As far as I am concerned...

[Shagbeard]

My point Reverend Shagbeard is that I have stepped foot in your country.... I did not immerse myself in your culture for sure mate. Well apart from the food!

Peace dude.

My first Doctor Who is the fourth, Tom Baker and I dig the many inspector shows all my life. I would love to go there and see the many places and to meet Tom Baker (Happy BDay to him ) but may never. However, like you said I would only have a perspective looking in from the outside, so it seems there is agreement. I can trace my lineage back to nobles in England and am of Saxon stock with some Celt mixed in here in the US. I seem myself as a Saxon like many of you, however I am in diaspora and do not think myself proud to get everything over there. Wow I feel all warm inside. Let us just relax and not get to worked up, Cool... May all be at peace and abide well. 

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

If somebody came to me claiming to be a Dudeist, but this person also told me that they had never seen the movie entitled The Big Lebowski, then I would laugh at this person's utter cluelessness and call him a wannabe, a poser who knows nothing of the way of the Dude.  Straight up, that would be just goofy in my sight.

[Caesar dude]

Clearly you don't understand irony.....

If someone came on to a site which states that it is "the slowest growing religion in the world" then starts of his posting history by quoting scripture and declaring that he is a Christian. I would call that person a raving nut job at best. Or a bible bashing xenophobic moronic evangelist.

Still. I have seen the movie...once or twice.....

[Judd Dude]

Again, who cares. Cut, print, troll. Case closed.

[forumdude]

sorry Iconocclesiastes. but i think you asked for it. starting a thread by saying someone who has not been to the states and is a dudeist is a fucking amateur is just way out of line. dudeism is a global, eternal and all-encompassing philosophy. and its connection with The Big Lebowski is allegorical, not canonical. i understand that you may have been meaning it in an ironic fashion, but still. what did you expect? it's clear that you're not altogether understanding what dudeism is all about. i think an apology is in order.

caesar dude's response may have been harsh, but i don't think altogether unjustified. if you don't see how you're rubbing people the wrong way then it might be that you're not of the same mindset as the general dudeocracy.

[forumdude]

I will add that it does no one any good by striking back at an insult with such extreme prejudice though. I understand where Caesar is coming from but I wish he wouldn't have made this a national/religious thing as well. We're trying to get away from that shit here. Both Icon and Caesar are espousing an "us vs them" attitude that shouldn't hold any water here. People of all nations and all religions are welcome so long as they don't wear that shit on their sleeves.

[cckeiser]

Sorry dudes, I was out bowling 2 leagues tonight and I missed yet another dust up.
Thanks for stepping up forumdude. It seems everyone got their Walter up today.
I mean really dudes...what would The Dude do? He certainly would not carry on in this fashion. Chill dudes and just ignore the jabs.

[forumdude]

It's been brought to my attention that this happened: http://dudeism.com/smf/living-the-life-of-the-dude/dudeist-pendant/15/

I'd appreciate it if Caesar apologizes to Icon for this. Way out of line. And Icon owes a general apology for his dumb comment about people needing to have visited the US to understand Dudeism.

Come on, guys. You're both better than that.

[DigitalBuddha]

I think some reflection on "Well, that's just like your opinion, man" is in order here. Caesar dude and Rev. Iconocclesiastes, you dudes are in danger of popping a blood vessel. I have a suggestion; how about exploring subjects you can somewhat agree on, rather than one you both know you don't agree on? After that; grab a lane and roll a few. A few beers, a few burgers; your troubles are over, dudes.

And, THAT is just like MY opinion, man.

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

Caesar dude, I am gonna take the high road here and offer you an apology for having offended you in any sense or in any way.  Let there be peace between us, man.  The Dudely one's words are wise ones, and I take them to heart.

I never meant to pee on your rug, Caesar Dude, and I'll be happy to replace it, (or at least get it cleaned for you). 

Shake on it, man?  Can I buy you an oat soda?

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

...as a general rule of thumb, (and there are a few exceptions to this, most notably Mother Duderior) anybody who claims to be a Dudeist and has never even set foot in the United States, is actually a poser and a f***ing amateur.

IMO, one cannot fully and truly "get" The Big Lebowski unless one is thoroughly familiarized with my country and our popular culture. 

So that being said: all of the nihilist haters can go keep on being nihilistic haters.  But if you don't have anything nice to say to me here in this forum,  then please leave me alone.  There's room for all of us.

As I said in the first place: in my opinion.  That's what the "IMO" stands for.  I am entirely open to the idea that I could be dead wrong, and I am learning more and more about Dudeism every day. 

That being said: I apologize for my role in this drama with Caesar.  Caesar, I am offering you the olive branch of peace.  Accept it if you'd like to, and don't if you don't.   But either way, this thing between us is over, as far as I am concerned.

Again: I never meant to pee on anybody's rug.

[meekon5]

As I said in the first place: in my opinion.  That's what the "IMO" stands for.  I am entirely open to the idea that I am dead wrong, and I am learning more and more about Dudeism every day. 

That being said: I apologize for my role in this drama with Caesar.  Caesar, I am offering you the olive branch of peace.  Accept it if you'd like to, and don't if you don't.   But either way, this thing between us is over, as far as I am concerned.

Again: I never meant to pee on anybody's rug.

Ignorance and bigotry is not excused by the phrase "in my opinion". It is not a get out of jail free card.

I have tried to not take sides here, DB was dealing with the other thread.

I will not get involved in "who started what first", neither reaction is acceptable, but nothing excuses this type of outburst (and it is not your first).

I cordially suggest you refrain from posting for a while and spend some time actually reading some of the content of the Dudes Paper and this Forum.

