Dudeism
Dudeism has sometimes been rapes by big fat track drivers. But now its ok! and safe in your ass. this is the best religion, you should totally do drugs all the time. referred to as a "mock religion",[1][2] though its founder and many adherents regard it as "real.".[3][4][5][6] Its stated primary objective is to promote a philosophy and lifestyle consistent with the original form of Chinese Taoism, outlined in Tao and Laozi (6th century BC), blended with concepts by the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC), and personified by the modern day character "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges) in the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski.[7]
Formation
Founded in 2005 by Oliver Benjamin, a journalist based in Chiang Mai, Thailand,[8] Dudeism's official organizational name is The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. At least 160,000 "Dudeist Priests" have been ordained as of August 2012.[9]
Although Dudeism primarily makes use of iconography and narrative from The Big Lebowski, adherents believe that the Dudeist worldview has existed since the beginnings of civilization, primarily to correct societal tendencies towards aggression and excess. They list individuals such as Lao Tzu, Epicurus, Heraclitus, The Buddha, and the pre-ecclesiastical Jesus Christ as examples of ancient Dudeist prophets.[10] More recent antecedents include pillars of American Transcendentalism such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman and humanists such as Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Twain.[11][12]
Philosophy
The Dudeist belief system is essentially a modernized form of Taoism purged of all of its metaphysical and medical doctrines. Dudeism advocates and encourages the practice of "going with the flow", "being cool headed", and "taking it easy" in the face of life's difficulties, believing that this is the only way to live in harmony with our inner nature and the challenges of interacting with other people. It also aims to assuage feelings of inadequacy that arise in societies which place a heavy emphasis on achievement and personal fortune. Consequently, simple everyday pleasures like bathing, bowling, and hanging out with friends are seen as far preferable to the accumulation of wealth and the spending of money as a means to achieve happiness and spiritual fulfillment.[13]
The Church of the Latter-Day Dude launched its official publication, The Dudespaper, in the fall of 2008. A Dudeist holy book, The Tao Dude Ching went online in July 2009. It was renamed The Dude De Ching in December 2009 to avoid being confused with an upcoming book by Oliver Benjamin called The Tao of the Dude. The Dude De Ching is a reinterpretation of Peter Merel's translation of the Tao Te Ching using dialogue and story elements from The Big Lebowski.[14]
In August 2011, a "Dudeist self-help book" employing life lessons from The Big Lebowski and other sources, entitled The Abide Guide was published by Ulysses Press.[15] Written by Oliver Benjamin and the Arch Dudeship Dwayne Eutsey, it also contains material by other members of The Church of the Latter-Day Dude.
References
- ^ Cult Cinema by Ernest Mathlijs, Jamie Sexton p. 78
- ^ Fishbowl LA: Behold the Big Lebowski Bungalow, Bible - 27 July 2011
- ^ Big Lebowski Spawns Religion - Don't Panic.com - 11 April 2011]
- ^ INTERVIEW: Oliver Benjamin, Founder of Dudeism & Author of "The Abide Guide: Living Like Lebowski" - Otis Ryan Productions Blog, By Ryan Mifflin - 16 February 2012
- ^ The Dudely Lama Discusses Dudeism - We Love Cult, retrieved 19 September 2012
- ^ "Cathleen Falsani Interview". Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. PBS. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ Ehrlich, Richard. "The man who founded a religion based on 'The Big Lebowski'". CNN. Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
- ^ Green, Bill; Peskoe, Ben; Russell, Will, Shuffit, Scott: I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski, page 17. Bloomsbury, 2007.
- ^ "The Way of the Dude". Nightline. ABC. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ^ "Great Dudes in History". Dudeism.com. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Eutsey, Dwayne. "Great Dudes in History: Mark Twain". The Dudespaper. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Killoran, Ellen. "'The Big Lebowski' Religion Founder Talks 'The High Holiday' Of Dudeism". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ Walters, Ben. "Dudeism, the faith that abides in The Big Lebowski". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ Benjamin, Oliver; Merel, Peter. "The Tao Dude Ching!". The Dudespaper. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "The Abide Guide: Living Like Lebowski". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
External links
- The Church of the Latter-Day Dude (Dudeism) - Official website
- The Dudespaper - The official publication of Dudeism
- The Dude De Ching - A Dudeist holy book based on the Tao Te Ching and The Big Lebowski
- VW 'Dudeism' ad bowls into cinemas: Mini-film exploring 'religion' inspired by movie The Big Lebowski trails Volkswagen's support for independent cinema - The Guardian article with link to video of Volkswagen advertisement featuring Dudeism.
- Only A Game, Saturday, July 11, 2009 - Discussion of Dudeism and brief audio interview with Oliver Benjamin on NPR's Only A Game - at 46:11
- Dude Awakening - Sunday Herald article featuring Dudeism
- The Way of the Dude: A Documentary in the Making - Website for an unfinished documentary about Dudeism by Thomas Fazi, co-director of the documentary Standing Army (film).