By Alessio Galletti
What really tied Dudeism together?
Of course The Big Lebowski tied it together. That’s because Dudeism existed long before the film was made. We believe that Dudeism has
existed since the dawn of civilization and has been expressed in one form or another down through the ages across the sands of time. The
film gave this eternal, ancient movement its name, and a fantastic story and character to help people understand it better.
What do I have to believe in if I want to be a Dudeist?
You don’t have to believe anything specific. We’re not fascists. Dudeists do tend to believe that there is an ideal way to approach the
“art of living” and that it’s expressed extremely well by the character of “The Dude.” On a practical level, if you want to get the
most out of the philosophy you should probably learn to relax more, keep your mind more limber, and not care so much about what other
people (and society) thinks about you.
What are the rituals if you have, if any?
No rituals, man. There may be rules, but there are no rituals. We plan to offer some suggestions on how to have fun and inspirational Dudeist
gatherings though. We think that life itself should be infused with rituals of your own choosing. The Dude meditates while listening to
bowling tapes on his rug. And he sits in the bath and smokes joints while listening to whale sounds. And he does tai chi on his rug while
drinking a white russian. Your Dudeist ritual can be anything that helps you find your inner dude. On a personal level, mine is sitting
on the sofa playing guitar solos along with mellow background music. Really ties my head together.
Do ordained priest have to wear specific garments?
We are big fans of bathrobes, short pants, v-neck tee shirts and flip flops. They are the most comfortable and least restricting garments
ever made. Anything that is comfortable and not too flashy or full of brand names or slogans will do.
Can they marry people – in other words, can I have a Dudeist wedding?
Yes, most US states recognize the right of our Dudeist Priests to officiate at weddings. Some are real reactionaries though. We advise
everyone to check with their local county clerks first to see what the laws are in their state as they differ widely. Some require a letter
of good standing, some require a few more hoops to jump through. In other countries, including Canada, the situation can be more
complicated. We advise checking with whatever office or ministry is in charge of marriage licenses. At present there are a couple of very
cool dudes who are working to get Dudeism recognized as an official religion in Canada.
What about women: can they be dude and be ordained?
Absolutely. We feel that “dude” should be a non-gender specific term. There are male dudes and female dudes. Though the majority of Dudeist
Priests are male, we’re actively trying to recruit women. We feel that women can benefit from the Dudeist philosophy at least as much as men
can. Women are under a lot of pressure to follow the latest trends and work their asses off while juggling all sorts of different
achievements. We’d like to invite them to take it easy and swap their fashionable footwear for flip flops.
How did you decide to go from the Coen bros character to the idea of a religion (a brief history of how dudeism was born)?
I spent many years studying religion and spirituality while traveling the world. But it wasn’t until I saw The Big Lebowski that I had a
truly religious experience. It seemed to express what all the other religions were trying to say but in a much more humanistic and
hilarious fashion.
Do weed, bowling, robes and rugs have a place in Dudeism?
Oh yeah. They’re high in the running.
Feel free to speak about anything you want to tell me about your religion. No need to say you can surely take your time
We’ve got a lot of groovy things planned for Dudeism this year. I’m working on a book with the Arch Dudeship Dwayne Eutsey called “The
Abide Guide.” It’ll be sort of a Dudeist self help book. And I’m going to be releasing a book of Dudeist philosophy called “The Tao of the
Dude”. Plus we’re going to open “Abide University”, an institution for truly higher learning. And a Dudeist social network called “The Rug” –
it really ties the internet together man. We really want to help Dudeists meet up in real life and find like-minded compeers to go
bowling or just share some oat sodas or white russians with. For those interested in learning more there’s a ton of information and fun stuff
at our website (www.dudeism.com) and our official publication, The Dudespaper (www.dudespaper.com). You can also read our holy book, The
Dude De Ching (www.dudeism.com/tao) online or buy a copy at amazon.com. It’s a Dudeist translation of The Tao Te Ching, the holy
book of Chinese Taoism. There’s lots of other cool stuff planned for further on down the trail as well. Dudeism may not be the most
powerful religion in the world, but we’re trying to make it the most fun.
Italian version no longer online (formerly here)
