Jediism

Jediism (pronounced Yediism or Yedaiism) or Jedism, also called Church Jedi or jedi religion, is a new religious movement inspired by the script of the Star Wars film saga, written by George Lucas, who in turn was inspired by in religions such as Buddhism, Taoism and Shintoism and some beliefs of Celtic origin. His creed is based on The Force, a pantheistic entity or non-theistic ideal —it varies depending on the interpretation— which is revered by the Jedi knights in the aforementioned saga.

In the UK, 46,000 people (0.4% of the population) declared their religion to be Jedi in the 2001 census. This would make Jedi the fourth most widespread religion in the country.

In Australia, the 2012 census reported more than 40,000 believers in the Star Wars Force, while in New Zealand it would be more than 12,000 people.

Jediism is not officially recognized as a religion, but its members lobby for recognition by local governments.

Beliefs

The central belief in Jediism is The Force, an omnipresent metaphysical energy field that a Jedi refers to as the fundamental nature of the universe. Some stipulate that the Force is a manifestation of God (in the monotheistic sense of the religions of Abrahamic origin), others that this manifestation is presented as a polarity of opposites (day and night, light and darkness, life and death), therefore that they adapt their definition to a polytheistic cult (as in neopaganism); others simply view the Force as an energy field with no deity-like qualities (atheism) and can be manipulated to achieve desired results (as in Ayurvedic medicine, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi).

Although the particularities of how the Force is perceived change according to the theological tradition of each Jedi, the most accepted position is the pantheist: the belief that everything is a manifestation of the universal mystery that receives the name of &# 34;God".

Denominations

There are various organized jedi communities or groups around the world. John Henry Phelan founded the Temple of the Jedi Order in 2005 in Texas (United States). In 2015, the Government of the country recognized the church as an international ministry and granted it tax exemptions, although the following year the Charity Commission for England and Wales rejected its inclusion as a charity in the United Kingdom. For his part, Daniel M. Jones founded the Church of Jediism in Wales in 2008.

• The Temple of the Jedi Order (United States)
• Church of Jedism (United Kingdom)
• Jedi orders more or less organized:
  • United States of America
  • United Kingdom,
  • Canada,
  • France,
  • Australia and
  • Japan.