Luke, I am Your Father

“Luke I am you’re father,” (Darth Vader, 1880). This is one of the most significant and iconic lines in movie making history, particularly for fans of the beloved Star Wars Saga made by George Lucas Inc. But the Jedi’s in the movies and the Jedi’s that follow the quickly emerging religion of Jediism are on two different wave lengths. According to the last Census of the United Kingdom in 2001 nearly four hundred thousand people claimed to follow Jediism. This established Jediism as a religion in the United Kingdom and also helped Jediism become recognized as the fourth largest religion, with more followers than Judaism or Buddhism (Bryan, 2011). Even with so many followers, Jedi’s are being criticized greatly because of the religion that they are following. When being told that someone is a Jedi one’s mind might automatically flash through visions of Darth Vader and lightsaber battles. But what a lot of people are not aware of is that Jediism dates back thousands of years before the Star Wars Saga made it famous.

The earliest records of Jediism start at over five thousand years ago. The basis of the religion comes from a combination of Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Stoicism, Catholicism, Taoism, Shinto, Modern Mysticism, Way of the Shaolin Monks, the Knight’s Code of Chivalry and the Samurai Warriors (Jediism.org). The Jediism that most people follow today is a more modern version. It still incorporates all of the root beliefs but with a few modern twists. Who exactly started Jediism isn’t known and a lot of other information on its early days is very difficult to find. The religion was rather secretive when it first started and therefore records were probably not kept, and those that were kept are most likely hi...

... middle of paper ...

...is is hard to believe.

Works Cited

Kieron, B. (2011, February 26). Jedi-ism, Britain’s fourth-largest religion, is still going strong. The Times.

n.d. Retrieved December 2, 2011, from http://www.jediism.org/#

n.d. Daniel M. Jones—Founder. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http:// www.churchofjediism.org.uk/DanielMJones.html

Daily Mail Reporter. (2009, September 18). Jedi church founder thrown out of Tesco for refusing to remove his hood was left ‘emotionally humiliated’. Mail Online.

Wardrop, M. (2009, September 18). Jedi ejected from Tesco for wearing hood. The Telegraph.

Siegelbaum, D.J. (2008, May 22). ‘Star Wars’ is My Co-Pilot. Times Entertainment.

n.d. Retrieved December 2, 2011, from http://www.templeofthejediorder.org/

(2007, January 12). Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http:// setiishadim.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/21-maxims-of-the-jediism-code/