The Return of the Jedi

The Return of the Jedi

So far this semester, we have studied several different sociological

theories of religion. These theories are built on both the known history of

religions in the world and the cultures in which they originated, as well as,

appropriately enough, theoretical suggestions of how those religions, and indeed

any religion at all, will survive in the future. The theory I find the most true

is Stark and Bainbridge's in The Future of Religion, although I like some

elements from others, like Berger's concepts of reification and secularization.

George Lucas's Star Wars trilogy, apart from being incredibly

entertaining and extremely well-made, gives us a complete portrait of a society

(The Empire) and a religion (Jediism, for lack of a better term). Although the

movies are mostly devoted to the growth of the characters, throughout the

trilogy we see the society change in a drastic manner. This paper will examine

the history of Jediism, the current (as of the end of the last movie) status of

the religion, and offer some suggestions as to what we can expect from Jediism

in the future.

I. The Religion

To examine the future of religion as it relates to society, one must

first have an idea of the tenets and beliefs on which the religion is based.

Jediism is based solely on belief in the "force", a "Universal energy field that

surrounds us and permeates us". (O. Kenobi, SW) Stark and Bainbridge make the

point that any religion based on magic or magic-like rituals is fated to die out

unless the magic can work constantly and consistently. This, they argue, is why

many religions change from promising magic, which is quite verifiable (Did he,

in fact, levitate?) to promising compensators, a sort of unverifiable magic. A

good example of this is the Christian Heaven. Stark and Bainbridge take it as a

given, however, that magic, or abilities that parallel magic, do not, in fact,

exist. This makes an attempt to theorize about the future of Jediism more

difficult, since the religion is based, in part, on the belief that oneness with

the "force" has the ability to confer extraordinary powers to individuals-- a

belief than is vindicated numerous times throughout the series.

The internal organization of the religion is, apparently, entirely

nonexistant. There is no leader, nor is there any defined structure. Much like

classical Taoism, various masters exist, and students and supplicants must seek

out a master on their own in order to learn. There is no hierarchy to advance in,

other than the ability to eventually hone one's faith to a degree that one can