Citizendia

The Jedi census phenomenon is a grassroots movement that was created in 2001 for citizens in a few English-speaking countries to record their religion as "Jedi" or "Jedi Knight" (after the fictitious quasi-religious order of Force-attuned knights in the Star Wars universe) on the national census. For other meanings see Grass roots (disambiguation. A grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a Political movement The word Anglosphere describes a concept of a group of Anglophone ( English -speaking nations which share historical political and cultural characteristics rooted A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The Jedi are members of a fictional monastic order in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy, created by George The Force is one of the main concepts in the fictional Star Wars universe, created by George Lucas. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with unique background elements such as an imaginary history or geography and possibly fantasy or science A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population Australian Star Wars Appreciation Society president Chris Brennan reported to The New Zealand Herald that while a minority were "true hard-core people that would believe the Jedi religion carte blanche", the majority of self-reported Jedi claimed the religion for their own amusement, or to poke fun at the government. The New Zealand Herald is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand. A blank cheque ( blank check, carte blanche) in the literal sense is a Cheque that has no numerical value written in but is already signed [1] Other news reports also interpreted the exercise as a massive practical joke. A practical joke or prank is a stunt or trick to purposely make someone feel foolish or victimized usually for humor

At least one real church based on the Jedi religion exists. In 2007, two brothers Barney Jones and Daniel Jones, set up a Jedi church in Holyhead, Anglesey that had thirty members. Holyhead ( IPA /ˈhɒlihɛd/ Welsh: Caergybi, "the fort of Saint Cybi " is the largest town in the county of History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory It was based on improving life using the Jedi principles. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] [18][19][20]

Contents

Origins

The campaign was loosely organized by circulating e-mails claiming that if enough people entered "Jedi", it would be recognized as an official religion by the government. Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email, or originally eMail, is a Store-and-forward method of writing sending receiving The emails also implored people to report their religion as "Jedi", "because you love Star Wars" or "just to annoy people".

Impact

Australia

In Australia more than 70,000 people declared themselves members of the Jedi order in the 2001 census. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Australian Bureau of Statistics issued an official press release[21] in response to media interest on the subject. The Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS) is Australia 's national statistical agency. The ABS announced that any answers that were Jedi-related in the religion question were to be classified as 'not defined' and stressed the social impact of making misleading or false statements on the census. However, an ABS spokesperson said that "further analysis of census responses has been undertaken since the release of census data on June 17 to separately identify the number of Jedi-related responses". [22]

It is believed that there is no numerical value that determines a religion per definition of the ABS, but there would need to be a belief system or philosophy as well as some form of institutional or organisational structure in place. [23][24]

In the lead-up to the 2006 census, there were some reports of the ABS hinting (without humour) that writing Jedi on the 2006 census could lead to a fine for providing 'false or misleading' information. This is despite previous admissions that they were 'fairly relaxed' about the issue in 2001 and that nobody had been prosecuted in at least 15 years. [25]

New Zealand

Over 53,000 people listed themselves as Jedi in New Zealand's 2001 census. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island New Zealand had the highest per capita population of reported Jedi in the world that year, with 1. 5 percent marking "Jedi" as their religion. Also, the city of Dunedin had the highest population of reported Jedi per capita. Dunedin (dəˈneɪdɪn) Ōtepoti in Maori is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of [26] Statistics New Zealand treated Jedi responses as "Answer understood, but will not be counted". Statistics New Zealand (In Māori, Te Tari Tatau) is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which is responsible for the country's official However, if Jedi were counted it would have been the second largest religion in New Zealand. The percentages of religious affiliations were:

There was a dramatic fall in the number of New Zealand Jedi five years later, with some 20,000 people giving this as their religion in the 2006 census. [27]

Canada

In the Canada 2001 Census, some 20,000 people reported their religion as Jedi. The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population [28]

England and Wales

In England and Wales 390,127 people (0. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland 7 percent) stated their religion as Jedi on their 2001 Census forms, surpassing Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism, and making it the fourth largest reported religion in the country. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The highest percentages of such responses were typically in cities with high student populations. [29] In the 2001 Census 2. 6 percent of the population of Brighton claimed to be Jedi. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. The percentages of religious affiliations were:

