If you’re a member of the Jedi religion (and no, I’m not talking about you poseurs who just said ‘Jedi’ on the census), you must have picked up on this newsy item:
Tesco has been accused of religious discrimination after the company ordered the founder of a Jedi religion to remove his hood or leave a branch of the supermarket in north Wales.
Daniel Jones, founder of the religion inspired by the Star Wars films, says he was humiliated and victimised for his beliefs following the incident at a Tesco store in Bangor.
The 23-year-old, who founded the International Church of Jediism, which has 500,000 followers worldwide, was told the hood flouted store rules.
I am slowly becoming persuaded that Jedi-ism (or is that Jediïsm?) is slightly less of a parody than Pastafarianism. I’m no fan of people claiming victimisation when people try to stop their religious practices. But fair’s fair — if some Muslims get to cover up in a burqa at the store, the Jedi’s should get to wear the hood. The Jedi religion is just as valid, and to its credit it probably doesn’t try to kill its apostates.
Tesco thinks it’s done its homework.
But the grocery empire struck back, claiming that the three best known Jedi Knights in the Star Wars movies – Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker – all appeared in public without their hoods. Jones, from Holyhead, who is known by the Jedi name Morda Hehol, said his religion dictated that he should wear the hood in public places and is considering legal action against the chain.
Silly supermarket! Everyone knows that religions evolve away from their origins in arbitrary ways for their own convenience.
20 September 2009 at 12:39 pm
This is just how it starts. Give it a hundred years and people will forget that jediism wasn't made to be taken seriously. Little known fact; Christianity was started as a joke religion that made fun of Jewish people.
20 September 2009 at 3:28 pm
Ah, the old tale of the evil Grocery Empire vs. the enlightened Jedi Rebel Alliance.
21 September 2009 at 2:00 am
Ha, I picked up on this story because I'm moving to that town in two weeks to start a phd.
21 September 2009 at 5:54 am
What I don't understand is why they care that someone wants to wear a hood in any case? It doesn't really make any sense as a legitimate problem.
In any case, modern Druidism actually started as a ploy by some university students to get out of their school's church attendance requirement and they soon began taking themselves seriously as a religion despite being fully aware of this.