When Vader Attacks

I don't think I'm wrong when I say that "Star Wars" has had a sizeable impact on the world at large. From the characters, to the dialogues to changing the face of movies since the 1970's, I think there are very few movies that can claim to have changed the world so single-handedly. So it wasn't with too much surprise that I read that a number of people in England declared their religion in the last census to be Jedi. Now a quick word on Jedi for those who may not know; they are the guardians of peace and justice in the "Star Wars" universe and have an affinity for the Force. It's not exactly akin to a real religion but it has some religious connotations. I guess some people decided to go with the Jedi way as opposed to any other organized religion because they could identify with it more. Either that or because they are truly die-hard fans of the series.

Well in Wales this past week, a group of churchgoers was attacked outside their congregation by a miscreant wearing a Darth Vader mask and a garbage bag cape. Now, just so we are all up to speed, Vader was the symbollic enemy of the Jedi so one could almost consider him the Devil to the Jedi Force. It's strange I know but I'm sure there are tons of people out there who have stumbled across this blog entry and are either shaking their head in disgust or utter frustration at my simplifying matters so intensely. Suffice it to say that this 'attack on the church' was unprovoked and a bit violent. Apparently what happened was that 27-year-old Arwel Wynne Hughes dressed up and attacked members of the Church of Jediism which was having a non-violent dueling lesson in the front yard. Unfortunately for Hughes, the dueling practice was being filmed and Hughes was caught on film during the attack.

Hughes denies any knowledge of the attack stating that he had drunk most of a box of wine before stumbling out to attack the members of the church. He was sentenced to serve two months in prison but the sentence was suspended for one year though he did have to pay damagers to the two church members that he attacked. Now while the incident has stirred up some feelings of resentment in the community, I'm curious to see what happens next. For a lot of people, the concept of the Jedi 'religion' borders on the insane and it probably isn't far from the truth. While I will wholeheartedly admit to following "Star Wars" with something more than a passing affection, I don't think I'm going to go out and join the nearest Jedi 'church'. Still, nearly 390,000 (or 0.7 percent of the population of England) have declared their affiliation with the Jedi religion. It may not be much but it certainly is enough to warrant some attention.

Over here in the states there is protection for those wanting to practice their religion, no matter if it's related to a series of movies or to religious tomes. While I agree that this attack is a bit much, I don't think people are going to view it as anything more than kids attacking kids and that's where I feel that we are making a mistake. I don't think that the world will eventually turn to Jediism the way some of the other world religions have spread but sometimes religious fervor is sparked by nothing more than embracing a philosophy that seems to make more sense than what you're hearing at the time. And who knows, maybe in another few decades, the Jedi religion will actually crack the single digit realm and be a growing religion. How else did the some of the off-shoots of Christianity come into being? Now I'm not belittling Christianity though I would merely say that not ever form has been happily accepted from the get go and I think Jediism is much the same. What we see as kids attacking kids could be considered an attack on religious congregations and should be treated as such. I guess it's true about truth being stranger than fiction.