When is a "religion" a religion?

The recent story of a teenager who was suspended from her North Carolina school for wearing a nose stud has made headlines due to the girl's claim that the jewellery is part of her religion. 14-year-old Ariana is a member of the Church of Body Modification, which is an incorporated not-for-profit organisation with about 3500 members in the United States. At the centre of this debate is the question of whether or not the Church of Body Modification -- and any other non-traditional "religion" for that matter -- constitutes a real religion.

The Church of Jediism has the same problem with mainstream recognition (or lack thereof). One of its UK founders was kicked out of a supermarket for refusing to remove his hood, which he also claimed to wear as part of his Jedi faith.

What does "religion" even mean? If you follow a football team "religiously", is that a religion? And how does one go about measuring their faith in something, let alone someone else's faith?

While outsiders may view religions such as Jediism and Body Modification as a joke, there are also many who view established religions with similar disdain, including atheists and followers of "opposing" religions. Irrespective of whether or not God exists, religions are developed by humans over time, so the fact that Jediism was inspired by Star Wars shouldn't make it any more or less of a religion than any established faith.

McCormick (2006) argues in favour of Jediism as a legitimate new religious movement under the High Court of Australia's definition of a religion, which stated:

"the criteria of religion are twofold: first, belief in a supernatural Being, Thing or Principle; and second, the acceptance of canons of conduct in order to give effect to that belief"

(Church of the New Faith v Commissioner of Pay-Roll Tax (Vic) ("Scientology case") [1983] HCA 40).

Under those guidelines, the Church of Body Modification would struggle to qualify in Australia. However, Professor Gary Laderman from Emory University's religion department is quoted as saying:

"I think there's much more to religious life and culture than God," he said. "To me this is a great illustration of an alternative form of religious practice and commitment than what we're used to."

Whether or not these new movements ought to be recognised religions is somewhat contentious. But religions -- and the cultures and societies in which they exist -- are, by nature, fluid. The question is worth asking, even if the overwhelming public response ends up being "no".

They're not crazy, they're Jedi!

"I am a Jedi." So said Luke Skywalker defiantly in Return of the Jedi just before Emperor Palpatine tortured and nearly killed him with Force lightning. It is a powerful statement of affirmation, the moment where Luke -- and Darth Vader -- decide who they want to be.

"I am a Jedi!" said Tracy Jordan, brandishing a red plastic lightsaber while running down California's Interstate 405 in his underwear during the pilot episode of 30 Rock. This hilarious scene is used to demonstrate that Tracy is somewhat unstable.

But humour aside, announcing yourself as a Jedi today is likely to be met with derision.

After all, Jedi aren't real, are they?

Despite the best efforts of many, Jediism is still not an official religion -- at least not in Australia, where over 70,000 people listed their faith as Jedi in the 2001 census.

But with or without official church status, I personally find it more useful to consider Jediism first and foremost as a philosophical or ideological compass -- because this is where it has the most practical use in our world.

There are countless websites outlining interpretations of the Jedi way. I've summed up some basic tenets along with my observations of the films:

• Respect all living things. Even Jar Jar Binks had a role to play in the galaxy.
• Be open-minded. Anakin Skywalker was convinced that anyone who didn't support him must be his enemy. In reality people and situations aren't so black and white.
• Uphold peace. The Jedi generally served as ambassadors or protectors. Despite most of them being skilled fighters, their role was not to attack unless they had absolutely no other choice.
• Defend democracy. Palpatine was able to reconfigure the democratic Republic into his own dictatorial Empire for "security" reasons; people were more concerned about short-term stability than they were about the civil rights of those around them, until they themselves were persecuted. Unfortunately we see this pattern throughout our own history.
• Continuously improve yourself. Even a Jedi Master's training is not complete. Yoda continued to meditate and value the input of others, including Younglings, despite being hundreds of years older than everyone else. Even the best can learn from other people, experiences and texts.

There are other Jedi doctrines and practices at various Jediism sites, drawing not only from Star Wars but also from existing religions and philosophies such as Buddhism. But I think the points above are a good start. A person's character is more important than the specifics of their religion, or whether or not they even have a religion.

Discovering Jediism

Star Wars. From the moment I saw the yellow text crawl and John Williams' legendary score flooded the room, I was hooked. I've watched and loved plenty of movies since, but none have captured my imagination quite like George Lucas' epic space adventure.

I wanted to wield a lightsaber, and be wise and courageous like my hero Obi-Wan Kenobi. I wanted to be a Jedi Knight.

The first push for Jediism to be recognised as a religion came in 2001. Since then, several Jedi churches have been established.

Of course, I knew most people listing "Jedi" as their religion in the census probably weren't serious... and I knew the stereotype of those who WERE serious: balding, middle aged nerds living in their mother's basement and playing with plastic lightsabers and figurines. I didn't conform to that stereotype at all, but what Star Wars fan doesn't secretly want to be a Jedi or Sith? :P

When people ask me what my religious views are, I generally reply that I'm agnostic, having never been brought up with any organised religion and holding no firm beliefs about the existence or otherwise of a God or Gods. But Jediism certainly fascinates me. Still in its infancy and largely developed over the collaborative medium of the Internet, part of Jediism's appeal for me -- other than the Star Wars connection -- is that it is not a rigid system. According to The Jedi Sanctuary "the Jedi Code is malleable and is not meant to be scripture". We saw evidence of this in the films, where Qui-Gon Jinn's views were considered radical by the Jedi High Council but it was he who eventually discovered the path to immortality or enlightenment and trained Yoda and Obi-Wan. Arguably the most high profile of today's Jedi churches also says "You don’t have to change your religion or drop a certain belief to become a part of the International Church of Jediism".

Sounds like my kind of religion. At the same time, to quote Qui-Gon:

"It will be a hard life; one without reward, without remorse, without regret. A path will be placed before you. The choice is yours alone. Do what you think you cannot do. It will be a hard life, but you will find out who you are."

Intriguing.

So when my Web Publishing unit required me to pick a topic of focus for a series of writing tasks, I was keen to explore Jediism a little further and how it might work for me