Spirituality

Jedi religion gaining in popularity

By T.K. Randall
October 18, 2013 ·  45 comments

The ever-popular Star Wars franchise has spawned its own religion. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Master Alexus Despite being seemingly rooted firmly within the boundaries of science fiction, the Jedi have managed to make it big in the real world through an ever-growing religious movement that has seen its popularity increase from a few hundred members to tens of thousands within the space of two decades.

In England Jediism is considered to be the seventh-largest religion with 175,000 followers. Other countries such as Australia, the United States and Canada are also home to large Jediism followings.

Teachings tend to focus around belief in 'The Force', the mystical power through which Jedi Knights in the Star Wars franchise are able to wield a lightsaber, perform telekinesis and influence people's minds."No we don't worship Yoda," said Ally Thompson, a 'padawan' of a Jedi group in Texas. "And telekinesis is not something that we necessarily do - at least not like in the movies. But I won't deny that the Force is very present in our teachings. Some people call it magic."

While it may seem like a strange belief system to subscribe to, Jediism at least appears to have its heart in the right place with a strong emphasis on helping and benefiting others.

"With Jediism...our religious observance is found through service to the community," said Jedi Knight Andy Spaulding from Kentucky. "Service is sort of what we do for prayer."

Source: Daily Mail | Comments (45)

Tags: Jedi, Star Wars