Jediism ruled not a religion

[pallidin]

I guess I don't know what, exactly, is a true religion.

[Golden Duck]

But...

Quote

Jedi are wary of attachments, both material and personal. The obsession over possessions and people creates the fear of losing those possessions and relationships which can cause ourselves to be trapped in a state of depression and loss.

https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/doctrine-of-the-order

[Unfortunately]

On 21/12/2016 at 6:39 AM, Thorvir said:

Just like scientology and mormonism, then?

You would be correct if both of those were started as an effort to evade tax, but I don't believe that is true. (Please correct me if I'm wrong).

[eight bits]

Evading taxes probably wasn't a big issue in the 19th Century United States, especially not on the frontier. Tax concerns were a big issue in the 20th Century, but you don't need to be a religion to be tax exempt in the US. It was harder for Scientology to qualify for religious status than simple charitable status. (The main difference in the United States is that religions do not have to report their finances.)

The hard part of becoming wealthy is getting other people to fork over their cash. Maybe you make something they want to buy, or maybe you just tell them a story and pass the hat. Regardless, if you can accumulate a big pile, then you can use it to hire people, lawyers, accountants, and so forth, who will see that you keep a big chunk of it. Taxes are a problem, but not the main problem.

There is plenty of evidence to support that both LDS and Scientology were launched largely to gather in donations of cash and other resources. This may have been mostly for the personal benefit of the founder and his close associates, but each in time developed a corporate structure that survived its founders, and still rakes in the donations and manages the real estate and other investment portfolios.

People who are interested in a less inflammatory example of a materially successful 19th Century United States religion might want to look into Christian Science. If you want a really socially mainstream example, there is the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The topic religion Jedism was indisputably a commercial product (too bad the producers didn't trademark it, eh?). The record is clear, however, that it was crafted to be a kind of "representative generic religion." Scholarly experts, especially Joseph Campbell, checked it out and possibly even made a few suggestions. Also, at no time was any other origin story promoted as history.

It's ironic, then, that a professionally designed, high quality product like Jedism is being denied equal legal footing with less well-designed offerings, apparently because Jedists are open and honest about their beginnings. That policy seems to be rewarding BS artists. Want to qualify for good tax treatment? "Don't ask, don't tell" where you come from.

[marydavis0191]

Star Wars movie fans..

[Thorvir]

On 12/24/2016 at 3:52 AM, Unfortunately said:

You would be correct if both of those were started as an effort to evade tax, but I don't believe that is true. (Please correct me if I'm wrong).

Evading taxes isn't the only thing that drives people to a cult.