A shocking discovery about the religious beliefs of Czechs was made in a census held in March this year. Over 15,000 people, the size of a small town, registered themselves as Jedi Knights, a faith from the Star Wars movies. This is certainly not being dismissed as nominal by the Statistical Office.
Of the rest of the Czech population, it is interesting to note that while 1,083,899 said they were Roman Catholics, 707,649 said they didn’t believe in God. Also, 5 million people just didn’t have anything to say. They left the column empty. In Prague, the capital city, 3,977 Jedi Knights were registered, which is 0.31% of the city’s population. It is perplexing as to why this option was included in the census for in the first place. Stanislav Drapal, deputy head of the statistical office, says that they included it despite a fierce debate over whether it’s serious or not. It’s not up to the statisticians to decide whether or not it’s a real religion, is what he feels.
In the Star Wars series, Jedi Knights are the guardians of peace for the interplanetary Galactic Republic. They are known for having enhanced mind power. This enables them to harness ‘The Force’ which in turn allows them to influence people and objects. The moral code followed by the Jedi has always been quite popular with fans. But popular enough to list as an actual religion? Well, yes, considering we already have a popular Jedi Academy, the idea that many people would choose Jedi as their faith doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
