1st March 2005, 10:55 AM
Quote:Actually, the fact of the matter is, the Jedi show all the same classic signs of being a cult. Honestly I imagine if the Jedi were real it would be a horribly corrupt thing. As it is, they too are a group that get children, seperate them from their families and force them to live in their own compounds, won't reveal any secret knowledge until they are "ready" for it, and demand total conformance lest they be thrown out, and since they were taken in as kids, that's a major threat as they will be instantly homeless. Really, despite how the movies portray them, the Jedi really are pretty evil when you think about it. It's no wonder people go to the "dark side" when that's what the light side offers.
You have to consider the fact that in Star Wars the force actually exists. This gives the Jedi very good reasons to act as they do. Oh, sure, they're not perfect, but that's why they get defeated by Palpatine...
As for the Scientologists, that's insane... I'd heard some of that before, but it's just so crazy... eh, not much weirder than any other religious belief though, when you get down to it. Just different. :) (But yeah, it's definitely a cult)