May the force be with him: Jediism follower speaks about his beliefs

close

Video

Jediism: A new 'religion'?

There are tens of thousands of people across the globe who believe in Jediism, based on the Star Wars films

The movie “Star Wars” broke box office records when it debuted in 1977, and the mantra “may the force be with you” became world famous.

In the years after the first trilogy, a group of devoted followers took those words to a deeper level, creating their own faith called “Jediism.”

Kevin Trout, a dedicated member of the Jedi community, talked to Fox News’ Lauren Green about his beliefs.

“Emotional well-being, physical well-being, spiritual well-being, all of these things, all Jedi practice it and follow, but how they do that is up to the individual,” Trout explained.

Most of the beliefs are based on the Jedi code, which was created in the role-playing guide for Star Wars back in 1987. To practice Jediism, followers turn to a variety of activities, including meditation, physical fitness and yes, a bit of telepathy and telekinesis.

“I was pretty skeptical, as you can imagine,” said Details Magazine's Ben Svetkey, who spent a weekend with the Jedi at their 11th annual gathering in Norris, Tennessee. “It’s a little wacky, a little different, but when you sort of hang out with them for a weekend at the end of it, you’re sort of like, well, why is this all that different from any other religion? It’s just a code of ethics and a general sort of belief that tries to explain the universe a little bit, and that’s what any religion really does.”

Trout says that besides a bit of eyebrow-raising, his faith has not drawn considerable criticism.

“At most you get jokes on ‘Where’s your robe?’ ‘Where’s your light saber?’ things of that nature,” said Trout. “My experience has never been negative as long as you’re willing to have a sense of humor about it.”

Watch the full interview in the video above.