Founded in 2005 by Oliver Benjamin, a journalist based in Chiang Mai, Thailand,[REF][REF] Dudeism's official organizational name is The Church of the Latter-Day Dude.
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.