Bill Darlison: Roads for Travelling Souls

The Dude Abides When I was in Ireland recently, I came across a news headline on the Internet which intrigued me. ‘What’s the fastest-growing religion in Ireland?’ it asked. I knew that it couldn’t possibly be Unitarianism, but I thought that maybe it was Mormonism or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but I was wrong. The fastest-growing religion in Ireland is Dudeism. There are more Dudeist priests in Ireland than there are Catholic priests. It must be said, however, that it is not difficult to become a Dudeist priest. One doesn’t have to train for five or six years. One can do it in a minute over the Internet as I did, and I have a certificate to prove it. I can now officiate at weddings and funerals in most states of America in my capacity, not as a Unitarian minister, but as an ordained priest of the Church of the Latter-Day Dude.             But, what on earth is Dudeism? I hear you ask. Well, it is a religion (using ...

Books that have changed my thinking (5)  ‘Etty’ by Etty Hillesum Etty Hillesum in 1940 There’s a very interesting storyline in Coronation Street at the moment. It concerns the Webster family - Kevin, Sally, and their two daughters Rosie and Sophie. Kevin has been having an affair with Molly, his business partner’s wife; the elder daughter Rosie has embarked on a career as a model and is seeking breast implants. And the younger daughter Sophie has become a Christian. Sally, Kevin’s wife, found out around Christmas time that she has breast cancer, but last week she was told that the lumpectomy had been successful and that she wouldn’t need any more surgery. The family members are overjoyed at the news and Sophie, the Christian daughter, tells her dad that she has been praying for her mother, implying perhaps that her prayers have been heard and expecting that her father will congratulate her on her efforts. But he doesn’t. Instead, he goes into a tirade against G...

The Great Money Trick Children's Story: The Politest Man in the World   All the inhabitants of the City of Fools were very excited because a very famous person was going to visit them.  He was the world’s most polite man, and he was to speak in the town hall about how he had become so polite and why it was necessary to be polite   On the morning of the day when the speech was to be delivered, two of the citizens of the City were walking in the market-place when they spotted a stranger sitting on a bench reading a newspaper. He was very well dressed and looked important.   “That’s him!” said one of the citizens.  “That’s the politest man in the world, the man who is going to talk to us tonight!  I’m going to find out for sure.”     With that, he left his friend and went over to the stranger.  “Excuse me,” he said, “But are you the politest man in the world, the man who is going to speak to us in the town hall t...