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Jedi Knight Now (Not) Officially a Religion
osiris writes: "The Register is reporting that being a Jedi Knight is now an official religion in the UK after the 2001 census conducted earlier this year. The final number of 'Jedi Knights' has not been confirmed yet as only about 95% of the census forms have been returned. As you could probably imagine, the Home Office is none too pleased. Apparently though, you can't get fined for lying about your religion in the census." Actually, according to the story, this gives the Jedi way no more official status than Plumbing would have if everyone put that down.
None of the people who check it are actually Jedi, whether they say they are or not :(. I don't remember the last time I saw anyone build a real working lightsaber....
What, me worry?
http://www.snopes.com/religion/jedi.htm
contains the complete info on this BORING (IMHO) urban legend.
ZOMG I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS ON MACINTOSH VERSUS WINDOWS, VI VERSUS EMACS, AND HOW YOU'RE NOT A DORK
Ok - so someone's really decided there needs to be separate categories for "Atheist" and "None". I want to see the discussion here the delineates the differences between someone who says there's no God (which seems to me to be saying that religion would necessarily be a fabrication), and "None" ... which means. I dunno -- pretty much the same thing? That there is a god and they choose not to believe -- it seems that you start to get into one of those Douglas Adams'-ish loops about proof denying faith, and without faith god being nothing -- with of course proof, proving god doesn't exist because god exists.
Does this "religion" at all involve paying for the same "holy text" over and over again, in varying "special release" formats?
Darth Vader, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
2000 years ago a group of people believed in a man called Jesus Christ. And now an enormous amount of our society is based around his sacrifice.
2000 years from now, perhaps the world will pray to a man named Luke Skywalker???
Is our bible written as such: "Saul begot Jim... yes... mmmm-hmm.... Help him he could... yes..."
Thinking along the lines of the Rastafarians who (in some places) have gained the ability to smoke pot legally as a 'religious sacrament'....
/dev/random, and concealed in the Mysteries of the Digits of PI.
How about forming a new religion, dedicated to interpreting the holy scripture as given by the Great Kernel to humankind through
Amongst the religious edicts would be:
1) Any and all binary data may contain manifestations of the Lord Kernel. Therefore, followers are instructed to decode any and all binary data they get their hands on, and apply technical skills to defeat all encryption inherent in such data/code (including copy-protection barriers).
2) All followers must celebrate the Lord Kernel's holy abundance by freely sharing any data and code which they feel personally moved to make available.
3) The Lord Kernel's abundance takes precedence over any human notions of intellectual property
4) Members of the Church of the Great Kernel may transform their data in any way before transmission to other Members.
This way, the DMCA, SSSCA, ATA etc can be ruled unconstitutional as they interfere with religious practice.
-- In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was UNSIGNED, and the main(){} was without form and void...
I bet after a few years of linux being declared an official religion, RMS will form the bGNULinux protestant movement agaisn't the mainstream linux church.
You know Linus would cool with those pope hats. Especially at trade shows.
http://saveie6.com/
The Jedi religion does in fact have many stated ideas that aren't too far from "real" religions, so who is to say that one can not actually proclaim themselves Jedi followers?
The question is a whole lot like asking "Is Discordianism Real?"
Any Discordian will tell you with absolute uncertainty that it probably isn't unreal. But just because the Discordian religion probably appeared first in a fictional novel doesn't mean that the beliefs are not valid, even if a bit loony.
I say if someone wants to be a Jedi, so be it. They have every bit as much a right to create miracles as any Christian, Jew, or Muslim. In fact, they're probably just as good at it!
Hail Eris! fnord
"Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
From the Australian Bureau of Statistics...
Main purpose of the religion question
The religion question is included in the census as religious organisations are the biggest providers of services, outside of government, in a number of areas such as schooling, health services, aged care services, and community support facilities. The question is not designed to measure the degree of participation in particular religions and philosophies.
Rather, as many people access services in accord with their nominal religious affiliation, the statistics are highly useful for planning these services (eg many Catholics who do not actively participate in their religion send their children to Catholic schools). The religion question has been optional in all Australian censuses; this follows from a requirement in the Australian Constitution.
"...but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology..." - FZ
Wouldn't the religion be just "Jedi"?
Does this cover the dark side of the force as well?
Can you be of the Jedi religion without being a knight?
What's the official Jedi position on abortion, contraception and religious killing?
How do you make those lightsabers anyway?
Looking at the census list of religions it would seem just about every permutation of praise gets a mention...
So where is Time Cube? It's a perfectly valid religious choice?
I thought four corner truth was ineffable. Could it be that Census is just another Evil Word Institution trying to suppress Gene Ray's beautious vision...
Let's all pull together and make time cube number 900 on the list come the next census
... the Immaculate Misconception: Believing that Jar-Jar Binks was a good idea. Ever.
"It was a summer's tale: Just a boy, his Linux, and a head full of dreams..."
On the other hand, it is also an interesting concept in the fact that a Jedi is also completely calm, and in tune with his/her environment. By this definition, it might do some people good to attempt to be calm and in tune; they might be able to think their way more clearly, and act on less rash thoughts. If they define themselves this way, then it might not offend as many people. I believe that some people will still be irked by someone calling themself a Jedi Knight.
Just my $0.02 worth
-mrbkap
No, that would be Scientology.
-----
Free P2P Backup, Windows & Linux
And I find that the most interresting aspect of the whole thing is that it says something about culture, when something totally made up from a 23 year old movie shows up in a national census.
Exactly what it says is up to debate, but the statement is the real message. I doupt that the people who awnsered Jedi when asked aout their religion actually meant that they believe in an invisible force created by life that can be used to do magic.
I wonder how it feels to know you're the one that started all of this in the first place.
You can't take the sky from me...
An offical religion. Now we can see different churches of Lucas start popping up all over the UK. Imperial Church of Lucas, Rebel Church of Lucas, and a mercenary Church of Lucas etc.
I could see it now...George's body is created out of stone and displayed infront of the large church in shape of the imperial palace. The church bells sing the opening sequence to the movies at each mass. The large wooden church doors have the Lucasarts logo set in stone, inside the church is a large hall filled with flags fitting for the type of Church Lucas, people dressed up as the crimson guard protect the doors and keep order. Each chair holds a Holy book of Lucas praising Star Wars, and answers to Star Wars questions. After each mass a CCG and Star Wars convention breaks out allowing eachother to trade and share Holy Lucas items with one another.
Schedule for Church of Lucas:
Mondays: 12pm-12am Episode I-II-III worship.
Tuesdays: 5pm-10pm Episode IV worship.
Wednesdays:10am-3pm Episode V worship
Thursdays: 2pm-7pm Episode VI worship.
Fridays: 7pm-12am Lucas Worship, Star Wars Paintbattles (re-enacting the battles)
Saturdays: 8am-1pm Lucas Trivia, and book discussion.
Sundays: 6am-8am, 8:15am-10:15am, 10:30am-12:30pm Holy Lord of Lucas (Mace Windu type) delievers mass to it's worshippers.
Each church has several rooms dedicated to:
1.Playing the Star Wars Games (Jedi Knight, X-wing vs. Tie fighter, Rebellion, Star Wars Galaxies, and Galactic Battlegrounds)with state of the art Computer machines along with a T3 bandwith line with multiple redunancies with large internet providers in the UK. To guarntee you the follower isn't interrupted in your practices.
2.Mos Eisley look alike cantina for relaxation.
3.Dueling room to practice those lightsaber skills, and grow your knowledge with the force.
4. Hotel skyrise for followers to remain on the grounds of the Church.
Oh yes..I could see this as a possibility of becoming reality now that the UK Recognizes Jedi Knights as a religion.
Why not just scrawl in samuri, since kurosawa ( Kurosawa's historical spectacle The Hidden Fortress was credited
by Lucas as an important source for Star Wars) influanced to much of lucas's stuff.
I don't believe george ever said he was building a religion, just some good entertainment.
The beginning of the book of Bokonon states, "All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies."
Seemingly a barb at the falsity of religion there is more than a little wisdom in his caution to not write off religion entirely. "Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either," writes Bokonon.
So, go my children and practice a religion, so long as it does good. Don't sweat the minor details (like the religion's veracity).
Ofcourse, I'll always hold a special place in my heart for Slak.
-Peter
. Penguins Surely Ca
Yes.
In the first released film (A New Hope), Han Solo goes on a bit of rant about it, giving a line about "Ancient weapons and spooky religions are no match for a good blaster at your side" or something very close to that.
"Avast! Prepare for the rodgering!" THWACK! "Arrr.. me nards.."
You can not create a religion that violates the law without a lot of precedent. For example, a group of Indians, I dont recall the tribe, but they are the only group who may use peyote legally. Why? It's their religion, and they've been doing it for hundreds of years. If you had been doing this for many years before the DMCA, and all these laws, you might stand a chance. Otherwise, better just spend your time writing your local representatives.
Linux: Because a PC is a terrible thing to waste.
James Brents
Calvin: Why do you suppose we're here?
Hobbes: Because we walked here.
Calvin: No, no, I mean here on Earth.
Hobbes: Because Earth can support life.
Calvin: No, I mean why are we anywhere? Why do we exist?
Hobbes: Because we were born.
Calvin (angry): Forget it.
Hobbes (angry): I will, thank you.
When a Jedi comes knocking door at my at 11AM to give me a pamphlet and ask me if I've ever used the force, I think I'm going to take them a lot more seriously. That lightsaber really stings!
