The Jedi wedding ceremony may soon be official in Scotland (Rik Henderson/Pocket Lint) the force is strong with the Jedi in Scotland. Free Church of Scotland is pushing a bill that would allow those who have literally made "Star Wars" a religion power to celebrate marriage ceremonies.The BBC reports that the marriage and Civil Partnership Bill would apply to other nonreligious groups like the Flat Earth Society and society of Jedi Knights, aka Temple of the Jedi Order.
And while it may seem like a joke for the most part, the Jedi religion is quite popular in some parts of Europe. In England, is the second most popular "alternative religion" with more than 175,000 people listing themselves as Jedi in the last national census from 2012.
"Our current consultation covers not only the introduction of same-sex marriage but also details of important protections for religious institutions and clergy, freedom of speech and education," said a spokesman for the Scottish Government.
"At the moment, wedding ceremonies from bodies such as humanists have classified as religious, even if those beliefs are nonreligious organizations."
The move could be seen as a tad ironic, even among fans of "Star Wars", seeing how the Jedi of the saga of "Star Wars" generally are not allowed to marry.
The Jedi religion has spread beyond the borders of Europe. Recently, a group calling itself the that Golden Gate Knights began teaching a class of choreography of light saber in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Scottish Government plans to hold a public consultation on the Bill and, of course, not all traditional religious groups are excited about creating a new category for the ceremonies that are by their very nature, without doubt, a religious practice.
"There are a lot of people in a diversified company like this so the belief can mean virtually anything — the Flat Earth Society and society Jedi knights — who knows?" the Rev. Iver Martin told the BBC.
"I'm not saying that we do not give rise to that kind of personal belief, but when you start to make allowances for marriages be performed within these categories, then you're all over the place."
For their part, the Jedi say the nature of their beliefs would prevent them to obscure any other religious institutions.
"We believe in peace, justice, love, learning and using our skills to well, so it is unlikely that the way conflict with your beliefs and traditions," reads a statement on the Group's Web site.
However, the Scottish Government spokesman said it would be implemented a more rigorous screening process to prevent any organization from dilute the traditions of marriage in the country.
"We are proposing the introduction of evidence that a religious body or conviction would have to meet before they could be authorized to solemnize the marriage," he said.
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