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Where religion and geekdom meet
Jedi religion belongs in the star systems of George Lucas's mind
It may be Star Wars day (May the fourth be with you), but how seriously should we take the growing church of Jediism?
Matthew Cresswell
guardian.co.uk, Friday 4 May 2012
Today is Star Wars Day, being May the Fourth. (Say the date slowly, several times.) Around the world, film buffs, storm troopers and Jedi are gathering to celebrate one of the greatest science fiction romps of all time. It would be easy to let the fan boys enjoy their day and be done with it. However, Jediism is a growing religion in the UK. Although the results of the 2001 census, in which 390,000 recipients stated their religion as Jedi, have been widely interpreted as a pop at the government, the UK does actually have serious Jedi.
For those of you who, like BBC producer Bill Dare, have never seen Star Wars, the Jedi are "good" characters from the films. They draw from a mystical entity binding the universe, called "the Force". Sporting hoodies, the Jedi are generally altruistic, swift-footed and handy with a lightsaber. Their enemies, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and other cohorts use the dark side of the Force. By tapping into its powers, the dark side command armies of demented droids, kill Jedi and are capable of wiping out entire planets.
This week, Chi-Pa Amshe from the Church of Jediism in Anglesey, Wales, emailed me with some responses to questions. He said Jediism was growing and that they were gaining hundreds of members each month. The church made the news three years ago, after its founder, Daniel Jones, had a widely reported run-in with Tesco.
Chi-Pa Amshe, speaking as a spokesperson for the Jedi council (Falkna Kar, Anzai Kooji Cutpa and Daqian Xiong), believes that Jediism can merge with other belief systems, rather like a bolt-on accessory. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/may/04/jedi-religion-star-wars-george-lucas
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Lucas based Star Wars on Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces.'
The Power of Myth is a book and six part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. The documentary comprises six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) and journalist Bill Moyers.
The interviews in the first 5 episodes were filmed at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in California, with the 6th interview conducted at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, during the final two summers of Campbell's life (the series was broadcast on television a year after his death). In these discussions, Campbell presents his ideas about comparative mythology and the ongoing role of myth in human society. These talks include excerpts from Campbell's seminal work The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
The interviews in the first 5 episodes were filmed at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in California, with the 6th interview conducted at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, during the final two summers of Campbell's life (the series was broadcast on television a year after his death). In these discussions, Campbell presents his ideas about comparative mythology and the ongoing role of myth in human society. These talks include excerpts from Campbell's seminal work The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth
