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Canadian Census: 20,000 Jedi Worshippers
Lev13than writes "Canada.com is reporting that some 20,000 Canadians listed "Jedi" as their religion in the last national census (2001). Apparently this is the offshoot of an Internet joke which originated in Australia a few years back. The results are interesting on a couple of levels. While it show that some people may have too much time on their hands, it also raises questions of privacy rights, Internet activism and data integrity. Although it's not statistically significant given Canada's population of 31.5 million, 20,000 lightsabre-wielding census-takers is nothing to sneeze at. StatsCan's full report (with no mention of Jedis) can be found here."
There are about 20,000 single guys who enjoy D&D and star wars in Canada!
--------
Free your mind.
There's not an organized society for the Jedi religion like there is for other larger religions is there???
"Virgin (Y/N)?"
The coolest voice ever.
They worship Jedis? I should become one and become their god!!!
How else can you explain all the Americans who can't figgure out where the heck Canada is! And yes I'm Canadian :)
p.s. This isn't the country you're looking for.
I stole this Sig
And I thought wookies were the minority in Canada!
This is no surprise. Besides drinking beer and watching hockey, what else is there to do in Canada besides using the force?
Besides, the hairy palms insulate against the cold winters.
I think you mean census respondents... census-takers are the people who come to your door asking you to fill out the census form. If one of those folks whipped out a lightsaber on me I think I'd try to do an extra-good job of filling in the little bubbles...
In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
*waves hand* There is nothing to see here. Move along.
if the jedi religion has a god, this kid is it:
. sh tml
http://www.waxy.org/archive/2003/04/29/star_war
(standard disclaimer: IANAL)
I know in the US someone can register for religious recognition if they have something like 100 followers. (i dont know the exact number) The application can be accepted as long as no animal or person is sacrificed or otherwise eliminated as part of the religion's practice. Other requirements probably have to be met, but I do know that religious killings are a no-no.
Canada probably has something similar. Maybe someone should consider institutionalizing the Jedi religion and filing the proper paperwork.
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
Which brings up a question; Should Religion be a question on a national census form?
If people are getting offended by the race question on the U.S. census form, I can just imagine the number of people that are going to get pissed off by a religion question.
---
Mike
I'm going to kick the next person that I see with their karma rating in their sig.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/new_me
The Jedi religion actually originated in New Zealand, but as with everything that is New Zealand, the Australians stole it.
Nonono, you got it all wrong. That's not Jedi, that's WOOKIES!
The force will be with you, always, you hoser!
What's the null hypothsesis?
:Wq
Not an editor command: Wq
Homer: "Marge, anyone could miss Canada. All tucked away down there."
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Is the Gvt of canada now deciding the name one can use to descrbe ones religion? I'm a discordian. It is the best description, and closest philospy that describes my worldview. Are they going to give me a hard time because thats not an approved/accepatable religion?
To put it bluntly, fuck off. You left that part of the form as fill in the blank. If you dont like my answer, maybe you shouldnt be asking the question.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
Nothing like a sucky sequel to weed out the unbelievers.
All of a sudden, I have this vision of a bunch of Christians in ancient Corinth, huddled around the latest of Paul's writings. "Wait, this sucks so much compared to his first letter! That's it, I'm leaving!"
;-)
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Claim: Marking 'Jedi' as your religion on census forms will force your government to grant it official status.
Status: False.
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2001]
As some of you may know there is a census coming around on August the 7th. For those who don't know, a census is where the government collates general information about it's residents (number of people living in your house, religion, etc) If there are enough people in Australia, who put down a religion that isn't mentioned on the census form it becomes a fully recognised and legal religion. It usually takes about 10,000 people to nominate the same religion.
It is for this reason that it has been suggested that anyone who does not have a dominant religion to put "Jedi" as their religion.
Send this on to all your friends and tell them to put down "Jedi" on their census form.
And remember . . . If you are a member of the Jedi religion then you are by default a 'Jedi Knight'.
So If this has been your dream since you were 4 years old . . . Do it cos you love Star Wars, If not . . . then just do it to annoy people.
"May the Force be with you!"
Origins: The 7 August 2001 Australia and 29 April 2001 United Kingdom censuses have afforded pranksters an opportunity to wreak a little mayhem by messing with the official results. E-mailed incitements to list "Jedi" as one's personal religion began appearing in inboxes in March 2001 with the incentive to do so offered as the living out of one's childhood dream of fighting for interstellar justice, light saber in hand.
Truth is, marking down "Jedi" isn't going to change a thing, least of all what officially gets considered a religion. It is not up to the Office of National Statistics to decide such a question. They may be an arm of the government, but it doesn't fall within their province to confer official status (whatever that might be) on a religion any more than it would be up to the Boy Scouts to designate New York City a national wildlife preserve.
The situation for hopeful Jedis in Australia is even more forbidding than it is in the U.K. Not only won't marking "Jedi" in the appropriate box gain official recognition for a non-existent religion, but the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics census program, John Struik, has stated that anyone who falsely provides information on a census faces a $1,000 fine.
Mr. Struik said that a putative religion must demonstrate a formal organizational structure and a belief system to be recognized. "If we get 10,000 Jedis, they will go down as no official religion," he said. They might lose a thousand bucks each as well.
New Zealand weathered a similar Jedi incitement during its 6 March 2001 census. In an e-mail reportedly sent to thousands, Star Wars buffs encouraged New Zealanders to declare their religion as "Jedi", claiming if 8,000 did so it would be officially recognized, along with the others listed: Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem, and Jewish. Once again, wishful thinking met up with cold reality: According to New Zealand census office representative Elizabeth Clements, there is no magic number that will put any religion on the list for official recognition.
So why are people so hot to participate in such a scheme? On the plus side, there's the fleeting joy of tweaking bureaucracy's nose and the possibility of momentarily revisiting childhood fantasies about saving the galaxy from the evil Darth Vader. The other side of the ledger, however, is considerable:
The premise of the call to arms is flawed; there is no official status to be gained. That part was purely the invention of the prankster who wrote the original letter.
Even if there were official status to be gained, none of these governments would be swayed by a number of yahoos writing "Jedi" into a blank space on their census forms. They'd want to see tangible proof of an organized and thriving religion before they handed out the brass ring.
At least in Australia, tho
Speaking of Jedis...
Why do you think we're so damn good at hockey?
This is left as an exercise for the reader.
Hell - people believe in a lot of religions. At least this one has special effects you can actually see ... something other religions fail at miserably. I mean it's all fiction, might as well pick one that comes with a movie.
If I was gonna pick though, I'd want something Romulan. Romulan chicks are hot!
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
They should change Canada's national anthem to the Imperial March. The damned Jedi's would leave then!
Yeah... but it'd be nice for a change to see a census-taker eat someone else's liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
The coolest voice ever.
n/t
I think you mean "...get your head out'j your ass next time you get near a keyboard!"
I find their lack of faith disturbing.
[ducks]
How is it different from any other religion? If it weren't for people telling people what to believe in, I can't imagine in the long run many people would have even remotely similar faiths. I'm plenty of people who have "deep relationships" with Jesus wouldn't have even met the guy if the general public didn't glorify his supposed holiness.
Can you imagine 20,000 Canadians playing with their light sabres.... erh... no, not that sabre...
What this shows is what any mandatory [web] survey shows...
People will fill out a form if you make them fill out a form. If you want actual demographic info with some relation to reality it must be a voluntary form. [and even then there is a self-selection bias, but at least you drop the folks who say they were born in 1804].
.sig Karma out the wazoo, better to spend points elsewhere if this is above 2 or below 0
"While it show that some people may have too much time on their hands..."
Why? Putting Jedi in the blank would be easier than writing other non-four-letter religions... =)
Sometimes I wonder if the Star Wars franchise was intentionally undermined by George Lucas as a way to responsibly curtail the religion that it could never become, in his eyes. The latest two Star Wars movies are by no means the epic they came from, IMHO. Not having released those movies would have just as equally preserved the environment in which this faith is fostered. Only by releasing shoddy Hollywood knockoffs could he effect this sort of disdain.
Being the creator, I am sure that Mr. Lucas would have a very different perspective of the whole franchise than the fans, and I wonder what his view of the most fanatical fans are. I suspect his interpretation is not far from Alec Guinness'.
heh, fat tards with sticks
Mod parent up! +5 Funny.
The fact that this has been modded as "Flamebait" indicates that the truth must be VERY painful indeed. You people, I swear.
In the UK, some 390,000 individuals are followers of the force But as the original Canada.com article notes, the Jedi religion choce may have been a protest agains the government surveying religious preference.
The Australian government caught wind of the people's desire to put Jedi down on the 2001 census, and forbid us from doing so.
I would have put down Jedi, but it might not have made that much of a difference with Australia's population of 18 million.
That would make them Sith, eh? :-P
"Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far
Personal privacy isn't much of a problem with such broad statistics.
There is no personal private information that is traceable to you.
Now if it was possibly traceable, or gave a particular impression. (ie 90% of the 10 men in this room masturbate to anime porn) That could be a personal information, but when it is sufficiently vague as to who the data relates to it is a non issue.
It isn't that this data should be unknown, it is that your data should not be known as yours.
Maybe this just shows that people are tired of nosey, interfering government. Maybe it shows more people understand the value of privacy. Maybe this is one easy way to stick two fingers up and say 'f*ck off'.
Governments are supposed to work for the people, to carry out there orders. Maybe all these Jedi can take as their first jihad the task of teaching governments to get back in their box.
What angers me is that everybody assumes that these people do not actually Worship jedi!
Articles and films already exist regarding this spiritual movement.
Plus, we already admit that other such religions exist:
- Star Trek - Leonard Nimoy Should Eat More Salsa Foundation
- Hicks - Love thy Mullet
- Plastic surgery - Cosmetics for the holy
Anyway...
Davak
that is not a virgin. She may have been drunk and ugly. The "Lucky" Jedi may not have been sure it was even a "she" and it was probably entirely by accident, but I bet there has to be one.
lightsabre-wielding is one of those phrases that became commonplace that shouldn't have.
Its like hearing some little kid calling another kid a dork on nickelodeon even though it means dick.
This is so right! Billions people have the time and imagination to care about religion while they could spend time dealing with facts and fiction. Tho I don't really see how this Jedi religion raises any new questions. On the other hand I'm looking forward to see if they will manage to put up some kind of church in the same scale as most of the Star Wars universe, perhaps something like the death star.
So if as the article claims:
"Statistics Canada didn't report the number of people who responded Jedi in tables listing response rates for other religions, saying that their analysis did not include the "media-driven'' response, in part because the sample was so small. However, statisticians did when asked produce tables showing a much smaller number of Rastafarians, Scientologists and Satanists."
How do they know that 20,000 Canadians declared themselves to be Jedi? Could it be (gasp) just a number that the web site made up so it could write a story about the NZ and UK census returns?
Sailing over the event horizon
like Oprahism?
Anyone remember the Star Trek religion on futurama? All the worshippers were killed by being tossed into volcanoes, the method most befitting virgins.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
not everybody up here got the "detailed" questionaire that you could enter your religion in.
;)
which may be mentioned in the article, but it's kinda a rule that you can't read the article if you're gonna post.
It actually "originated" in New Zealand, in the March 2001 census (cf August in Australia)... I remember cause I did it myself in the NZ census which was the first in the world dangit.
Though I hear the actual email which started the whole thing may have come from the UK, not sure which.
This is Russell Crowe all over again.. when he's winning oscars he's an Australian... but when he's getting totally pissed and trying (and failing) to beat the crap out of some guy he's a Kiwi... *Sigh*
Regards,
A disgruntled New Zealander
A few years ago, BEFORE the Episode 1 came out, we named our soccer team "The Jedi". I played fullback and during one game I was having a particularly easy time thwarting the the opposing teams attempts to get by me. Finally one play I miscalculated and a player with the ball slipped by me and started to rush up the field, about 2 seconds after he got by he collapsed with a leg cramp and had to roll himself off the field. For the rest of the season my team was convinced I had used The Force :)
I stole this Sig
When I first read about this phenomonon, I thought it sounded familiar to something some prankster did many years ago. Now, in this Age of Google, I have found the original article.
The article deals with the propogation of "memes" -- infectious ideas that take on a life of their own (e.g. "All your base..."). It discusses in particular how the author faced what he thought was a rather impudent question on his college admission form -- asking for his religion -- and, with his cheeky response, inadvertently started a meme. It also discusses how the meme was extinguished by the college administration.
The religious meme thing is about one-third of the way down, but I recommend reading the whole article. It's a good read.
Schwab
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
If I was gonna pick though, I'd want something Romulan. Romulan chicks are hot!
I'd pick any starfleet ship counselor anytime. According to Ricker (both of them), they're easy to come by. Just raise an eyebrow and it's corresponding shoulder and do the jazzy walk...
Most other religions are old enough that (to paraphrase Bismark) we haven't had to see them made. The more recent religions are widely derided in large part because we have contemporary accounts of their genesis and the fact that their leaders were demonstrably cranks and frauds. Very old religions do not suffer from this impediment. However it is not impossible to have a deep personal relationship with an entity one does not have apriori knowledge of, just look at your friends.
And I, as Lord High Potentiate of the Lightest Sabre, and a leader of The Worshipers of Jedi Known As Bob, claim all kinds of tax breaks for my self, my priestess, the church which happens to be my house, my dog (who is strong with the farts, er, make that the force), my car, my ...
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
Does a religion have to be aproved by your government for you to believe in it?
Personally I want to see the return of greek gods and those cool pegan rituals. If people want to believe in Jedi that should be OK, I don't see how you can have freedom of religion, democracy etc if you ban some beliefs, even if they did originate from a series of stories... oh wait, the whole christ thing... where is the solid proof that we are not victims of a really ancient joke????
Shouldn't that be:
"Bloody whinging Kiwi" ? :-)
Starship counselors are OK, but first season security officers who come back to life as romulans are WAY hotter! ;-)
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
16% of Canadians have "no religion", from 12% in the 1991 census. That's nearly 5 million people in a country of 30 million. Europe and the U.K. have similar makeups. B.C. leads Canada in the "no religion" category at 35% and it is also the largest religious group in the Province.
Also quite interesting was the shift from mainstream Protestantism to groups such as "born again" and "evangelical christian" (121% increase)and perhaps "no religion" (43% increase) or the eastern religions (roughly 85% increase). Not sure if that indicates an ideological shift or one of identity with respect to "christian". Certainly the rise in Muslin, Sikh, etc. practice can be traced to immigration, Canada has experienced enourmous diversity since the 1991 census.
I tried to find similar information on the U.S. Census website, but was unable.
Now, we get to the bottom of a comment where Slashdotters rarely spend time. This is where the real meat and potatoes of many comments are made. Not is this case. I am taking this space to talk of my collection of women's undergarments. Why was this not included on the census form? Surely there are large numbers of lingerie collecting atheist computer geeks out there, how could this be overlooked?
When Mel Gibson is kicking butt artistically; he's Australian, but when he's making ho-humm action films; he's described as a Statesider (American) from Peekskill, NY, USA.
I mean really, I thought that Star Wars Episode II was very good. The only problem was Jar Jar appeared for a little but at least he was calmed down quick.
The weapons were cool, the clone factory was cool, the fights were cool so why all the h8?
In Canada, the census is taken by locally appointed representatives from the community... that's right, your neighbour will see the original form with every personal detail on it... like your individual incomes, religion, and other personal information.
When my house was selected, the woman collecting the forms lived all of 100 ft away. Privacy my ass. Oh, and you are required by law to fill out the form. You can't abstain.
Do or do not, eh.
Religion started by the creation of a SciFi writer/creator.
Canadian Jedi's
Scientology
hmmmm....
ScottKin
I don't give a rat's behind about "karma" here or anywhere else. Don't like what I have to say here? Deal with it!
If it were *just* about people's inner beliefs, about pure spirtuality/religion, nobody would care.
However, religion is a powerful social force, and defines groups of people who stick together, help each other, in business, vote as a block sometimes, etc. IT's a way of breaking down society that enough peopl throughout history see as defining enough to start WARS over.
So the philosophical rhetoric aside, knowing how many catholics, muslims, protestants, etc. is more than summing up someon'es belief. You can't tell me everyoen who put "catholic" down believes every word the catholic church told them, and therefore, falls into the exact same spiritual beliefs.. it just means "yeah I consider myself a catholic"
Some, maybe alot, are sincere. The rest put "Jedi" because there's no checkmark for "bugger off".
They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
Only 31 Million? Hell we (Michigan) can take em :D
Of course since we have a Canadian governor, I wonder if we won't be going the other way...
It's actually because we don't fucking care. On our maps Canada is usually listed as "Southeast Alaska."
Aw, don't cry, I'm just kidding. One of my best friends is a dirty Canuck. Eh?
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
The text of the first page...
Jediism is not the same as that which is portrayed within the Star Wars Saga by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. George Lucas' Jedi(TM) are fictional characters that exist within a literary and cinematic universe. The Jedi(TM) discussed within this website refer to factual people within this world that live or lived their lives according to Jediism, of which we recognize and work together as a community to both cultivate and celebrate. Jedi(TM) Apprentices, Knights, Commanders, Scholars, Masters, Scribes and High Councilors embrace Jediism as a real living, breathing religion, and sincerely strive to seek out and emulate real life examples of Jediism in the long rich history of mankind. Jediism bases less of its focus on myth and fiction, and more upon those real life examples of Jediism.
The history of the path of Jediism traverses thought which is well over 5,000 years old. It shares many themes embraced in Hinduism, Confucionism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Stoicism, Catholicism, Taoism, Shinto, Modern Mysticism, the Way of the Shaolin Monks, the Knight's Code of Chivalry and the Samurai Warriors. We recognize that many times the answers to mankind's problems comes from within the purified hearts of genuine seekers of truth. Theology, philosophy and religious doctrine can facilitate this process, but we believe that it would be a futile exercise for any belief system to claim to hold all the answers to all the serious questions posed to seekers of truth in the 21st century. Jediism may help facilitate this process, yet we also acknowledge that it is up to the true believer who applies the universal truths inherent within Jediism to find the answers they seek.
Anyway, check it out for yourself.
Yeah, man. I mean this almost sold me on Christianity! All that lamb's blood freaked me out, though.
A pilot, in those days, was the only unfettered and entirely independent human being that lived in the earth.-Mark Twain
Is it at all weird that I know who your talking about?
Please tell me no, I still have hopes of getting laid, or even married some day.
From the same episode of futurama.
"And a voice was screaming: 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'" - HST
Charlton Heston, as Moses in the 10 Commandments. That bit where he parts the red sea is pretty damn spetacular. Definatly on par with yoda i'd say.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
...is that there's people stupid enough to actually do it!
Not to mention that there's also people stupid enough to feel the need to clarify they exist.
it's illegal to make a false statement on the census. Jedi is NOT a registered religion
And it's never gonna be, with that attitude, Mister!
I submitted this story 5 fucking hours ago. Congrats Slashdot editors, great consistency. Moderators are just as fucked lately, every goddamn comment I make gets modded down, regardless of what I say. Fuck this site.
The Jedi religion didn't come from New Zealand. It began a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
Can you blame us? Have you tried distinguishing yourselves from Australia lately? Heck, it seems that there are more differences between Canucks and Yanks than between Aussies and Kiwis.
Why don't you start with getting a new flag? Perhaps one that doesn't look like a carbon-copy of the Australian one?
Did you ring?
I release my past, negatives, human relations, and inner self into the Light.
I am a Light being.
I radiate the Light from my Light center throughout my being.
I radiate the Light from my Light center to everyone.
I radiate the Light from my Light center to everything.
I am in a Bubble of Light, and only Light can come to me, and only Light can be here.
I thank the Light for everyone, everything and for me.
This is the Jedi meditation "motto". If larger religions where such peacefull, everything would be more peacefull.
Jediism is talking about the Light.. most other "religions" and "stuff" are based on death... I prefer to put myself onto the light than onto the death.
- LastCall_
Well, there is hope for you ... unless you know off the top of your head just which season it was in which she returned from the dead.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
To those NZ sheep who think otherwise, the original emails came from Australia, it just happened that New Zealand and the UK had their census before Australia.
Most of the 20,000 jedi 'worshippers' you might happen to notice, reside in British Columbia. This is because a local morning show on the radio, Larry and Willy on CFOX, asked their listeners to fill out the jedi option on the census when it came around if they happened to get one of the extended forms.
They thought at the time that if they got 10,000 people the government was legally obliged to recongize it as a real religion. Turns out its not true but this years results show the power of a pair of funny as hell radio hosts!
Didn't you see the ten commandments. Great special effects.
You mean the jello that's supposed to be the red sea.
I was ten when episode VI came out. The Jedi Knights and "The Force" were to me the most interesting part of "The Saga."
...I knew then and there that there is no god!!!
If any spiritual belief system ever appealed to me it was "The Force". The idea that there is a Force that runs through all life and the universe itself is very attractive to me.
However, when I found out in Episode One that "The Force" is a bunch of bugs in your blood...
... if you live in Detroit. Go due south from there and the first foreign (from Detroit's perspective) country you hit is Canada.
I live in Canada, and it is a little known fact (even among Canadians) that failing to answer a Stats Can survey can net you a lengthy jail term. Don't believe me?
From the statistics act: http://www.statcan.ca/english/about/statact.htm
False or unlawful information
31. Every person who, without lawful excuse,
(a) refuses or neglects to answer, or wilfully answers falsely, any question requisite for obtaining any information sought in respect of the objects of this Act or pertinent thereto that has been asked of him by any person employed or deemed to be employed under this Act, or
(b) refuses or neglects to furnish any information or to fill in to the best of his knowledge and belief any schedule or form that the person has been required to fill in, and to return the same when and as required of him pursuant to this Act, or knowingly gives false or misleading information or practises any other deception thereunder
is, for every refusal or neglect, or false answer or deception, guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both. 1970-71-72, c. 15, s. 29.
I think this was a subtle form of protest. You should see the stuff I told them the last time they chose me. My NYT mandatory registration lists me as a 13 year old lawyer from Afghanistan who makes USD $150,000 a year. Let's see what the marketing Noobs make of that one, LOL... And I resent the government doing this sort of thing even more. BTW, even though they don't identify individuals, localized statistical data is available right down to your postal code, which is a tax subsidized godsend to direct marketing agencies.
My rights don't need management.
There are no famous people from New Zealand. Once somebody starts doing something note worthy, they're instantly adopted by Australia.
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
England reports 390,000
7
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=29
1. There's more freaky people with no life in Australia.
2. Australians are more likely to take the piss out of something they think is stupid or pointless.
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
I think that the actual number of non-religious Canadians is far higher than 16%. People tend to put down the religion of their forefathers, but that doesn't mean that they subscribe to it. The next census will be probably be more accurate, as people get used to admitting that they are agnostics. In my experience, the true number of agnostics is at least 50% and probably much higher.
Star Wars! Nothing but Star Wars! Nothing but Star Wars! All of the time!
(To the tune of the Star Wars theme song)
We substituted the coffee Slashdot normally drinks with "Sandoz Crystals", Lets see if they notice the difference
I live in Burnaby (a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia). I think it's well known across North America that approx. 80% of the population of BC have tried pot at least once in their lives.
I'm 32. I first tried pot when I was 8. (Everyone was talking about it but wouldn't tell me what it was so I looked it up in an encyclopedia & the reference books it listed. My research continued from there)
At 14 I 'founded' the Loyal Order of Red-Eye Knights.
We stand for Truth, Honour, and Courage (THC). Peace through the power of the Plant.
Your rise in the order is governed by the following:
First tried-4 years - beginner
4-8 years - Apprentice
8-16 years - Junior Knight
16-32 years - Full Knight
32 years and on - Member of the High Council
(This is based on you being a regular smoker (IE: at least once a week)
This Order could be seen as a religion because it is our belief that marijuana (and hemp) is one of the more benifical plants.
You get more paper and better quality products using hemp over wood. The medical benefits are finally coming to light after years lies and misinformation propagated individuals who were more concerned with their self-image and bank accounts than the actual truth.
For many, many years pot-smokers have been persecuted, incarcerated, descriminated against and forced into 're-education'.
If you replace 'pot-smokers' with pretty much any religious denomination the statement remains true.
The GEEK shall inherit the earth...
Alright, who will be the first one to dismiss something in Canada using the phrase:
/. post that mentions Canada. :-)
"but they're socialist."
It's what I look for in any
Ex:
*Something*Something*Something, I really like/I could move to/the right idea, but they're socialist.
Wiwi
"I trust in my abilities,
but I want more then they offer"
I was listening to the radio the other day with a commentary by a radio host. He was referring to the fact that in this country, minority groups seem to have more rights and privledges then the rest of us. Examples that come to mind are the french. They are a big minority in Canada now ( think Chinese is now the second most populous language spoken here now), yet everything has to be labelled to satisfy french speakers. Native Americans have tax breaks, and so on.
If I was one of the Jedi religion (which I admit I labelled my religion as "none of your business") I would start making as much noise as these other minoity groups. At the very least you can get laws made to wear your uniform and a lightsaber to work.
according to other StatsCan data. That is about right in my experience. Most Canadians are happily agnostic and when asked about their faith, may indicate that they are of Christian descent, which doesn't mean that they are in fact Christian, but is rather a way to indicate that they are not Hindu or Muslim or whatever.
In 2006 there will be over a million Americans that declare themselves Zionites, or Matricists, after nations have soaked up the meanings of the beautiful trilogy that we are about to witness.
OK, I'm late enough that probably no one will see this comment, let alone mod it up, but what the heck ...
...
In the Star Wars movies, the method for becoming a Jedi was to meet one and train under him (or her?). How does anyone outside of the movies do this? Have you ever met an actual Jedi Master?
I am both a disciple and a teacher in one of the traditions Lucas imitated when he wrote ANH. For the record, Kadampa Buddhism, which was practiced in Tibet until recently. If someone comes up to me and tells me they are a Kadampa, but they have never met a Kadampa before and have never received teachings directly, I know they are mistaken. This is a tradition that must be passed on person-to-person. I always thought Jedi was too.
Or maybe I'm just taking this way too seriously
Wangden
-- "You're not fooling me, young man - it's turtles all the way down!"
"Although it's not statistically significant given Canada's population of 31.5 million, 20,000 lightsabre-wielding census-takers is nothing to sneeze at."
Is this what happens when a socialist-leaning country enforces its gun control laws? Whatever happened to the simple lead pipe, or switchblade, or what have you?
Now I shall be forced to watch Canadian Bacon yet again. Alas, John Candy!
Funny. I'm probably closer to anything remotely resembling a Jedi than ninety-nine percent of those fools. The Jedi are just pretend samurai; I study the real thing. Eishin iaijutsu (iaido).
P.S. British Columbia is overrun with crazies. No surprise there.
- IP
Um, no. It started in New Zealand, where all good Australian ideas (and Storm Troopers) come from.
Have you seen pictures of Oz? Does it look like Yoda's place? No? Didn't think so.
And he is one of them:
;) No bad feelings involved.
:)
Star Wars Kid
Disclaimer: I am Canadian too. The guy is a "friend" of my brother in law. I'm posting this here for humorous reasons only (that makes sense?
Now laugh on.
(PS. I checked "No Karma Bonus" so moderate this post any way you see fit, I just don't want to gain Karma at the expense of this guy. I personnaly don't think it's off-topic.)
cause canadian's have the same members of government as the US does.
Let me guess, you're american.
it wasn't john ashcroft, it was Priminister Poutine.
This story sounds so familiar... thought it was a dupe, but it's another story of the same things happenning all over the world:
::shrug::
I'm anywhere from 11 to 80 years of age, with my birthday falling between Jan 1 and Dec 30, and tend to make over $100,000 every year as an unemployed home maker that specializes in a technical career field. I am of multiple genders, races, and religions. I always live at 1234 Somewhere Ave. My phone number is 911-123-4567 feel free to call day or night. Now of course if it's for something important like pre-ordering Star Wars Galaxies (ok so I'm a nerd get over it), I tend to be honest enough with my info to get my credit card approved, but nothing more.
Those Canadians just don't understand it. It's not the Jedi who should be worshipped it's the Sith.
Darth Sidious we're not worthy, we're not worthy.
You Canadians you're all alike. With your beady litle eyes and flappering heads.
20,000 jedhi worshippers = 20,000 Slashdot geeks.
The irony here being the US administration is planning to build a large "missle defence shield"
dun dun du-duunn dun duh-dun dun duh-duuuunnn
Birds...the Romulans have birds, not chicks
er, i'm a Miss (not a Ms or Mr). Sorry to ruin your day :-P
dought .. Korea has them and their problem ISN'T religious fanatacisim.
I don't ask you to be me. I only ask you not expect me to be you.
"Ms" includes both "Miss" and "Mrs", and is applicable regardless of marital status, although courtesy requires that you respect someones wish to be addressed as either "Miss" or "Mrs".
By the way, don't you think slashdot might be the wrong place to go pointing out your unmarried status?
Stumbling in the dark
I hear slavering of jaws
Eaten by a grue.
Oh yeah....We will change our flag, with great delight. It will be a picture of a big slice of pavlova....With cream, strawberries, kiwifruit and all! :P
I thought I mailed it to a center somewhere.
But my form was VERY basic.
"While it show that some people may have too much time on their hands, it also raises questions of privacy rights, Internet activism and data integrity."
That it does, and personally I promoted the idea amongst my peers in the UK because we already answer a whole raft of questions for demographics under the threat of a whopping fine for fibbing.
The cute thing is that our political structure has mutated into something that consists of a large amount of mediocrity, and the assumption that the people will do as they're told and supply, without question, any and all information requested.
Nu-huh
Although recent studies have suggested that people will give away things like their passwords at the drop of the hat. The register did a story on the piss-poor attitude towards social engineering in this country.
We also occasionally swap customer loyalty cards as a method of 'tainting' the marketing information that stores collect, partly out of sheer schadenfreude and partly because if this trend continues, choice will be honed to a fine needle-point of majority acceptance.
The main point behind the Jedi thing was apart from anything else, it showed the power of a large majority of people working together.
Oddly Drac (Peoples front of Jedi)
Oddly Draconis
Too cynical to live, too stubborn to die.
Even when 900,000 you reach, look as God you will not. ("Sir, I'm going to need that pen back" "Mine! Or I will help you not.")
B.C. leads Canada in the "no religion" category at 35% and it is also the largest religious group in the Province.
...hmmm, bad example, but you know what I mean.
Not to be picky, but how can "no religion" be a religion group? It could be the highest response to the religion question.
It's like saying that Microsoft, the worlds largest software maker, does not make software.
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
how they could prove that an individual who puts Jedi on the form does not believe in the faith, and hence lied, and should be fined? Sure it might not be a 'recognised' religion but authorities can't prove that it is not a religion, any less than they can prove other religions actually are real!
The most significant element of this release, and the greatest hope I have for my country, is that the people who report "no-religion" exploded from 12% to 16%, making "no-religion" the 2nd largest group (RC was mid40s).
see here for a synopsis @ statcan
http://www.jediism.org/
I suppose that makes them legit.
Republicans are idiots.
That my religious affiliation was "Elbonian". Alternatively, you could say you're Izzian or Izbian.
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
x
Ice Phreak1,
Nice name.
I must say, that my money would be on any good Scot with a golf club (substituting for a claymore) in hand would leave a Samurai balls-less in a murderous contest for two. Scots are not a fancy folk, but they will competently use any tool in hand to finish a job appropriately. Also, a good Scot will always have a Scottish Bushido heart.
I hope to here, in the future fusion music, compositions for tyco drums and bagpipes for our folks around the world.
Have Fun
OldHawk777
Reality is a self-induced hallucination.
Unaccountable leaders are masters, and unrepresented people are slaves. How do US and EU fare?
I realize this was a whole Imperial reference (to the movie) but I'm sort of irked at the general attitude. And religion doesn't often come up to bat on /. so I'll take my offtopic moderation if so necessary for a few peole to read.
I haven't posted in so long, my sig is out of date.
20,000 lightsabre-wielding census-takers is nothing to sneeze at.
Yes. Yes it is.
Wank it at SmoothPorn.
When I saw "Sikh" listed in the Top 10 tables, I thought it said "Sith"
bp
Just like using Snoopy as a presidential write-in, this will be the "protest" answer in the future.
What should be the real issue is if some "Jedi Temple" gets a 501C3, which would give them tax-exempt status in the US for "religious" companies.
I say company because any "church" with one is a COMPANY, not a RELIGIOUS GROUP. Any group that would agree to be monitored in their speech just for a few extra dollars is no more than a company wanting to get every last cent from their "customers".
Everyone knows the Jedi religion was from long, long ago and far, far away. If that isn't prior art, what is?
Never confuse volume with power.
The above site has some thoughts I've been putting to paper (or screen) over the last few years. I doubt Lucas could sue a 'Force' religion (tho possibly Jedi) because 'force' is just a word like 586 is a word...
The above site has some thoughts I've been putting to paper (or screen) over the last few years. I doubt Lucas could sue a 'Force' religion (tho possibly Jedi) because 'force' is just a word like 586 is a word...