Luke, I am your Father who art in Dagobah,
Obi-Wan be thy name,
thy Rebel Alliance come,
thy Force be done,
on Endor, as it is on Hoth,
give us this Pod Race,
our Jedi Temple,
and forgive us for forgetting about the Sith,
as we forgive those,
who let the batteries die in their lightsabers
and lead us not into the Empire,
but deliver us from Darth Vader.
Amen... hmmm... Strong is the force in this one... yes...
;-P
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
It's highly relevant under YRO (as this data is held on puters and used by a whole raft of government and quasi-government bodies). Britain leads the US in invasions of privacy and fucked up tech laws (we've had a DMCA since 1988). Anything that happens regarding privacy/censorship/state control in the UK is a good indicator of future behaviour in the US.
Sure, this time around the religion question is voluntary. But by not answering it, all you demonstrate is apathy. By giving a bullshit answer, you send a clear signal that you actively object to it.
The UK census start with the bold statement that (approximate quote) "This data is anonymous, will be used for statistical purposes only, and will not be used to identify you." Then the first question demands to know your name. Do they need to know the statistic of how many people have my name? I don't think so. The presumption is that I will lie on the census, and they need to know who I am so that they can prove this and punish me.
Go ahead and trot out the usual response of "it won't be used against you, stop bitching". If it's not going to be used, then why demand to know it? What purpose does knowing my name serve, other than to identify and punish? I'm not saying that it will be used, but if that's the case, then don't ask.
Similarly, I had to disclose who I work for and where I work. Exactly, not approximately. If this is being used only for traffic planning, why demand to know exactly this? Again, it's probably benign, but it's more information than is needed for the stated purposes.
For these reasons and more, I thoroughly enjoyed fucking with my census. The questions asked do not tally with the reasons given for asking them. I don't enjoy being fed bullshit or treated like an idiot, and so will take every possible opportunity to protest these censii by whatever means I have available. (Yes, I write to my representative regularly, politely and constructively, and just as regularly fail to get any response).
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
This could be the start of something else terrible...
From a followup article about a month later in the same magazine:
"Neither have the Obi-wan Kenobi wannabes thought through the possible
downsides to their plan. What happens if 10,000 Darth Vaders declare themselves
for the 'Dark Side'? Would it be possible for the two churches to live together in
harmony? No chance. It's only a matter of time before some unrepentent Luke
Skywalker ends up tied to a stake on the village green with Darth Maul lighting a
bunch of faggots under him."
Please, use the force carefully regardless of your luminescent or sexual preference.
Census Officer: What's all this then? You've put down bleedin' "Jedi Knight" as religion, you bloody well can't do that. I could give you a whopping big fine for that. Let's see some flippin' identification, mate, or it's off to clink for you faster than you can say "Bob's your uncle."
Jedi: You don't need to see my identification.
Officer: I don't need to see your identification.
Jedi: You can't fine me for anything.
Officer: I can't fine you for anything.
Jedi: I can go about my business.
Officer: You can go about your business.
Jedi: Move along.
Officer: Move along. Move along now.
AC's cheerfully ignored
Of course, once you've put your religion down as Jedi, all other questions can be answered with:
"This is not the information you are looking for"
Fine. Answer in a way that does demonstrate your active objection to the query. Some suggestions, to get you started:
I know, this doctorine may not be as ingrained in UK as it is here. But it isn't as ingrained here as some might like either. That's why you (theoretically) are objecting in the first place.
Get one of THOSE listed on the census form, and see who "votes" for it or accepts it as their religiouis view, then you've made a statement.
Why? It's clearly explained that statistical information is collected to facilitate planning public services. I accept and agree with that, and am happy to volunteer this information and anything else that helps to make everyone's life easier. Heck, I don't even really object to giving detailed information and identifying myself.
What I specifically object to is being lied to about it. The census clearly states that it collects only statistics, but then it obliges me to provide identifiable information, and personally to certify that this information correct, under penalty of law.
By threatening and quantifying punishment for providing misinformation, the message is clear: we can check this information. Probably it never will be checked, but it's the threat of action that gives the lie to the claim of statistical use only. That's quite apart from the distasteful presumption of guilt, and the strange consequence that if this information can be checked, then the census form is extraneous and needn't be completed!
A census absolutely relies on the goodwill of the people. You can threaten dire consequences all you want, but you'll just encourage people to question your motives, and to provide the answers that they think you want to see.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
No eyewitness accounts? I see him at the mall every year, as do millions of others.
Actually the statistics of how many people have a given name is rather interesting and can actually be somewhat useful in a historical sense. Anyone in the SCA knows the usefulness of census data that incorporates names as it gives you the ability to ascertain when a particular name came into common usage. While the government might not exactly have this in mind, it is a valid piece of data.