It was confirmed prior to the census that citizens were not liable for a fine in relation to question 10 (on religion). [30] This was based on section 1(2) of the Census (Amendment) Act 2000,[31] which amended section 8 of the Census Act 2000 to state that "no person shall be liable to a penalty under subsection (1) for refusing or neglecting to state any particulars in respect of religion". The Census (Amendment Act 2000 (2000 c 24 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The change in the law was implemented by The Census (Amendment) Order 2000[32] and The Census (Amendment) Regulations 2000. [33]

Jedi was assigned its own code in the United Kingdom for census processing, the number 896. [34] Officials from the Office for National Statistics pointed out that this merely means that it has been registered as a common answer to the "religion" question. The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly John Pullinger (Director of Reporting and Analysis for the Census) noted that many people who would otherwise not have completed a Census form did so solely to record themselves as Jedi, so this joke helped to improve the quality of the Census.

Politicians continue to refer to the phenomenon. In June 2005, Jamie Reed, newly-elected Labour Member of Parliament for Copeland in Cumbria, declared himself to be the first Jedi Member of Parliament during his maiden speech. 2005: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October Jamieson Ronald Reed (born March 14, 1973) is the Labour Member of Parliament for the UK constituency of Copeland, elected The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Copeland is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly- elected members of a Legislature or Parliament. [35] The statement, made in the context of an ongoing debate regarding the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill, was confirmed by Reed's office to be a joke instead of a serious statement of faith. Nevertheless, during a subsequent Committee debate on the Bill, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield, Dominic Grieve, sought to exclude Jedi Knights explicitly from the protection of the proposed Act. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve (born 24 May 1956) is a British Politician and Barrister. [36] Similarly, in April 2006, Edward Leigh, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Gainsborough, asked whether he would be allowed to set up a Jedi knights faith school during a Committee debate on the Education and Inspections Bill. Stories without links will be removed'. News stories must be in English Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a UK Politician. Gainsborough is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. [37]

On November 16, 2006, two self-proclaimed Jedi delivered a protest letter to UN officials in recognition of the International Day for Tolerance. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The International Day for Tolerance is an annual observance declared by UNESCO in 1995 to generate public awareness of the dangers of Intolerance. They requested that it be renamed the "UN Interstellar Day of Tolerance" and cited the 2001 Census showing 390,000 Jedi in England and Wales. [38]

In 2007, two brothers Barney Jones and Daniel Jones, set up a Jedi church in Holyhead, Anglesey that had thirty members. Holyhead ( IPA /ˈhɒlihɛd/ Welsh: Caergybi, "the fort of Saint Cybi " is the largest town in the county of History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory It was based on improving life using the Jedi principles. An attack on one of the founders on March 25, 2008, attracted coverage in the popular press. [3]

Scotland

In Scotland 14,052 people stated that Jedi was their current religion (14,014 "Jedi", 24 "Jedi Other" and 14 "Sith") and 2,733 stated that it was their religion of upbringing (2,682 "Jedi", 36 "Jedi Other" and 15 "The Dark Side"). Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. [39]

The proportion of people stating their religion as Jedi in Scotland was slightly lower than that in England and Wales, at 0. 277%, but this still made it the third largest reported religion in Scotland. [40]

This may have been influenced by the fact that in Scotland it was indicated on the 2001 Census form that answering questions 13 and 14 (on religion) was voluntary but, in contrast to the position in England, that those providing false information could still be liable to a fine. [41] That difference was despite the fact that the Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2000[42] made exactly the same amendments to the Census Act 1920 as its English counterpart. The change in the law was implemented by The Census (Scotland) Amendment Order 2000[43] and The Census (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2000. [44]

Related movements

For the Australian census of 2006 there was a movement for people to list their religion as 'Pastafarian', a reference to the parody religion worshipping the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The Australian census is administered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics every five years The Flying Spaghetti Monster (also known as the FSM) is the Deity of a A parody religion or mock religion is either a Parody of a Religion, Sect or Cult, or a relatively unserious religion that many The Flying Spaghetti Monster (also known as the FSM) is the Deity of a [45]

