Jediism

Last updated

Jediism (or Jedism [1] ) is a philosophy, [2] and, in some cases, a tongue-in-cheek joke religion, [3] [4] mainly based on the depiction of the Jedi characters in Star Wars media. [5] Jediism attracted public attention in 2001 when a number of people recorded their religion as "Jedi" on national censuses.

Contents

Jediism is inspired by certain elements of Star Wars, namely the fictional religion of the Jedi. Early websites dedicated to bringing up a belief system from the Star Wars films were "The Jedi Religion and regulations" and "Jediism". These websites cited the Jedi code, consisting of 21 maxims, [6] as the starting point for a "real Jedi" belief system. [7] The real-world Jediism movement has no leader or central structure. [8]

Beliefs

Although followers of Jediism acknowledge the influence of Star Wars on their religion, by following the moral and spiritual codes demonstrated by the fictional Jedi, [9] they also insist their path is different from that of the fictional characters and that Jediism does not focus on the myth and fiction found in Star Wars. [10] While there is some variation in teaching, the Jedi of the Temple of the Jedi Order follows the "16 teachings" based on the presentation of the fictional Jedi, such as "Jedi are mindful of the negative emotions which lead to the Dark Side" and "Jedi are guardians of peace and justice". [11] Adherents also follow "21 maxims". [7] [12]

Census phenomenon

Jediism received press coverage following a worldwide email campaign in 2001 urging people to write "Jedi" as their answer to the religion classification question in their country's census, resulting in the Jedi census phenomenon. The majority of such respondents are assumed to have claimed the faith as a joke. [13] [4] [3]

United States

In 2005, the Temple of the Jedi Order was registered in Texas. It was granted IRS tax exemption in 2015. [14] 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. [15]

United Kingdom

During the drafting of the UK Racial and Religious Hatred Act, an amendment was proposed that excluded Jedi Knights from any protection, along with Satanists and believers in animal sacrifice. The amendment was subsequently withdrawn, the proposer explaining that it was "a bit of a joke" to illustrate a point that defining religious belief in legislation is difficult. [16]

In 2007, [17] 23-year-old Daniel Jones founded The Church of Jediism with his brother Barney, believing that the 2001 UK census recognised Jediism as a religion, and that there were "more Jedi than Scientologists in Britain". [4] In 2009, Jones was removed from a Tesco supermarket in Bangor, North Wales, for refusing to remove his hood on a religious basis. The owner justified Jones's ejection by saying, "He hasn't been banned. Jedis are very welcome to shop in our stores although we would ask them to remove their hoods. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared hoodless without ever going over to the Dark Side and we are only aware of the Emperor as one who never removed his hood." [18]

In 2013, the Free Church of Scotland expressed concern that a proposed Marriage and Civil Partnership bill would "lead to Star Wars Jedi marrying couples". Patrick Day-Childs of The Church of Jediism, and Rev Michael Kitchen of Temple of the Jedi Order, both defended the right of Jedi to perform marriage ceremonies. [19] [20]

In December 2016, the Charity Commission for England and Wales rejected an application to grant charitable organization status to The Temple of the Jedi Order, ruling that the group did not "promote moral or ethical improvement" for charity law purposes. [21]

Turkey

In April 2015, the students of Dokuz Eylül University in Turkey started a petition on Change.org demanding a Jedi temple be built on the campus. The petition was in response to a previous petition which had demanded a mosque on the campus of Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ). The petition demanding the mosque reached 180,000 signatures, falling short of its 200,000 target, and invoked a response from Mehmet Karaca, the rector of İTÜ, promising "a landmark mosque". Soon after, students from other universities started petitions demanding Jedi and Buddhist temples on their campuses. [22] [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

Jedi, Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are fictional characters, and often protagonists, featured in many works within the Star Wars franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order is depicted as a religious, academic, meritocratic, and military (peacekeeping) organization whose origin dates back thousands of years before the events of the first film released in the franchise. The fictional organization has inspired a real-world new religious movement and parody religion: Jediism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoda</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars universe

Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, first appearing in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with The Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until its near annihilation. In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda was voiced and puppeteered by Frank Oz, who reprised the role in Return of the Jedi, the prequel trilogy, and the sequel trilogy. Outside of the films, the character was mainly voiced by Tom Kane, starting with the 2003 Clone Wars animated television series until his retirement from voice acting in 2021. Yoda is an iconic figure in popular culture due to his distinct pattern of speech and role as a wise mentor.

