi church has no official doctrine or scripture. The Jedi church recognizes that all living things share a living force and that all people have an innate knowledge of what is right and wrong, and the Jedi Church celebrates this like no other religion.
Why was Jediism not considered a religion? The Charity Commission looked at all these criteria and said that Jediism did not fulfil them: Jediism is open to spiritual awareness but can be followed as a secular belief system. This meant Jediism lacked the necessary spiritual or non-secular element.
If you are not religious, we recommend you simply answer 'No religion', because although the ONS will count 'Jedi' answers as non-religious, other commentators, organisations, or religious institutions often disaggregate these results and refer only to the people who ticked 'No religion' as non-religious.
Luke Skywalker's religion was “Jedi” obviously. The writer of the Gospel of Luke was a Christian — but since he converted before the name “Christian” came into use, we can just call him a follower of Jesus.
There are now Jedi churches in New Zealand and the United Kingdom (177,000 people registered as Jedi in the UK in 2011). More than 15,000 people have also registered as Jedi in the Czech Republic. Jediism may not be recognized as an official religion in the United States.
The Jedi and The force are both fiction. Training yourself in sword skills, physical skills and patiences don't make you a Jedi because Jedi are only in the Star Wars universe.
Followers of Jediism also follow The Jedi Code, which promotes peace, knowledge, and serenity. There are also 33 Jedi Teachings To Live By, which further define the effects of the Force and guides Jedi on basic practices. Most of these are rather practical and positive, focusing on mindfulness and insight.
The Force and the Jedi religion, Lucas stated, were thus based on all religions in the real-world, as he constructed Star Wars mainly from Methodism—or Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—and Buddhism.
George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, was inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell in comparative religion and mythology, and drew on a number of religions in the real world to inspire the Jedi religion, notably Taoism, Zen Buddhism, Christianity, and a touch of general new age 'spiritual but not religious'ness.
Eventually the Temple's five towers crumbled during the catastrophe with the Lusankya and were cleared away, their places filled with a new enclave that served as a diplomatic way-point and a training ground for new Jedi away from the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4.
390,127 people, almost 0.8 per cent of the population, listed their religion as Jedi on the 2001 Census as part of a protest against organised religion. The number fell to 176,632 in the 2011 Census, still making it the seventh-largest identified religion.
Service members can generally put whatever religious preference they want on their tags, including "Atheist" or "Agnostic." Some even ask for "Jedi" or "Druid." There is no list of official or approved religions--after all, that would constitute government endorsement of a particular religion.
The Sith Order is depicted as an ancient cult of warriors who draw strength from the dark side of the Force and use it to seize power by any means necessary, including terrorism and mass murder; their ultimate goals are to destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy.
