Sorry Star Wars fans, Jediism is officially not a religion

Bad news for all you Star Wars fans hoping to become an official member of the Force, as the UK has officially declared that Jediism is not now, nor will it ever be considered a religion….

Remember, as a kid, running around the house in your parent’s bathrobe, an empty wrapping paper tube in hand for a lightsaber, pretending to be a Jedi? Remember thinking that the coolest thing in the galaxy was to be a Jedi and have the use of the Force? Remember doing this just yesterday? I’m only halfway kidding. However, there is some news on the religious front, in regards to the actual, real-life church of the Force, as the UK has officially denied the legitimacy of the church of the Jedi, or as it’s called by its proper name, Jediism.

According to the Telegraph, the UK Charity Commission dismissed an application from the group calling itself the “Temple of the Jedi Order.” The Commission dismissed the application on the grounds that its beliefs are in fact inspired by the Star Wars films, books, and video games, which makes the proposed religion “not sufficiently serious.”

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

Here’s the tweet making the announcement and most likely breaking the heart of Star Wars fans everywhere. It was as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in sadness, and then were suddenly silenced…on Twitter.

"The commission considered an application by the Temple of the Jedi Order for registration as a charity and concluded that the organisation was not established for exclusivity charitable purposes and could not be registered. The commission was not satisfied that Jediism is a religion in charity law."

All joking aside, the Telegraph does make a point to say that Jediism was ranked as Britain’s largest faiths, and if such a large number of people are interested in this proposed religion, then who’s to tell them they can’t be legitimized?

"Jediism was once ranked – at least on paper – as one of Britain’s biggest faiths after 390,000 people entered it as their religion in the 2001 census following a campaign encouraging people to do so in protest at the questions on belief."

Regardless, if Star Wars fans want to worship at the church of Jediism, then, by all means, go for it! In fact, if you are looking for more information on The Temple of the Jedi Order, then check out the link provided. 

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We want to hear from you: Do you think folks should be able to worship how they want, and what they want? Would you join a church based on Jediism? Let us know in the comments below and on social media.