While freedom of religion is de jure symbolically enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution, it de facto faces many prohibitions and restrictions. A Malay in Malaysia must strictly be a Muslim, and they cannot convert to another religion. Islamic religious practices are determined by official Sharia law, and Muslims can be fined by the state for not fasting or refusing to pray. The country does not consider itself a secular state and that Islam is the state religion of the country, and individuals with no religious affiliation are viewed with hostility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jedi census phenomenon</span> People reporting their religion was Jedi

In some national population censuses which include a question on religious identity, media report numerous respondents giving their religion as Jedi after the quasi-religious order in the Star Wars science fiction franchise. While a few individuals claim to practise Jediism sincerely, the answer can be also a joke or a protest against the religion question. While giving false information on a census form is often illegal, any religion question is sometimes an exception; in any case, prosecutions are rare. The Jedi census phenomenon sprang from a 2001 urban legend spread by chain email prior to the separate censuses that year in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The email asserted that any religion passing a minimum threshold would be entitled to some form of official recognition. Other reasons proffered include "do it because you love Star Wars" or "just to annoy people". The 2001 censuses recorded Jedi as 1.5% of New Zealanders, 0.37% of Australians, and 0.8% of Britons. Later censuses there and elsewhere have recorded smaller proportions. In some cases any "Jedi" responses are collected under "other" rather than reported separately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parody religion</span> Constructed mock religion

A parody religion or mock religion is a belief system that challenges the spiritual convictions of others, often through humor, satire, or burlesque. Often constructed to achieve a specific purpose related to another belief system, a parody religion can be a parody of several religions, sects, gurus, cults, or new religious movements at the same time, or even a parody of no particular religion – instead parodying the concept of religious belief itself. Some parody religions emphasise having fun; the new faith may serve as a convenient excuse for pleasant social interaction among the like-minded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yavin</span> Fictional planet in Star Wars

Yavin is a fictional planet in the Star Wars galaxy. It first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars and is depicted as a large red gas giant with an extensive satellite system of moons. The hidden military base of the Rebel Alliance is located on its fourth moon, Yavin 4.

Religion in Singapore is characterised by a wide variety of religious beliefs and practices due to its diverse ethnic mix of people originating from various parts of the world. A secular state, Singapore is commonly termed as a "melting pot" of various religious practices originating from different religious denominations around the world. Most major religious denominations are present in the country, with the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore (IRO) recognising 10 major religions. A 2014 analysis by the Pew Research Center found Singapore to be the world's most religiously diverse nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in the United Kingdom</span>

British society is one of the most secularised in the world and in many surveys determining religious beliefs of the population agnosticism, nontheism, atheism, secular humanism, and non-affiliation are views shared by a majority of Britons. Historically, it was dominated for over 1,400 years by various forms of Christianity, which replaced preceding Romano-British religions, including Celtic and Anglo-Saxon paganism. Religious affiliations of United Kingdom citizens are recorded by regular surveys, the four major ones being the national decennial census, the Labour Force Survey, the British Social Attitudes survey and the European Social Survey.

Religions are represented on the Internet in many ways. There are sites which attempt to cover all religions, traditions, and faiths, such as Patheos, Religious Tolerance, and Beliefnet. There are also sites that are specific to a religious tradition. Many sites are discussion groups, others host theological debates, and some provide advice concerning religious doctrine. Some sites aim to provide a religious experience facilitating prayer, meditation, or virtual pilgrimages. People also leverage search engines to investigate aspects of religion. Some religious websites are translated into several languages. For example, JW.ORG features content in over 1,000 languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Australia</span>

Religion in Australia is diverse. In the 2021 national census, 43.9% of Australians identified with Christianity and 38.9% declared "no religion".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Angola</span> Religion in Angola

Angola is a predominantly Christian country with Islam being a minority religion. As of 2014 census, there are 195,000 Muslims in Angola, representing 1% of total population. Most Muslims in Angola are Sunni. They are generally foreign migrants from West Africa and the Middle East, although a few are local converts. There exist several Islamic organizations that run mosques, schools and community centers. The Association of the Development of Islam in Angola is the primary proselytizing organization. Muslim Angolans are represented by the Supreme Council of Angolan Muslims of Luanda. As of late 2013, the Angolan government does not legally recognize any Muslim organizations; as a result, mosques in the country have faced restrictions and many have been shut down by the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in England</span>

Christianity is the largest religion in England, with the Church of England being the nation's established state church, whose supreme governor is the monarch. Other Christian traditions in England include Roman Catholicism, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Mormonism, and the Baptists. After Christianity, the religions with the most adherents are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism, modern paganism, and the Bahá'í Faith. There are also organisations promoting irreligion, including humanism and atheism. According to the 2021 census, Shamanism is the fastest growing religion in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Turkey</span> Summary of religious following within the nation of Turkey

Religion in Turkey consists of various religious beliefs. While it is known that Islam is the most common religion in the country, published data on the proportion of people belonging to this religion are contradictory. The state registering everyone as Muslim by birth misleads the percentage of Muslims in Turkey. There are many people who follow other religions or do not adhere to any religion but are officially classified as 'Muslim' in official records unless they make a contrary claim. According to the state, 99.8% of the population is initially registered as Muslim. As much as 90% of the population follows Sunni Islam. Most Turkish Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. The remaining 0.2% are Christians and adherents of other officially recognised religions like Judaism. The official number of Muslims include people who are irreligious; converted people and anyone who is of a different religion from their Muslim parents, but has not applied for a change of their individual records. These records can be changed or even blanked out on the request of the citizen using a valid electronic signature to sign the electronic application.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sith</span> Organization in the Star Wars series

