Brian said:
Wouldn't be the first time pure fiction became religion. Just look at L Ron Hubbards scientology.
Except that Scientology <tm> is not based on Hubbard's fiction, i.e.
Fear,
Final Blackout, and so forth are not the basis of Scientology <tm> and they don't even contain elements of that philosophy. Scientology <tm> is based on his "non-fiction" such as
Dianetics,
The Fundamentals of Thought and other assorted kookery. Though his later fiction, from
Battlefield Earth onward, contains not-so-subtle plugs for his space-opera "religion."
Star Wars, on the other hand, is intentionally fictional and always was. Although Lucas' own religious beliefs are sort of vague, relativistic, and syncretistic, he is not
intentionally pushing a worldview through the
Star Wars films.
Mind you, the fact that there are actually people who want to practice this (not to mention a significant number of Brits who put "Jedi Knight" under "Religion" in the last census) speaks volumes about the quality of his made-up religion. Nor is he alone - I've also heard of a group of "Tolkienists" in Russia who have formed a religion around J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy.