case: (Default)
Case ([personal profile] case) wrote in [community profile] fandomsecrets2013-04-11 06:37 pm

[ SECRET POST #2291 ]


⌈ Secret Post #2291 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 020 secrets from Secret Submission Post #327.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Re: Are you real

[personal profile] sugar_spun 2013-04-12 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
Well, here's the thing: basically every single human society in the history of forever has believed in gods or supernatural spirits that control the universe. This is normal to human existence itself. Faith is as normal as love is.

Now, when you talk about otherkin, you're talking about something new entirely. Religious people--for the most part--talk about things they do not experience and do not feel and simply assume. They don't say "I think I'm part god"--anyone who says that would receive the same amount of ridicule, even though gods are a normal part of human society. In fact, they often do. I'm sure you've heard of ill people who believe they are Jesus.

Otherkin is simply more ridiculous than religion. It doesn't mean otherkin is actually less true than some other religion (or less fake, if that works better). It just means it's sillier.

Re: Are you real

[personal profile] cbrachyrhynchos 2013-04-12 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
"They don't say "I think I'm part god"--anyone who says that would receive the same amount of ridicule, even though gods are a normal part of human society. "

Well, unless you happen to be pantheist, panentheist, subscribe to certain mystical views about the Holy Spirit, pagan, or some flavors of Hinduism and Buddhism. But then, "I'm part god" isn't anything special, because so, potentially, is everything else in the world.

Re: Are you real

[personal profile] sugar_spun 2013-04-12 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, they would still ridicule you for thinking you're Krishna incarnate or the Buddha came back again or if you are actually the one, true deity or something.

Because there's actually a huge difference between 'we are spiritually linked' and 'I'm part god'.

Re: Are you real

[personal profile] cbrachyrhynchos 2013-04-12 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, they would still ridicule you for thinking you're Krishna incarnate ...

Didn't write anything close to that

... or the Buddha came back again ...

or that

... or if you are actually the one, true deity or something.

or that either.

But to say that we are all Brahman, Goddess and God, Buddha, or guided by the Holy Spirit are relatively uncontroversial statements in theology.

Re: Are you real

[personal profile] sugar_spun 2013-04-12 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
I know you weren't saying that. I'm saying that *I* was, in a sense. I wasn't talking about the spiritual state of the universe, I was saying calling yourself part-god would make anyone from any religion raise their eyebrows unless you are Pharaoh.

Re: Are you real

(Anonymous) 2013-04-12 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
There are more than a few fundamental issues with this. First, pretty much since science became a thing, there have been more than a few people who didn't believe in gods or supernatural spirits that control the universe. So no, it's not universal. It's not any more normal to human existence than believing in unicorns.

I'll give you that faith is normal, but the thing is, this person has faith too, just because it's different from what you've been conditioned to accept as normal doesn't actually mean that it's not.

The belief that some humans contain within themselves the spirit of animals is ancient. The term otherkin isn't, and I'm sure that there are a fair number of kids who just want to be special little snowflakes on the internet making this their niche. But, the idea, the core concept is very old and has been a part of many religions. I fail to see how it's any less valid than any other religious belief, and all I've seen in these threads so far, is that other religious beliefs are old and this one's shiny and new. Well, it's not, so what's your excuse to single this group of people out and ridicule them now.

I see in later comments that you clarify the "I'm part God," comment, but I almost find that more baffling. How is my belief (and this is my belief) that each of us holds a piece of the divine within ourselves any less weird than someone's belief that they hold an animal spirit within themselves.

All that said, I think that there are issues with the secret. I think that the myth and legend of werewolves is a very different thing from the belief that you carry an animal spirit or soul. Which means that pretending that Teen Wolf or something is a gross perpetuation of stereotypes against someone who does believe that, similar to the treatment of women or POCs in media can be, is ridiculous to say the least. I think I need to sleep now; I'm afraid that last sentence didn't actually make sense.