It seems to me that the idea of a nihilist Dudeist is an oxymoron. So why does it seem like so many Dudeists are outspoken atheist? I've been lurking this forum for a while and this is my honest impression. Let's discuss.
Dudeism stresses the importance of not stressing, man. Maybe all that other stuff is real too and has some merit...or maybe not. Can't be worried about that shit man life goes on.
Being an atheist or a nihilist are not the same thing. An atheist doesn't believe in God and a nihilist doesn't believe in anything. Dudeism doesn't have a God or prophecy but you can be a believer if you want to. Dudeism is not nihilistic since we do believe in something like "take it easy" and "abide". It can be an "open source" religion where you can add whatever you want to it as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.
Dudeism is often about rejecting the dogma of society and hence many dudeist also reject the dogma of the Abrahamic religions but if you don't then that's cool too.
Fuck it - that's your answer for everything.
That's an interesting comparison: how should we compare the Dude with the nihilists? I'm too drunk to analyze this completely right now. But it intrigues me too much, and I'm too drunk, to leave it alone entirely. At the topical level, it seems neither perspective gives a shit about anything...or maybe one gives a shit about nossing and the other about a very few things. Well, maybe. The nihilists are referred to as "fucking amateurs." Does this imply they are on the path to dudeism but have, perhaps, taken a different turn? And the nihilists seem motivated to abuse others while the Dude, in comparison, is primarily motivated to leave others alone.
Hell, man, I dunno. Any other, perhaps more organized, thoughts here? It seems fertile ground.
To each their own Dudeism... United by abiding. Being true to yourself and others...
Many are atheists or even anti-theists (not very Dude)... Dudeism stays out of the ins & outs of stressing about things beyond living this life well. But Dudes all are welcome to their own style in pursuing it beyond that. But yes... by its nature it leans to the agnostic (rather than atheist... in my opinion).
Don?t let individual dudes define your opinion of Dudeism any more than you should for any other ethos... line it up with what Dudeism says about itself and the freedoms you have to plug it into your style. Someone not being very Dude is not at that moment living it... And of course lots of dudes trying to just copy THE Dude instead of applying the principles on their own.
Free thinking leads to atheism.
In this case a slack sort of atheism.
Like a "can't be worried about all that shit" sort of atheism.
A lot of them eastern things tend to not really address god directly at all, mostly leaving it up to the individual follower. Dudeism is kinda like that, it doesn't address the question of god because Dudeism isn't really about that, it's mostly about taking 'er easy.
Peace :)
Atheism...that's just like someone's opinion, man. I like to self apply that I'm too small (and I drink too much beer) to say if a dude such as god exists.
I think Dudeism coexists - abides, if you will - with other faiths (and lack thereof)...therefore, Dudeists are free to believe in a higher power, or disbelieve. As a dude raised Catholic, I recognize that there could be a Higher Power exerting some extreme laissez-faire management style over everything...and said Higher Power (should It exist) has no need to feel threatened by us dudes shuffling through this messy earth-bound life and trying to abide.
Therefore, I have no gripe with atheists who believe that when they die, they just croak it like a dog, or a cricket, or a carp. We're all on our own trip, man. Let's just nod across the way at the next dude, and keep drifting along. Peace out
Quote from: ChristianDude on November 26, 2017, 12:48:47 AM
To each their own Dudeism... United by abiding. Being true to yourself and others...
Dudeism is inclusive. That's one of its attractions.
And the sense of humor and candor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO9If_23cfU
I can't see how one can truly take it easy if they don't have faith, whatever name you give it. True ease is in your heart, and if you're fighting faith, you ain't taking it easy
Quote from: Mildbill on February 06, 2018, 04:29:17 AM
I can't see how one can truly take it easy if they don't have faith, whatever name you give it. True ease is in your heart, and if you're fighting faith, you ain't taking it easy
I don't see how one can take it easy and prop up these beliefs.
It must take a lot to survive the onslaught of reason.
First, sorry for my very bad english, I do my best, but I'm born french and, whatever it's worth, that's not easy to express myself in english.
I'm a dudeist priest and I believe in a god. He has no name, and he loves us so much that everyone just goes to Paradise, with no exception.
Once in Paradise you have to resolve all your life's path, to meet every single person you've met, and it can take a while.
You also wait for your beloved ones to arrive, and until they arrive, you see them on Earth, without any means to contact them however. You also see all the consequences of all your actions.
It can be hard, if you've decided to run a bad life. You'll see all the evil things happening because of you.
If you've had a positive life, the time in Paradise will be way shorter. What's after Paradise ? When everything is solved, when you're absolutely pure, when anyone you knew has clarified all the things with you, you elevate yourself and become a part of god.
This is what I believe. It's been a long path. Would be too long to detail all the steps. I just took the plane and saw the Ocean of Clouds, and that was amazing.
This religion has no specific name, I don't really care about other people to like it or not. They'll all go to Paradise anyway. You have nothing to do to go there. There's a french song that sums this well, "We'll all go to Paradise, even me", from Michel Polnareff. Original tiltle is "On ira tous au Paradis".
