Proposed Bill Would Allow Jedi Knights To Officiate Marriage Ceremonies
Do you want to be married with all the blessings of The Force? A new Scottish Bill would allow self-proclaimed “Jedi Knights” to officiate wedding ceremonies.
The Free Church of Scotland said that the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill would allow any faith group to perform marriage ceremonies for couples. The government said that the change would affect humanist groups which are treated as religious instead of non-religious at the moment.
Reverend Iver Martin, a spokesman for the group, told the BBC: “The third category is quite astonishing because it is the so-called belief category without really defining what belief means. There are loads of people in a diverse society like this for whom belief can mean virtually anything – the Flat Earth Society and Jedi Knights Society – who knows?”
Martin continued: “I am not saying that we don’t give place to that kind of personal belief, but when you start making allowances for marriages to be performed within those categories then you are all over the place.”
The Scottish government is currently considering the bill, and holding public consultation on the proposal.
“Our current consultation covers not only the introduction of same sex marriage but also the detail of important protections in relation to religious bodies and celebrants, freedom of speech and education,” said a spokeswoman. “As part of the consultation we have outlined the reason for suggesting a third type of ceremony.”
Jedi knights are characters in the Star Wars franchise, which includes the film series, TV, video games, comic books, and more. According to Star Wars lore, a Jedi’s faith system revolves around The Force, described in Star Wars: A New Hope by Obi Wan Kenobi as “what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”
Various groups that hold The Force’s teachings in a religious sense are the Jedi Knight Society, which offers lessons from Master Yoda, and the Temple of the Jedi Order.
Do you think it would be cool to be married in a Jedi ceremony?
