RE: Doesn't sound entirely insane

Isn't the "religion" classification just a subset of the "self-help organization" classification? (Well, those that aim/claim to help people, at least...)

In an abstract way, I see pieces of the Jedi belief system sort of aligned with the Wiccan beliefs, with the natural forces and energies of the universe able to be channeled to and from individuals in levels determined either by birthright and/or the application of much discipline.

There's something I don't understand about the Jedi concept of 'The Force" though, and also about some concepts of the Wicca ideas on Karma. In order to have any force that affects a man's destiny; it would seem like that force has to have a direction. In order to have a constant influential direction, it seems like that force would also have to have a consciousness in order to maintain that influential direction, or as in the case with Karma, allow things to "come back at you threefold". (How does it know?) You see what I'm getting at here. Why is that any different really from the beginning concepts of a god?

Personally, from reading the text in the provided website, I think the Jedi Church is a tongue-in-cheek stab at mainstream religion that went much farther in terms of supposed followers than the 'leaders' ever dreamed. But that aside; in theory, it has all the trappings of a decent religion at first glance.