Jedi Knight New Religion in UK

By Acheron October 12, 2001 8:57 AM

Following the proposal sent around in an email in the UK, thousands of citizens specified their religion as being "Jedi Knight."  Due to the sheer number of entries, the UK census bureau is required by policy to list the write-in as a religion.  Read the full story here.

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RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by beetle78 (notonyourlife@yeahright.com) on October 12, 2001 1:14 PM

I'm sorry but that is freaking hilarious.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 12, 2001 1:23 PM

Feel the force Luke!

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 12, 2001 4:08 PM

Census Officials Blunt Jedi Campaign


Updated: Fri, Oct 12 8:05 AM EDT


LONDON (Reuters) - The Force will not be with you despite many Star Wars fans registering their religion as Jedi Knight in this year's British census.

Officials said on Thursday there was "absolutely no possibility" of Jedi appearing as a choice of religion on future census forms after officials created a code for Jedi to help them analyze responses to the 2001 population survey.

"Because a certain number of people were likely to have put Jedi Knight as a response to that question, it has been included as a code simply to help speed the forms through the machine-readers," a spokesman for the Office of National Statistics told Reuters.

"All that will happen is that it will be recorded as 'Other'," he said. "It certainly does not mean it is recognized as a religion."

An email campaign had circulated before the national survey in April aiming to persuade up to 10,000 people to enter themselves as followers of the science-fiction films' mystical faith -- with its mantra "May the Force be with you."

The spokesman said it was up to Parliament to decide on what questions appeared in the next census, due in 2011.

"There is absolutely no possibility of it appearing on the census form," he said.

"We will not be using taxpayers' money to publish how many people put 'Jedi' in," he added.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 12, 2001 4:58 PM

maybe what it means is that a large number of people think that their religion is nobody's business but their own..

I'm sure they got a lot of fictitious answers for the race section as well.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by WANDERER (RIVERAGAMEFREAK@HOME.COM) on October 13, 2001 4:22 PM

I HAVE BEEN A FAN FOR MANY YRS. AND BECAME A FAN OF SCI-FI BECAUSE OF THESE MOVIES BUT HOW FAR ARE THEY WILLING TO TAKE IT.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by Canis (jcy5@hotmail.com) on October 15, 2001 11:35 AM

No, it really was an active campaign to get "Jedi" on the census form.  Aside from the fact that it's NOT a religion (something can have a spiritual aspect and not be a religion, after all), the people who do this kind of thing are the same people who caused that phenomenon whereby whenever I say I'm a Star Wars fan, half the room rolls their eyes and their estimation of my IQ drops 30, maybe 40 points.  And that's a fun little deficit to work around, let me tell you.  Can anyone provide a solid answer on why people are increasingly unable to separate entertainment from reality?

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by Spidey (red_five34@hotmail.com) on October 15, 2001 3:25 PM

See it's very simple, Jedi is not a religion, it is a more accurately a philosophy that resembles the Buddest philosophy, that's the beauty of it. Sure there are people who just don't get it and look at it in the litteral sense, (hoping to learn to levetate their toy collection, build lightsabers etc..) but there are other  people, like myself, who've studied Buddism and other philosophies that are what Lucas deriverd the Jedi code and ideas from.

To sum it up, if you know where it comes from and study the sources it's easy to understand as real, whether you call it Buddism, New Age or the Force it's all the same. It's not a religion, it's a philosophy.

to help you to understand this more check out

http://www.jediacademy.com/

May the Force be with you

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by 100% AMERICAN (hellskitchen_@hotmail.com) on October 16, 2001 9:46 AM

For those interested in the belifs that "Jedi" stems from, and the warriors it mimicks, you may be interested in this book:

"Chronicles of Tao"

It's a great read, I'm sure any Star Wars fan would dig it. It's supposedly a true story, about a student of the Tao who studies in China and winds up in the U.S. There are lots of explanations of Tao, fights, lessons in history, and special abilities. Check it out.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 16, 2001 6:07 PM

Like wanting to be a Jedi is any less ridiculous than aligning yourself with any other organized religion.

Prove that Christianity or Bhuddism is more than fiction, and then you can scoff the Jedi's all you like.

There are worse things you could believe in.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 17, 2001 7:55 AM

this is nothin' new really...it's New Age religion. God is seen as an uninvolved 'force' out there. Wonder how many atheists will embrace it...

sidenote to any atheist..it is always easier to say 'i don't believe there is a God' or 'no, there isn't/cannot be a God.' than to actually prove it, or disprove someone who belives otherwise. Religious concepts are taken on faith, and that's never something other people will understand...you just can't totally comprehend the beliefs of another, whether they are wrong or right. What would've happened to Star Wars if the line was "May God Bless you..." instead of "May the Force be with you." ???

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 17, 2001 10:12 AM

Hey, Good Point!

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 17, 2001 12:51 PM

...or May Power Trip blow you....


       RED

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 17, 2001 11:50 PM

Et tu red! ?Look, I apologize that the condom broke in your mouth, buddy. ?You were so ravenous though, like a drunk b-list celebrity on Sunset Strip.  I was glad to see you change so much in the "E.T.: Edit this" thread.  Everyone enjoys someone who makes schizophenia look like art. ?

When do you get those braces off by the way?

FUCK JEDI KNIGHT RELIGION!!!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on October 18, 2001 1:24 AM

WE R SITH KNIGHTS, AND OUR RELIGION WILL BE THE ONLY ONE IN UK, AND OUR BLACK FIST WILL BE EXTENTED AROUND THE WORLD, BE PREPARED.....!

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 9, 2002 5:59 AM

that ant funny

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 25, 2002 10:35 PM

Jediism might not sound like a religion. To some people it might sound stupid, but dont forget that when the belief of Islam started people tought it was a idiotic thing, look at it now. Jediism can become a new religion is just of matter of time.

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 19, 2003 3:11 AM

Amen to that

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 19, 2003 3:12 AM

What a load of s***

RE: Jedi Knight New Religion in UK   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 19, 2003 3:17 AM

i am a huge fan of star wars, and if you want to make it a religion, we need a god damn messiah. we should have our lord vader like jesus or judas. make the jedi bible and then it will be official.

.s, nattalie potrman is fit.

RE: FUCK JEDI KNIGHT RELIGION!!!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on July 9, 2003 11:12 AM

My religion is much better than your sh*tty religion now go f*ck yourself.
Ill be a jedi Knight if i want to.