Is Dudeism a religion? I think so...

[DigitalBuddha]

you are correct, sir! actually today a guy who is working on an important piece of software contacted me - his tech will allow the dudeist social network to come to fruition and we'll be able to find other dudeists in our area via a location search, plus set up groups with a location. as soon as this is all ready, i hope that dudeists will start to meet up in real life and not just on the net!

Far fucking out, man!

[forumdude]

The original intent was not to mock religion, but to provide a religion for people who like some of the aspects of religion but didn't really like any of the stuff that was available.

It was also designed to be a group exercise in trying to figure out what the pragmatic and rational aspects of religion were. The fact that we parody a lot of established religions isn't so much to make fun of them but to draw light to how arbitrary and nonsensical most dogmas are. Perhaps we are "pulling the rug" out from under the stodgy and sacred cows, but not before snagging some of their milk for our beverages.

It's all very tongue in cheek. But that doesn't mean it's not true. Isn't humor and silliness and lateral thinking the best way to find out what's true? And isn't furious linear idealism the worst way? I think the more serious someone is the less he or she understands. I myself can get very high and mighty about "the truth" and I appreciate when people take me down a peg.

The Pastafarians are very different from us. They are totally "meta" in that they are mocking the institution from within that institution. We do that as well, but we're also, let's say "para" in that we are also husbanding (to use Ames and Hall's term, from the Dao De Jing) the aspects of the religious impulse that are of value. Like a paralegal or a paramedic (or for the drummers, a paradiddle).

As you can guess, there are many ways to look at it and I find it hard to pin down what Dudeism is, even if I was the one who launched it. Maybe that's a good sign.

[A Stoned Buddha]

So, again, I ask: was the original (and continuing) intent of Dudeism to be a mock religion like the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (i.e. not to be really taken all that seriously even though it has a central ethos), or is the intent to be taken as a serious philosophy/"religion without religion"/non-preachy sort-of-religion? 

I ask because it initially comes across as a tongue in cheek parody of religion. That is certainly the first impression anyone gets when visiting the web site for the first time. All the puns, all the comedy...

Or is it all these things?

Really good points man. I didn't catch your earlier post but you raise some good points about philosophy vs religion. Dudeism should probably drop in occasionally to see what kind of condition our condition is in. Ya gotta know where you are to know where you're going. I personally think it encompasses all these things. People make what they want out of reality. Some are loners destined for mountain tops, others like a community of like minds to find shelter in. Shouldn't really matter either way. Maybe call it a philosophical religion or a religion of philosophies? I can't say for the original intent, but I'd kinda like to see a gradual drift away from The Big Lebowski stuff, but I also like at the same time that the TBL stuff keeps it from taking itself too seriously, which I like and would hate to lose. So, that's comfortably unhelpful, right? Maybe the forumdude will shed some new light. Also spell check does not seem to be working for me anymore, so sorry for the typos.

[A Stoned Buddha]

The original intent was not to mock religion, but to provide a religion for people who like some of the aspects of religion but didn't really like any of the stuff that was available.

It was also designed to be a group exercise in trying to figure out what the pragmatic and rational aspects of religion were. The fact that we parody a lot of established religions isn't so much to make fun of them but to draw light to how arbitrary and nonsensical most dogmas are. Perhaps we are "pulling the rug" out from under the stodgy and sacred cows, but not before snagging some of their milk for our beverages.

It's all very tongue in cheek. But that doesn't mean it's not true. Isn't humor and silliness and lateral thinking the best way to find out what's true? And isn't furious linear idealism the worst way? I think the more serious someone is the less he or she understands. I myself can get very high and mighty about "the truth" and I appreciate when people take me down a peg.

The Pastafarians are very different from us. They are totally "meta" in that they are mocking the institution from within that institution. We do that as well, but we're also, let's say "para" in that we are also husbanding (to use Ames and Hall's term, from the Dao De Jing) the aspects of the religious impulse that are of value. Like a paralegal or a paramedic (or for the drummers, a paradiddle).

As you can guess, there are many ways to look at it and I find it hard to pin down what Dudeism is, even if I was the one who launched it. Maybe that's a good sign.

It is indeed. Keep'er easy man.

[Hominid]

The original intent was not to mock religion, but to provide a religion for people who like some of the aspects of religion but didn't really like any of the stuff that was available.

It was also designed to be a group exercise in trying to figure out what the pragmatic and rational aspects of religion were. The fact that we parody a lot of established religions isn't so much to make fun of them but to draw light to how arbitrary and nonsensical most dogmas are. Perhaps we are "pulling the rug" out from under the stodgy and sacred cows, but not before snagging some of their milk for our beverages.

It's all very tongue in cheek. But that doesn't mean it's not true. Isn't humor and silliness and lateral thinking the best way to find out what's true? And isn't furious linear idealism the worst way? I think the more serious someone is the less he or she understands. I myself can get very high and mighty about "the truth" and I appreciate when people take me down a peg.

The Pastafarians are very different from us. They are totally "meta" in that they are mocking the institution from within that institution. We do that as well, but we're also, let's say "para" in that we are also husbanding (to use Ames and Hall's term, from the Dao De Jing) the aspects of the religious impulse that are of value. Like a paralegal or a paramedic (or for the drummers, a paradiddle).

As you can guess, there are many ways to look at it and I find it hard to pin down what Dudeism is, even if I was the one who launched it. Maybe that's a good sign.

This is THE most succinct explanation of Dudeism I've seen to date. Print it. Post it. Publish it. Do what you can to make this part of the "rite of passage" for dudeist priests.  ;-)   There's been so much discussion and debate about this very subject, with each of us offering our interpretations of what we thought the truth was about dudeism... It's great to get such a complete explanation. Thanks for being involved on the ground level... and clearing it all up. (For me anyways). Aw shoosh - here I go ramblin' on......

[DigitalBuddha]

I sometimes wonder what kind of world we would have if all of the leaders of the world were dudes? If the people in the UN were dudes? If the leaders of the corporate world were dudes and the leaders of the world's religions were dudes? What if we renamed the "UN" the "UD" the United Dudes? Awesome!

[Hominid]

I sometimes wonder what kind of world we would have if all of the leaders of the world were dudes? If the people in the UN were dudes? If the leaders of the corporate world were dudes and the leaders of the world's religions were dudes? What if we renamed the "UN" the "UD" the United Dudes? Awesome!

Fuckin' eh man. A dude world would certainly be easier, less competitive, cheaper, and still listening to vinyl and eight-tracks. Not such a bad thing.

But - Microsoft Flight Simulator and F-18's gotta be in there somewhere... 

[A Stoned Buddha]

I sometimes wonder what kind of world we would have if all of the leaders of the world were dudes? If the people in the UN were dudes? If the leaders of the corporate world were dudes and the leaders of the world's religions were dudes? What if we renamed the "UN" the "UD" the United Dudes? Awesome!

Twould be sweet. Sadly, I think that's pretty wishful thinking. I just don't see a true peace on earth moment happening. There's a tidal quality to reality and I feel evil is a necessary part of it. Sad, but true? Who knows. But, this is why I abide and enjoy the mellow times. Gone in a flash.

[Zen Dog]

I sometimes wonder what kind of world we would have if all of the leaders of the world were dudes? If the people in the UN were dudes? If the leaders of the corporate world were dudes and the leaders of the world's religions were dudes? What if we renamed the "UN" the "UD" the United Dudes? Awesome!

Fuckin' eh man. A dude world would certainly be easier, less competitive, cheaper, and still listening to vinyl and eight-tracks. Not such a bad thing.

But - Microsoft Flight Simulator and F-18's gotta be in there somewhere... 

Top politicians and business types have to be psychopaths.It's in the rules somewhere.I started reading a book about it once.In Life,the Universe and Everything I think, there is a chap who lives outside the asylum.He has a sign to prove it.I am working towards relocating to somewhere similar.1,496 days to go.

[Hominid]

Psychopaths and megalomaniacs rule this world, you're right. And like they say, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  I wonder what the world would be like if all leadership positions (presidents, mayors, etc.) were all chosen by lottery, as opposed to choosing from people with the ambition to rule...

[Zen Dog]

Psychopaths and megalomaniacs rule this world, you're right. And like they say, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  I wonder what the world would be like if all leadership positions (presidents, mayors, etc.) were all chosen by lottery, as opposed to choosing from people with the ambition to rule...

Well you wouldn't catch me buying a ticket.