An Otherkin Dilemma

[Shangri-laschild]

Some titles or names for groups are just so amazingly broad. How different is the 13 year old who dresses in black and "hexes" anyone watches The Craft as gospel from the person who believes in harming none and nature and the goddess? Both might call themselves Wiccan but they are very different. How do you say that one group are the true Wiccan and the other isn't and who would even be able to make that decision. Most people know there's a difference between the two but they still both claim the same name. Yes, one side can say that they are the half that still follows it as it started but does that disqualify the second group from using the name? I know my comparisson is a bit off, but really it's generally the same thing. You have a term that covers a broad spectrum of people. At this point, even if the first group of Wiccans might not see the other half as being true Wiccans, if society views them as such,....I'm not sure if I explained properly or not, but it's hard to say that some are the true whatevers in the group while others aren't when it's such a broad spectrum.

[bunnyboy]

Some titles or names for groups are just so amazingly broad. How different is the 13 year old who dresses in black and "hexes" anyone watches The Craft as gospel from the person who believes in harming none and nature and the goddess? Both might call themselves Wiccan but they are very different. How do you say that one group are the true Wiccan and the other isn't and who would even be able to make that decision. Most people know there's a difference between the two but they still both claim the same name. Yes, one side can say that they are the half that still follows it as it started but does that disqualify the second group from using the name? I know my comparisson is a bit off, but really it's generally the same thing. You have a term that covers a broad spectrum of people. At this point, even if the first group of Wiccans might not see the other half as being true Wiccans, if society views them as such,....I'm not sure if I explained properly or not, but it's hard to say that some are the true whatevers in the group while others aren't when it's such a broad spectrum.

Mainly because of precedent, the harming none, and nature and goddess is pretty much a continuous line from the old brit trads, up to the "my great grandmother was a member of a religion I found out about last week" trad, whereas Otherkin, much like Otakukin tend to be all over the place.

or to use an example, there's a central line among lets say ALL Christian sects (Jesus is the Savior of the world), however, there's only a very general line among all monotheists, there's one god, however this doesn't unite them all, there's various common lines among each.

[Slytovhand]

Shangrli-La, your wiccan example is actually a nice one getting to the crux of it... belief! The 13 year old, in all likelihood, won't call her or himself 'Wiccan' when she's 18. The other probably will. Granted, the 13 yo may slowly actually start to believe, but for the moment, they are playing a game.

Religion isn't just about names, it's about beliefs. The media will use either if it suits their purposes.