Hi, I am Jon, a wedding officiant based in Cincinnati. I also run the largest Meetup group in Cincinnati and they call me DudeistJon there.
This all started in 2018 when I was asked by some really cool people to officiate their wedding ceremony. The idea was a challenge for me. While I consider myself spiritual, I am not religious. I believe in innate values and morals. I have questions about life and deeper meanings. I do not consider myself “religious” because I don’t typically follow one specific set of texts or spiritual practices.
Still, being asked to perform a wedding is a great honor and I wanted to take part in such a special occasion. I decided I wanted to be ordained by a Church that didn’t push the typical, conservative beliefs. I struck out to find a belief system that did more than just tolerate alternate views and philosophies, I wanted one that honored and respected them. In my search I found The Church of the Latter Day Dude and became a Dudeist.
Simply put we Dudeists believe that life is too short to waste much time being upset. The world is complicated and we need to do what we can to make things better. That means it really isn’t our place to pass judgment on others because we don’t know what is true or they life they have. We can only decide what is right or wrong for ourselves. Most importantly, do good things and help others when we can. (I was going to include a really bad bowling pun but I wanted to spare you.)
While researching what was legally required to officiate a wedding I learned there is a real need for non-traditional ceremonies. More than just people who don’t subscribe to one version of religion or God. There are people out there who want to have BDSM collarings, needed help with celebrations of life and more. They want someone that respects their alternative lifestyle and honors their beliefs.
Being true to yourself and others is a large part of what Dudeism is about. So I will offer my services as a Dudeist minister to anyone in the world who might need it (even if you like The Eagles).
Just send me a message with what you are thinking. I don’t care how unusual your service may be, as long as its a good thing and respectful to others, I will abide.