Harbinger, your strawman of setting up "Mormonism" as a "fringe religion" is quite ineffective.
Joseph Smith's intentions from the very beginning were to set up a religious system of belief among the people. His claim was divine mandate. You can find that ridiculous or not, but it is, through and through, a religious ridiculous.
"Jediism" and "Sithism" were not only not set up to be "religions," Are not only *Not* portrayed as religions in the stories (at best, they are philosophies, there is very little religiosity in the teachings), but they were created specifically to be fictitious.
That's what I find absurd. "I'm going to take this pseudo philosophy and make it my religion, never mind that it never claimed to be non-fiction."
Anyone who makes that move has more than a few neurons not firing.
I apologize for the misunderstanding. I read your mention of Tom Cruise, and I thought you were referring to L. Ron Hubbard, rather than George Lucas.
The reason I made the original comment is that many Evangelical Christians (among others) do not consider the LDS church to be a true religion, nor Joseph Smith a true prophet, and are willing to cite mountains of "evidence" that "prove" that he was after fame, power, wealth, women, etc. I was attempting to express the hope that those who have had their Prophet mocked would try not to do the same thing to other religous leaders, whether or not they agree with the teachings of the religion itself.
Thank you, Skar, for helping to clarify the issue. Yes, it does seem that the title "religion" is more often being given to what I have understood to be "philosophy."
In... um... defense (cringe) of the Jediism/Sithism being a religion, in Episode IV there are two references, one made by Han Solo, the other by Grand Moff Tarkin, to the Force being a religion. HOWEVER, if it is a religion, it is so only within the context of the universe George Lucas has created on paper and celluloid. If real-world adherents to what I would call the philosophies of Jediism/Sithism start to manifest Force powers, then I would be willing to entertain the possibility. Else, they are no more than sets of ideals.
And, again, I apologize for any misunderstandings.