The big mistake a lot of people make, and not just you, is that "The Big Lebowski" is holy writ. It is not.

These misguided people I have referred to previously as "Lebowskiists" (see the Facebook site if this is your idea of Dudeism), just saying "Dude" or "Careful! There is a beverage over here!" does not make you a Dudeist. Nor does just watching the film.

Though our entry in Wikipedia says:

Dudeism is a philosophy and lifestyle inspired by the modern-day fictional character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, as portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski. Dudeism's stated primary objective is to promote a modern form of Chinese Taoism, outlined in Tao Te Ching and Laozi (6th century BC), blended with concepts by the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC), and presented in a style as personified by the character of "The Dude". Dudeism has sometimes been regarded as a mock religion, though its founder and many adherents regard it seriously.

Wikipedia - Dudeism

As with all things Wikipedia they are wrong.

I refer you to our websites definition:

While Dudeism in its official form has been organized as a religion only recently, it has existed down through the ages in one form or another. Probably the earliest form of Dudeism was the original form of Chinese Taoism, before it went all weird with magic tricks and body fluids. The originator of Taoism, Lao Tzu, basically said "smoke 'em if you got 'em" and "mellow out, man" although he said this in ancient Chinese so something may have been lost in the translation.

Down through the ages, this "rebel shrug" has fortified many successful creeds – Buddhism, Christianity, Sufism, John Lennonism and Fo'-Shizzle-my-Nizzlism. The idea is this: Life is short and complicated and nobody knows what to do about it. So don't do anything about it. Just take it easy, man. Stop worrying so much whether you'll make it into the finals. Kick back with some friends and some oat soda and whether you roll strikes or gutters, do your best to be true to yourself and others – that is to say, abide.

Incidentally, the term "dude" is commonly agreed to refer to both genders. Most linguists contend that "Dudette" is not in keeping with the parlance of our times.

Dudeism.com

We have always been a none exclusive, none prescriptive group of individuals.

My own development towards Dudeism is through personal study of Yoga, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism. The addition of Paganism is in my mind no contradiction of the previous traditions and my practice.

From discussions here I realise I was a Dudeist from about the age of eighteen. I did not see the film until later in life, and was only made aware of the concept (like many) through Olivers appearance in that advert for that car company.

Oliver is not Pope, his word is not holy. He is the first to use the label and hold "The Big Lebowski" and the character the Dude up as an example. Much like Buddha under the bodhi tree, Olivers realisation helped many like myself reconcile a life in the mundane world of western consumerism with an attempt at holding some form of spirituality.

I attempted to live my life in certain ways, and find that they do not contradict the attitudes of most here on this forum (and many more I know who do not post here but hold themselves as Dudeists).

I have a number of Dudeist friends, and the UK Dudeist movement continues to grow.

I am a spiritual Pagan Dudeist.

Mine is not the only way.

There are many denominations and creeds represented here, from christian (many differing flavours from strict to lapsed to outright rejectors), through other religions, to atheist, and beyond.

All are Dudeist.

I am also the son of a forces family, and am not alone here with others being ex-forces of various countries.

I also know loss of family and friends to war or even stupid accident (helicopter falling out of the sky).

As a western world, european, and UK citizen I am continually bombarded by adverts, TV (comedy, news, soaps), and film, presenting American "culture" and point of view.

Why am I making this statement?

I am making this statement because I can not in all sincerity put into words how appalled, and disgusted, I am that you can make a statement like this:

...as a general rule of thumb, (and there are a few exceptions to this, most notably Mother Duderior) anybody who claims to be a Dudeist and has never even set foot in the United States, is actually a poser and a f***ing amateur.

IMO, one cannot fully and truly "get" The Big Lebowski unless one is thoroughly familiarized with my country and our popular culture. 

So that being said: all of the nihilist haters can go keep on being nihilistic haters.  But if you don't have anything nice to say to me here in this forum,  then please leave me alone.  There's room for all of us.

And many others you have made on these boards, then think the call for a "Hug" or the use of "IMO" excuses your action.

I, and other admins, have tried to help and guide you but even your answers to some of the most simple inquiries are rude and unhelpful, and you continue to offend and try to push your own agenda.

You have not even noticed that many regular posters are ignoring your threads and posts, or just not engaging at all where you get involved.

Please may I ensure any lurkers or guests viewing this post (and any of the registered users), this is not the opinion of the majority of users here, this is not the point of view of Dudeism, this is one sole bigots opinion.

IMHDO (In My Humble Dudeist Opinion).

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

For the record: I am no bigot, sir.  I admit to having my own cognitive and other biases, but I am certainly not a bigot.  I hate nobody, and racially (as well as otherwise) I am very cool.  May peace be upon us all.

[meekon5]

For the record: I am no bigot, sir.  I admit to having my own cognitive and other biases, but I am certainly not a bigot.  I hate nobody, and racially (as well as otherwise) I am very cool.  May peace be upon us all.

Then you should be more careful because you certainly read like one.

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

For the record: I am no bigot, sir.  I admit to having my own cognitive and other biases, but I am certainly not a bigot.  I hate nobody, and racially (as well as otherwise) I am very cool.  May peace be upon us all.

Then you should be more careful because you certainly read like one.

Let me be perfectly frank: if somebody came to me claiming to be a Dudeist, and this person also told me that he'd never seen The Big Lebowski (or had only seen it once or twice), then to me that's the same thing as my saying that I am a big fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus, but also admitting that I'd only seen The Life of Brian and had never seen a single episode of the TV show.  In other words, I'd be a poser who really knew virtually nothing of Monty Python (much less of British culture).  Does that make sense?