The Sith are the main antagonists of many works in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise. They are the antithesis and ancient enemies of the Jedi. 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. The various antagonistic factions in the franchise, namely the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the First Galactic Empire, the Imperial Remnant and the First Order all originated, with the Sith. Sith, known individually as Sith Lords, are, by nature, ruthless. At any point a single individual assumes absolute authority amongst their kind and is granted the honorific Dark Lord of the Sith. Sith culture is based on perpetual treachery and betrayal. The fate of Sith Lords is, typically, to be murdered and replaced by their own apprentices. Sith teach their apprentices to revere the dark side of the Force, to give full reign to aggressive emotions such as rage and hatred, and to believe that others are expendable in the pursuit of power, it makes the Lords' demise inevitable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom of religion in Thailand</span>

According to the 2018 census, Buddhism is the largest religion in Thailand, practiced by over 94% of the population; Islam makes up 5% of the population. The Thai government officially recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Chile</span> Religious beliefs in Chile

Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Chile, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. The country is secular and the freedom of religion is established under its Constitution.

Of the religions in Tunisia, Islam is the most prevalent. It is estimated that in 2022, approximately 99% of Tunisia's inhabitants identified themselves as Muslims.

The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the Star Wars fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wills with the will of the Force, while the Sith and other villains exploit the Force and try to bend it toward their own selfish and destructive desires. The Force has been compared to aspects of several world religions, and the phrase "May the Force be with you" has become part of pop culture vernacular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Woodhead</span>

Linda Jane Pauline Woodhead is a British sociologist of religion and scholar of religious studies at King's College London Faculty of Arts and Humanities. She is best known for her work on religious change since the 1980s, and for initiating public debates about faith. She has been described by Matthew Taylor, head of the Royal Society of Arts, as "one of the world's leading experts on religion".

A fictional religion, hypothetical religion, imaginary religion or invented religion refers to a fictional belief system created for the purposes of literature, film, or game. Fictional religions can be complex and inspired by or build on existing religions. Two of the better known and influential examples are the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft and the religion of Middle Earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien.

References

  1. ↑ Lamonthe, Dan (18 November 2014). "The Pentagon's Pugnacious Critic on Religion Gets his Day in Congress". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Jedi is not a religion, Charity Commission rules". BBC News. 2016-12-19. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  3. 1 2 Perrott, Alan (August 31, 2002). "Jedi Order lures 53,000 disciples". The New Zealand Herald . APN News & Media . Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Carole M. Cusack (15 September 2010). Invented Religions: Faith, Fiction, Imagination. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 125. ISBN   978-0-7546-6780-3 . Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Hume, Lynne; McPhillips, Kathleen (2006). Popular spiritualities: the politics of contemporary enchantment. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 59. ISBN   978-0-7546-3999-2.
  6. ↑ "21 Maxims of Jediism".
  7. 1 2 Matthew Wilhelm Kapell; John Shelton Lawrence (2006). Finding the Force in the Star Wars Franchise: Fans, Merchandise, and Critics. Peter Lang. ISBN   0-8204-6333-7.
  8. ↑ Nancy K. Grant; Diana J. Mansell (2008). A Guidebook to Religious and Spiritual Practices for People Who Work With People. iUniverse. pp. 249–251. ISBN   978-0-595-50527-2 . Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Deacy, Christopher; Arweck, Elisabeth (2009). Exploring religion and the sacred in a media age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 15. ISBN   978-0-7546-6527-4.
  10. ↑ Matthew Kapell; John Shelton Lawrence (1 August 2006). Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise: Fans, Merchandise, & Critics. Peter Lang. pp. 105–112. ISBN   978-0-8204-6333-9 . Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  11. ↑ Beyer, Catherine. "Basic teachings of the Jedi". About.com . The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Doctrine of the Temple of the Jedi Order". Temple of the Jedi Order. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Taylor, Henry (2012-12-11). "'Jedi' religion most popular alternative faith" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  14. ↑ "IRS Determination Letter" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "Explore faith : In the News".
  16. ↑ "Racial and Religious Hatred Bill". 2005-06-29. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  17. ↑ Wells, Jonathan (2015-12-15). "Inside the Church of Jediism: what it's like to follow The Force" . Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  18. ↑ Carter, Helen (18 September 2009). "Jedi religion founder accuses Tesco of discrimination over rules on hoods". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  19. ↑ McKenzie, Steven "Star chores: Do Jedi want to marry people?", BBC News , London, 20 March 2013. Retrieved on 14 June 2014.
  20. ↑ Hudson, Tony "Marry you, I will: Jedi strike back over weddings criticism" Archived 2019-05-09 at the Wayback Machine , Politics UK, 25 March 2013. Retrieved on 14 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Jediism not a religion, Charity Commission rules". BBC News . 19 December 2016.
  22. ↑ "Thousands of Turkish students sign petition to build Jedi Temple on university campus". The Independent . 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "Turkish University students demand Jedi, Buddhist temples amid mosque frenzy". Hurriyet Daily News. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.