Not-For-Profit basically means that there can be no retained earnings. A regular For-Profit business can have retained earnings or losses at the end of a year, which sould be the source of dividens, etc. Non-Profits must distribute all their earnings, presumably to the beneficiaries of their charity, although it often seems to be more towards their executives...
Whoever said that never saw the price on convention merchandise.
It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
...where's the (Score: -1) Bad Pun when you need it?
I believe you're thinking of Metamucil.
maybe more than that in USA ?
followed by much heavy breathing
This is not the sig line you are looking for... -- Old Jedi Sig Line Trick
Anyone else have the Fight Club soundtrack? Isn't this drivel a cousin to that preceding Brad Pitt's rap at the end of the CD?
"You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.
"You are the same decaying bits in a Lucasfilm renderfarm as the rest of us.
"You are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the galaxy.
"You are not the speederbike you fly.
"You are not the brown robes you wear.
"You are not the temple where you are trained.
"You are not your seeker ball.
"You are NOT your FUCKING LIGHTSABER!"
Conspir8or
There is a definite strain of mystical, almost Gnostic sensibility...
Gnostic? Is there a KDE alternative to that? Kostic perhaps?
But we have all the little fur hats we can handle already. Eh.
I mean sure, I'm with you 100%, and on Slashdot I'll show a little solidarity (except I'll post as A/C), but if you think I'm gonna tell the government that, you're insane! (Besides, they gave me the short census form. =)
May the force be with you, eh.
There is no error, but Emperror
And Darth Vader is his profit.
If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
I agree that it sounds fairly goofy that people are claiming to follow the Jedi 'religion'. But I've thought that it's possible that other, mainstream, religions may have started in similar ways.
Look at the Greek 'myths'; they're really good stories. Maybe they started purely as stories, and that it was only over several generations that people started to accept them as real.
relax.
We have really good weed up here. They were just joking around. Must have been that Jedi bud going around last census time.....
Like Weed tea?
The truth about Led Zep should never be told on
Getting married will kill your sexlife 9 times out of 10. The one guy is the lucky bastard :)
Hey, my parents were married when I was conceived!
"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys" P. J. O'Rourke
The Jedi religion didn't come from New Zealand. It began a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
Where do you think New Zealand *is*?
Ummm... maybe you should read up on history a bit. Jesus was executed for being a rebel-rouser, the taxes were not collected for the 'state gods.'
"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys" P. J. O'Rourke
Yes Yoda is a little green pimp.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Admit it: you just like the pointy ears and the dominatrix outfits. :)
"But I can't get an ocean that's deep enough for my day..." ~The Frames, "Fitzcarraldo"
Ever heard of kosher food? Creating kosher meat is a part of judaism. There was also a test case in Florida several years ago for practictioners of Santeria, a religion with the same roots as Voodoo, and animals are killed as part of it. (And more humanely than they ever would be in a processing plant too!) Local kosher butchers came in on the side of the Santeros, otherwise their own practices could have people fooling with them. The Supreme Court ruled that animal sacrifice is protected under the first amendment.
O~ Him that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green. -- Francis Bacon
Um, I mean Yoda...
Umm... I had never really thought about it this way until my Roman history professor brought it up in class. I think he has read plenty of history, at least a lot more than either of us I should think. He does have a doctorate after all.
Taz I like. But how dare they make the kiwi yellow! They're as bad as Taito (with The New Zealand Story). Everyone knows Kiwis are brown, have a huge beak, don't fly, are nocturnal and lay huge eggs for their size. They do not look like yellow chicks!
is the corner stone of MANY of the "major religions."
The Catholic church is (subject to current pedophile lawsuits) the largest open, tax free business in the US with all the property they own and the non-religion related use of their properties. The courts are just afraid to get involved. ie, the church buys an apartment builing in NYC, rents out the storefronts and apartments and then takes in the rent. The tenants, many of whom are NOT Catholic, carry on their lives in a 'tax exempt' building because of the owner, not its proper use under the tax law.
I did it as a form of protest, not so much against the census itself but against the notion that some religions are more "valid" than others. I await some idiot government lawyer's attempt to "prove" that the Jedi religion is somehow not legitimate, while other religions are.
What makes a religion "legitimate?" Numbers of followers? We've got that. Supernatural beliefs? We've got that. Scriptures? We've got that; a whole bunch of films. Unless a religion needs a history of oppressing others in order to be considered "legitimate", there's really no valid criteria for declaring, say, Catholicism any more of a "valid" religion than Jedi.
He does have a doctorate after all. :-) After all, I can walk over the the Religious Studies department at the (state) college I work for and find at least 2 of my old professors who would disagree (2 doctorates against 1!)
I've learned from my time in college is just because someone has a doctorate doesen't mean he knows what he's talking about all the time.
"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys" P. J. O'Rourke