Great White North Dudes in Ontario

[Rev Wingnut]

Any of you dudes know what the recent change by Ontario government in their definition of creed means for us?  Will this finally allow us legal privileges to preside?

[DigitalBuddha]

Well, Rev Wingnut dude, we just don't know. Welcome to our beach community, mang. Nice to see you on the lanes. Enjoy an oat soda!

[Hominid]

I live In Ontario - what's this about "definition of creed"?  Illuminate me...

[Rev Wingnut]

Creed was always defined in  religious fashion ie Christian Hindu but has been expanded to be more secular the example they used in the article i read was vegetarian.  Also mentioned were the Pastafarians and their quest to wear spaghetti strainers on their head in official government id.

[Hominid]

Does this translate into us being legit "priests"?  What's changed?

[Rev Wingnut]

Not quite the article I read but close to it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/camille-labchuk/veganism-ontario-human-right_b_8950052.html

[Hominid]

Ah, got it now.  Thanks Wingnut dude...

[BikerDude]

Vegetarian?
No In and Out Burger?
I'm out.

[Dudelyflier]

So a quick note.  Creed is from the Latin Credo which means "I believe" so a creed is something one believes in.  I really don't see how veganism or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster fit in as the one is a dietary choice (based on belief but not itself a belief) and the other is a thought experiment intended to disprove religious belief (and therefore would be an anti creed).  Dudeism on the other hand has at its core the idea that we believe everyone is generally good (unless they happen to be a human paraquat) and takin' er easy is the highest calling.

[BikerDude]

So a quick note.  Creed is from the Latin Credo which means "I believe" so a creed is something one believes in.  I really don't see how veganism or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster fit in as the one is a dietary choice (based on belief but not itself a belief) and the other is a thought experiment intended to disprove religious belief (and therefore would be an anti creed).  Dudeism on the other hand has at its core the idea that we believe everyone is generally good (unless they happen to be a human paraquat) and takin' er easy is the highest calling.

Unless it's just fun and ironic to deify a character like the Dude and carry the irony to extremes.
Personally I'd say we have a lot of spaghetti monster in us.

[ZoeAbides]

So a quick note.  Creed is from the Latin Credo which means "I believe" so a creed is something one believes in.  I really don't see how veganism or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster fit in as the one is a dietary choice (based on belief but not itself a belief) and the other is a thought experiment intended to disprove religious belief (and therefore would be an anti creed).  Dudeism on the other hand has at its core the idea that we believe everyone is generally good (unless they happen to be a human paraquat) and takin' er easy is the highest calling.

Unless it's just fun and ironic to deify a character like the Dude and carry the irony to extremes.
Personally I'd say we have a lot of spaghetti monster in us.

I'd have to disagree with that, Biker Dude.  I'm sure there are plenty of Dudeists out there signing up for just that reason, but I don't think that's the primary goal of creating this religion... especially based on many writings and interviews with Dwayne Eutsey.  We may keep our tongues firmly in cheek and have a healthy sense of humor in and about our ethos, but that's just how this particular philosophy is packaged.  Our zen koans, if you will, are more like zen Coens.  But I personally don't see Dudeism as a joke or mock religion in the way Pastafarianism is.  I see it as a truly helpful philosophy, but one where you're encouraged to thumb your nose.  I.E. the point is not to make mockery of religion with a religion, (as Pastafarianism does), but as an actual guiding ethos in and of itself where you're encouraged to laugh and have fun with it.  We as Dudeists try not to take life too seriously, this includes our religion as well.  But there is a guiding philosophy to follow within Dudeism, and you get out what you put in.

But that's just, like, my opinion man.

[StAugustineDude]

I'd have to disagree with that, Biker Dude.  I'm sure there are plenty of Dudeists out there signing up for just that reason, but I don't think that's the primary goal of creating this religion... especially based on many writings and interviews with Dwayne Eutsey.  We may keep our tongues firmly in cheek and have a healthy sense of humor in and about our ethos, but that's just how this particular philosophy is packaged.  Our zen koans, if you will, are more like zen Coens.  But I personally don't see Dudeism as a joke or mock religion in the way Pastafarianism is.  I see it as a truly helpful philosophy, but one where you're encouraged to thumb your nose.  I.E. the point is not to make mockery of religion with a religion, (as Pastafarianism does), but as an actual guiding ethos in and of itself where you're encouraged to laugh and have fun with it.  We as Dudeists try not to take life too seriously, this includes our religion as well.  But there is a guiding philosophy to follow within Dudeism, and you get out what you put in.

But that's just, like, my opinion man.

Well put Dude! 

[StAugustineDude]

So a quick note.  Creed is from the Latin Credo which means "I believe" so a creed is something one believes in.  I really don't see how veganism or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster fit in as the one is a dietary choice (based on belief but not itself a belief) and the other is a thought experiment intended to disprove religious belief (and therefore would be an anti creed).  Dudeism on the other hand has at its core the idea that we believe everyone is generally good (unless they happen to be a human paraquat) and takin' er easy is the highest calling.

Unless it's just fun and ironic to deify a character like the Dude and carry the irony to extremes.
Personally I'd say we have a lot of spaghetti monster in us.

I'd take some exception to the idea that The Dude is being deified here...   The ideology as I see it is more to the idea that The Dude isn't seen as a god, or that anyone wants to worship "The Dude".  His lifestyle, attitude, the way he lives is an example of what we as Dudeists want to emulate, not that we're worshiping him.  Abiding, taking it easy... finding your own way that's what it's about.  How you get there is up to you.  It also doesn't mean you can't have some other philosophy, ideology or religion that guides your life along with Dudeism.  Lots of ins outs and what-have-yous.

[RandoRock]

I always thought the Deity aspect of Dudeism is similar to Buddhism in that they don't worship Buddha as a God but pay him respect for his teachings. That's how the Dude always seemed to fit in with me, he's the symbol of our religion and we pay a certain respect to him for showing us the way of the Dude but he is by no means a God. Treating a fictional character as a God is just silly but gaining inspiration and understanding from a fictional work, well I think that's something we can all Abide by. Or at least I can because the beauty of all this is it's simplicity, it's not to complicated and yet it's open to interpretation.

[Reverend Al]

Spot on.  We acknowledge The Big Lebowski and the Dude as being the inspiration for Dudeism (not to mention a great deal of gratitude to the Dudely Lama), but that's as far as it goes.  Iconography and religion have walked hand-in-hand through the sands of time for centuries, and we have to have some form of imagery that represents our beliefs and separates us from other religions, so the Dude and the bowling ball Yin-Yang fill that capacity reasonably.

Our problem (well, one of 'em, anyway) lies in the fact that humor and religion don't generally co-exist in the same space.  Most people take their personal beliefs so seriously that they have a great deal of difficulty wrapping their minds around the fact that we're able to incorporate fun and humor into ours.  And the media exacerbates the problem by treating Dudeism as a parody religion simply because they can't understand it either.  So the average perception is that we don't take Dudeism seriously--that's the only way most people can make Dudeism fit into their understanding of religion.  Then they find out that we're proponents of weed, oat sodas, and Caucasians, and we're written off as a bunch of stoners.  And that's cool...that's cool.  But it only makes it more difficult for us to be taken seriously.

It don't matter to Jesus.  The people who are open and receptive to Dudeism will "get it" one way or another; the people who aren't never will.  Can't be worrying about that shit.  Life goes on, man.