RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. It began as a prank, a chain email during Australia's 2001 census saying if enough people claim to be Jedi, it would be recognized as a religion. Now Australia is home to 64,000 Jedi believers, and atheists are alarmed. They don't want Australia to appear more religious than it actually is. This census, atheists created posters saying if old religious men in robes do not represent you, don't mark yourself as Jedi. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.