The Force fails for The Temple of the Jedi Order
Melanie May | 29 December 2016 | News
The Temple of the Jedi Order has had its application to register as a charity rejected by the Charity Commission.
In its latest attempt to thwart the dark side of the Force (possibly), The Temple of the Jedi Order sought to establish a charitable incorporated organisation, with purposes including ‘to advance the religion of Jediism, for the public benefit worldwide, in accordance with the Jedi Doctrine’.
However, the Commission states that In order to be a charity, an organisation must be established for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit. In law, these include the advancement of religion and of moral or ethical improvement for the benefit of the community. While the application was made on the basis that Jediism is a religion, the Commission also considered whether Jediism would promote moral or ethical improvement.
The Commission concluded that Jediism, as promoted by the Temple of the Jedi Order, is not a religion and does not promote moral or ethical improvement, for the purposes of charity law in England and Wales and so rejected the application.
The decision means the public is unlikely to see Jedis on the streets with collecting tins in the near future.
Kenneth Dibble, the chief legal advisor at the Charity Commission, said:
“The law relating to what is and is not a charity evolves continuously and, as in this case, can be influenced by decisions in other areas. Our role is critical in interpreting and explaining the extent of what the law considers charitable.
“The meaning of “religion” in charity law has developed over many years, and now encompasses a wide range of belief systems. The decisions which the Commission makes on the extent of this meaning can be difficult and complex, but are important in maintaining clarity on what is, and is not, charitable.”
The full decision can be found on the Commission site.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.