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The nerds of the world, spurred on by an e-mail message, are uniting in a bid to make the Star Wars Jedi religion officially recognised. The controversial e-mail was believed to have started in New Zealand, where a census took place in early March. Those with no particular religious affiliation but who had always dreamed of being a Jedi knight were encouraged to tick 'other' in the religion box and write Jedi. The argument is that if enough people say they their religion is Jedi - the exact number varies according to which e-mail you receive and which country you live in - then the government is forced to recognise it as a bona fide faith. Whether enough individuals, presumably single and male, are committed enough to George Lucas's fabricated world to put their trust in The Force remains to be seen. And if the e-mail does gather more than mere publicity then the whole affair could turn a little nasty. According to The Guardian, Australian officials will slap a $500 fine on anyone who dares to say they are Jedi. In New Zealand too there are fears that those who fill in a form falsely could face prosecution. Some have described this as religious persecution, while others support the move for clamping down on fantasyland nonsense. Meanwhile the Home Office has said thet even if thousands of Britons say they are Jedi, it will not become a religion because the census form does not count the different entries in the 'other' category. The faith is strong, at least online. But in the world of the web, where anything is possible, the faith in the Jedi, symbolised by crusty old Star Wars character Yoda, remains strong. On one discussion forum on 'The Jedi Creed' a user called Kern enthused in response to the e-mail story that, "becoming a "Jedi" is not easy, but it is not impossible either. You can develop your clairvoyant powers. You can heal with your hands. You can do oh so much more if you have the faith". This 'faith' is often linked to Buddhism, although the Star Wars films have also been compared to many Bible stories. This irony appears to be lost on most plastic light-sabre wielding respondents. Other copies of the e-mail received by ITN Online includes encouraging comments added by employees of some very respectable British banking and financial institutions. However, we suspect that the enthusiastic passing on of an e-mail is not firm proof that these well paid and respected professionals will actually put pen to paper and swear their faith in The Force when the British census actually happens. In truth the only force that appears to be evident at present is the force of electronic communication, which can turn a silly idea into a news story in a matter of hours.
ITN News
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