More Australians are becoming Jedi: Atheist org urges not to cite ‘Star Wars’ religion in census

An increasing number of Australians are becoming a Jedi, and that’s a problem, according to an atheist organisation. What started as a joke has become a real concern for the Atheist Foundation of Australia as more people cite the “Star Wars” knightly order as their religion.

Kylie Sturgess, the president of AFA, has told Brisbane Times that she was only joking when she marked “Jedi” in the religious section of a recent census. After all, any “Star Wars” follower or even casual fan of the George Lucas film series would know that the religion is fictional.

However, as more and more Australians mark Jedi as their religion, it is becoming a problem. Sturgess has explained that when people treat answering the religious questionnaire in the census as a joke, Australia appears more religious than it really is. Jedi is counted as a “not defined” religion in census rather than “no religion.”

“People shouldn’t waste their answer,” Sturgess told the paper. “Answering the religion question thoughtfully and honestly matters because it benefits all Australians when decisions on how to spend taxpayer dollars are made on sound data that accurately reflects modern-day Australia.”

In 2011, the census registered 64,390 Australians as Jedi, an increase from the 58,053 “Jedis” in 2006. The number has put Jedi just behind Sikhs and above Seventh Day Adventists in Australia.

Not all those who claim to be a Jedi were only joking, though. “Star Wars” fan Chris Brennan told Brisbane Times that although there are some who answer the census as such as “a snub to the government,” others are serious about it.

He said there are people who are real followers of the Jedi way, which promotes sacredness of life. The phrase “no religion” does not perfectly sum up some people’s views of faith.

The AFA has launched the “No Religion” campaign to raise public awareness ahead of the 2016 Census on Aug. 9. This year’s census will mark the first time when “no religion” will be at the top of 10 possible responses as opposed to being at the bottom.

The organisation also encourages non-atheists to tick the “no religion” box if they don’t practice a religion or they don’t consider themselves to be religiously observant.