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In mid-2001, 124,224 Australians and New Zealanders told their national censuses that their religion was "Jedi," which reflected both their love of the Star Wars movies and their rejection of "organized religion." "It was a way of saying to traditional churches, 'You're not providing what we want,'" Chris Brennan, director of the Star Wars Appreciation Society of Australia, told Wired News. But, Wired reported, Star Wars proved a false religion. Fan clubs have dried up, and sites like JediFaith.com and JediReligion.com have disappeared. "The latest Lucas film has put a muffle on many people who might want to pursue the Jedi religion," says Jedi Faith's Peter Rohr.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related articles include:

Census Jedis not 'true believers': fansThe Australian Star Wars Appreciation Society says most of the people who listed their religion as Jedi on the 2001 census were probably not 'true believers' (ABC News, Australia)

May the farce be with youMore than 70,000 Australians identified their religion as Jedi, Jedi Knight or Jedi-related in last year's national census (The Sydney Morning Herald)

This summer, Douglas LeBlanc reviewed the most recent movie and looked at how the Jedi confront evil. For CT movie reviews, see our Film archive and also our Film Forum area, a weekly roundup of what Christian critics are saying about new and noteworthy movies.

Film Forum discussions of Attack of the Clones included "A New Hope for Star Wars Fans" and "Bad Boys Trying to Be Good."

In the March/April issue of Christianity Today sister publication Books & Culture, professor and writer Telford Work examined the reactions of fans to Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

The Star Wars website has more information than you ever thought you'd want to know about Episode II: Attack of the Clones, including a series of behind-the-scenes videos.

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November 18 2002, Vol. 46, No. 12