Notes and references

  1. ^ Perrott, Alan (2002-08-31). Jedi Order lures 53,000 disciples. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved on 2006-04-05. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop
  2. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_fe_st/odd_britain_vader_raider;_ylt=AgWNiFTzqzC56nAEcIGBWLoDW7o
  3. ^ a b http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weirdworld/2008/05/13/video-drunk-darth-vader-escapes-jail-for-jedi-assault-89520-20416824/
  4. ^ http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3699007.ece
  5. ^ http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gHymZSENKEL7HTzts2-yl6CXRhpw
  6. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1952872/Darth-Vader-spared-jail-for-lightsaber-attack.html
  7. ^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5guuJSJjnKnziggp5XSMeRWMTpzggD90L3MLG0
  8. ^ http://www.tampabay.com/news/article504868.ece
  9. ^ http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/commentary/content/the!+biggest!+news!+of!+the!+day!+-+not+macys+inc+ebay+inc+renesola+ltd+e-trade+financial+corp+or+inflation/trading_floor_blog.aspx?single=true&blogid=84657
  10. ^ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/drunk-darth-vader-beats-jail-rap-in-jedi-church-attacks_10048635.html
  11. ^ http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2008/05/14/no-jail-for-holyhead-darth-vader-attacker-55578-20905935/
  12. ^ http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/238923
  13. ^ http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/13/darth-vader-lash
  14. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/justice/article1161012.ece
  15. ^ http://news.theage.com.au/world/darth-vader-fined-for-jedi-master-attack-20080514-2dzw.html
  16. ^ http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4526413a4560.html
  17. ^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5guuJSJjnKnziggp5XSMeRWMTpzggD90KUB6O0
  18. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1159127.ece
  19. ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/05/14/darth-vader-attacks-jedi-church-founder-89520-20417136/
  20. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1952260/Drunk-Darth-Vader-escapes-jail-sentence.html
  21. ^ Census of Population and Housing - The 2001 Census, Religion and the Jedi. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on 2006-04-05. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop
  22. ^ smh.com.au. May the farce be with you. Retrieved on 26 March 2006.
  23. ^ mrsa.com.au. Jedi followers need more than cyber support. Retrieved on 26 March 2006.
  24. ^ snopes. Retrieved on 7 August 2006.
  25. ^ smh.com.au. Come to your census - no kidding, they're serious. Retrieved on 29 August 2006.
  26. ^ Perrott, Alan (2002-08-31). Jedi Order lures 53,000 disciples. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved on 2006-04-05. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop
  27. ^ The fate of the Jedi. No Right Turn (2006-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-09-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers  “A story in the Dominion-Post has the answer: '. . .  census general manager Nancy McBeth told The Dominion Post there were more than 20,200 followers of the force - down from 54,000 in 2001. '”
  28. ^ canada.com. Some 20,000 Canadians worship at the altar of Yoda. Retrieved on 19 June 2006.
  29. ^ statistics.gov.uk. Ethnicity and Religion: Jedi. Retrieved on 20 November 2006.
  30. ^ theregister.co.uk. UK Jedi get green light. Retrieved on 26 March 2006.
  31. ^ opsi.gov.uk. Census (Amendment) Act 2000. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  32. ^ opsi.gov.uk. The Census (Amendment) Order 2000. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  33. ^ opsi.gov.uk. The Census (Amendment) Regulations 2000. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  34. ^ Census of Population and Housing - The 2001 Census, Religion and the Jedi.
  35. ^ publications.parliament.uk. House of Commons Hansard Debates for 21 June 2005. Retrieved on 20 March 2008.
  36. ^ publications.parliament.uk. Racial and Religious Hatred Bill: Standing Committee Debates. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  37. ^ publications.parliament.uk. Education and Inspections Bill: Standing Committee Debates. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  38. ^ Jedi Knights demand Britain's fourth largest 'religion' receives recognition.
  39. ^ scottishpf.org. The Pagan Federation (Scotland): Complete data for the: Q13 'Another Religion' (Current Religion) and Q14 'Another Religion' (Religion of Upbringing) write-in boxes, Scottish Census of 2001. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  40. ^ scotland.gov.uk. Analysis of Religion in the 2001 Census: Summary Report. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  41. ^ gro-scotland.gov.uk. 2001 Census Form. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  42. ^ opsi.gov.uk. Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2000. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  43. ^ opsi.gov.uk. The Census (Scotland) Amendment Order 2000. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  44. ^ opsi.gov.uk. The Census (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2000. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
  45. ^ FSM - You know it makes Census. noodlynation. blogspot (July 25, 2006). Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2006-07-27. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England.

See also

External links

The United Kingdom has taken a Census of its population every ten years since 1801 with the exception of 1941 ( during the Second World War) A joke party or a frivolous party is a Political party which has been created for the purposes of Entertainment or Political satire. Animals as electoral candidates have been found in a number of countries The Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS) is Australia 's national statistical agency.
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