http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_750289.html?menu=

The 2001 census results have revealed that 390,000 people in the UK gave their religion as Jedi.

The figure is equivalent to 0.7 per cent of the population.

At the time of the census, an internet campaign was running to persuade people to sign up as Jedi.

Registrar General for England and Wales Len Cook said: "We have put them among the 7.7 million people who said they had no religion.

"I suspect this was a decision which will not be challenged greatly."

Star Wars fans had been encouraged to enter Jedi as their faith in the mistaken belief that if 10,000 did so, it would be recognised as an official religion.

Mr Cook added: "Some 390,000 people reported that they were Jedi. I think it was not a particularly serious answer by someone who had a good idea but I think it encouraged people to fill in their census forms.

"That can only be a good thing. I think there are other reasons why something should be classed as a religion, rather than a group of people getting together on the Internet to arrange it."

The question on religion was voluntary and just over four million people chose not to answer it.

Story filed: 11:58 Thursday 13th February 2003 =====

Looks like the Jedi have already surpassed the REAL numbers of the Cthurch of Scientology. (Co$ will claim that the 4 million who didn't answer were all Co$ members "The lurkers support us!")

What's that? Jedi doesn't count because it's a joke based on sci-fi nonsense? Oh the irony...

Ron of that ilk.

"Android Cat" <androidcat99@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<1XO2a.32413$Ww1.694508@news20.bellglobal.com>...

> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_750289.html?menu=

> The 2001 census results have revealed that 390,000 people in the UK gave
> their religion as Jedi.
>
> The figure is equivalent to 0.7 per cent of the population.

Unfortunately the census hasn't (yet?) broken down the percentages of people who identified their religion as "Other", which required them to write in the name of the religion in question. However, the overall figures (at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=293 ) show that 0.3% of people - 179,000 people - identified themselves in this category. This will certainly include most if not all of the Scientologists. This clearly blows out of the water the claim that there are 300,000 Scientologists in the UK.

Incidentally, the ranking table of local authority areas where people state their religion as "other" (see http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/rank/ewother.asp ) suggests a possible "Scientology effect" in some areas. Brighton and Hove - where there's an org, and which is not far from East Grinstead - has the four highest percentage of "others" in the country, at 2,106 people (0.8% of the population). Wealden, which borders East Grinstead and Saint Hill Manor, has the sixth highest percentage: 981 people, also 0.7% of the population. Mid Sussex, which includes East Grinstead, has the ninth highest: 806 people, 0.6% of the population.

Bournemouth, where there's another org, is 21st highest: 850 people (0.5%). Southampton is 39th, with 959 people (0.4%) It's probable that the London stats also include Scientologists but London is such an international city that any Scientology effect is probably lost in the background noise of all the other odd faiths that pop up here.

     |        Chris Owen - ronthewarhero@OISPAMNOyahoo.co.uk         |
     |---------------------------------------------------------------|
     |  NARCONON EXPOSED: The full facts about the Narconon program  |
     |               http://www.narconon-exposed.org                 |

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