What about atheists or religions ? I've seen good and bad things in any spiritual movement. Even mine, with only one member, sometimes goes Walter. You just have to be humble and to recognize everyone has his opinion about this stuff, man. And as long as those opinions don't harm anyone, you just have to respect them. If a guy says he has met god, well, that's his experience, not necessarily true.
But I saw that people's opinions change a lot during a lifetime. So, don't take all these beliefs too seriously. We're all searching for something we can't even give a name.
I found dudeism on my path and I started to take things easy. I was feared by so many things like losing my job or my dog or whatever. Now I take it easy and I abide. Not so much on drugs but not condemning those who try. Always prefered videogames and building Lego models. Sometimes relaxing at the truckers' restaurant or driving my romanian car around just to let it able to still work. Or watching lives on Twitch, other people playing videogames. Dudesim essentially consists in doing what you like to do, and to avoid as much as possible doing the things you don't enjoy, like, for me, well, what I do to have some money (Do you have a job, sir ?)
Money, competition or work can be a religion too ! And that's the kind of thing I think should be avoided 8) There are also plenty of people saying having kids is just, like, you know, a duty, while kids should just happen if they have to happen. And it's a good thing if it happens but, well, just let that happens on a natural way.
I enjoy the Tao Te King too, the Way of the Natural Principles, as I call it. We're part of the Nature and we shouldn't resist being natural. But, well, not too natural, not extreme, like becoming a caveman, even if life could be an interesting experience maybe.
Hope I've answered to the question, maybe I've lost my point somewhere, but you see the general idea. See you around !
I'm sorry.
Lost my train of thought.
It must be very exhausting.
Far out 8)
Most of the Atheists I've spoken with were far too uptight for my tastes about people believing in a Deity or Deities. I much prefer an Agnostic stance, because I haven't experienced anything that leads me to absolutely believe there is some form of Supreme Being at work behind everything we know, but I'm not so arrogant that I can absolutely positively say there is no God. *shrug* Besides, remaining neutral on the subject just seems more Dudeist anyway.
Quote from: Reverend Al on April 08, 2021, 09:04:51 PM
Most of the Atheists I've spoken with were far too uptight for my tastes about people believing in a Deity or Deities. I much prefer an Agnostic stance, because I haven't experienced anything that leads me to absolutely believe there is some form of Supreme Being at work behind everything we know, but I'm not so arrogant that I can absolutely positively say there is no God. *shrug* Besides, remaining neutral on the subject just seems more Dudeist anyway.
Then you are an atheist.
It's a common misconception that "Agnostic" in the context of religious belief is a neutral position.
It is a specific type of atheism.
Agnosticism speaks to the epistemological question.
It is a position that says it is impossible for anyone to justify a belief in God.
"If there is a God no one can ever know it."
Whereas the typical atheist believes that if there is a God it would be possible to show evidence but since no evidence has been shown belief is not warrented.
Atheism doesn't say "there is no God". Typically it's more like "it sounds pretty unlikely and without solid evidence I'm filing it under superstition."
If the answer to the question "does God exist" is yes, you are a theist.
Any other answer, you are an atheist. Including "I don't know".
Theists believe in God, atheists don't.
Beyond that some atheists say "I believe there is no God".
Others take the Agnostic position that it is impossible for anyone to know. "
Most just say" show me the evidence and I'll believe".
But unless a person affirmatively believes in God, they are an atheist.
"I don't know" is essentially synonymous with "I don't believe".
Knowledge is a prerequisite of belief.
As far the Dude's stance the only evidence we have is the reading material on his bookshelf which is decidedly atheist in subject matter. The only mention of anything religious has to do with Walter's Judaism, which seems to be a source of annoyance to the Dude. In any event the Dude would avoid arguing about it. That has nothing to do with his beliefs. He'd say "fuck it" and steal the rug on the way out.
To me the question is not that much if you are an atheist or an agnostic but if you are antitheist or anticlerical. That is the part that the believing guys perceive the most. Recently I listened a bit to Robert Wright talking about Buddhism and Darwin (or Darwin Dharma as he calls it) and he managed to do a whole university course without spitting once on gods or priests, which make him a nice guy even if he claims we have monkey reactions and no soul.
As for the Dude - I would not call him antitheist or anticlerical in the way one can experience during atheist talks like 'bugger that men in black'. Does not look like a regular churchgoer but that's it.
My dudely $0.02. https://www.niceguyjim.com/wolfspeak/scale.html
Quote from: Hominid on May 29, 2021, 07:52:32 AM
My dudely $0.02. https://www.niceguyjim.com/wolfspeak/scale.html
Difference between 6,7 and 8 is what I was talking about above. 'No, thank you' or 'Go away, you irrational idiot'.
As for the other side, Burns wrote something about it
http://www.robertburns.org/works/93.shtml
Where I stand on this, right now, is that if someone approached me this minute and proved beyond all dispute that there was a God, it would have no effect on what I'm doing tomorrow. And, by the same token, if someone proved to me that there was no God, it still wouldn't change anything for me. I have my internal compass, I have my meter of Reason, and I have my ability to question and adjust both. So, to me, as a Dudeist, "God" is irrelevant. I don't see this as "atheism" because I don't disbelieve in God per se, just that "God" would have no function in my world view. Abide of that what you will.