Dog-headed St. Christopher
I've discussed 'gender ideology', which I now call 'beyond gay', yet beyond all of that is Therian-Otherkin people - and there is a Christian version of it too. Hold onto your shorts Richard Rohr! But he knew that already. Therians have their misappropriated saints too ... St. Christopher ... St Mary of Egypt ...
Mary of Egypt covered with hair.
Therianism is related to shapeshifting mythology, werewolves, weredogs, werepoodles - werepoodles! I made that up - but it is known as kynanthropy or cynanthropy with a "C". (Like Katherine or Catherine - you know how girls like to make the distinction? Although Crescat is not a Therian.)
I knew a person who believed she was a dragon - I'm sure I've written about her in the past - she requested I respect her anonymity. She had identity issues - not unlike an online married-genderqueer writer who discusses gender issues in her books and blog. It seems to me there are similarities insofar as the person I knew believed she was a lesbian - until she became Catholic - then she went through deliverance prayers and intense spiritual direction, bringing her to a point where she believed she was free of all that. Subsequently, she was more or less directed to dress more feminine and get rid of her butch haircut and style. Which she did. She also became a severe traditionalist - until she couldn't take it any longer. I think it was only about three years into her new life of being the most knowledgeable more-Catholic-than-the-Pope-Traditionalist-Catholic, and realizing she was still a misfit - that she went back to Wicca. That's when she soon began to figure out she was Otherkin - Therian. I'm not sure what she is now, nor do I have any idea how she resolved the homosexual inclination. She was a troubled soul, came from a home of neglect, abuse, and poverty. She desperately needed to find her identity.
Since many people - like my acquaintance - generally reject the idea of psychological or moral disorders - especially as it applies to sexual desire, identity and gender, the idea that one is a dragon, a cat, even a poodle is not at all far fetched for them. Especially when it is brewed together with a more or less novel spirituality and religious practice. (The contemporary theory/interpretation/embodiment only dates back to the early 20th century.) The roots of such spirituality is not Christian of course, but is derived from shamanism and earth-based religions, as well as Eastern Asian and ancient Egyptian religious cult and mystical influences. New Age Catholics sometimes embrace these principles and they influence not a few Catholic 'mystical-bear' writers, apologists, retreat masters, and speakers. Hence their doctrine is contaminated by the 'world's slow stain'. One cannot trust the Holy Spirit is at all guiding them in such concoctions.
Kevin Spacey as Keyboard Cat.
Therianthropy may be likened to gender dysphoria, only Therians might call it species dysphoria. Here is a quick wiki-overview on the subject - not exhaustive, I might add.
"Dogs are people too, Sherman."
What?
I've discussed this in the past - here. These issues become so idiosyncratic it is nearly impossible to categorize the phenomena. It seems to me to be a sort of manic individualism. I'm convinced it is related to gender ideology and the push for a new anthropology.
The thing that strikes me about all of these issues is, as you just mentioned, the rejection of any description of them as a disorder. So many people today find it threatening to imagine that they are abnormal, and this leads them to reject even the ideas of normal/abnormal, order/disorder, natural/unnatural. Is this because there is a strain of narcissistic personality disorder in people who embrace these "alternatives"? I don't know, but this angry rejection of being seen as having a disorder seems to be a sine qua non of the phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteOne doesn't need to be a narcissist to be upset over being labeled as disordered. Disorder is seen as something bad, and very few people want to think of themselves as psychologically unhealthy due to what that entails. Being mocked, ridiculed, bullied into suicide, rejected from others, forced on medication that could make things worse, just to name a few. It's the stigma that people don't like.
DeleteHowever, many don't realize that "abnormal" and "disorder" do not inherently mean "wrong" or "pathological", or even "unnatural".
Unnatural too is a tricky one. Are humans inherently an unnatural species? How many animals build houses like we do, use medicine created in laboratories like we do, or wear clothing like we do? What's natural for one animal species isn't for another.
Then there's what is natural from a biological perspective and from social perspective. Eating nothing but dirt isn't "natural" for the human biology, and thus there will be some severe health complications, but differing from some kind of neurodiversity, or just plain individual upbringing, brain chemistry, functions, etc. is natural for humans, and perhaps even other animals as well.
Humans, as well as many other mammals that learn through the observation of others, is natural. Primates raised around humans tend to use the "wrong" expressions, instead of fear grimacing to show fear, they do it to show happiness. Is that unnatural? Not unless one believes that these behaviors are "innate". I know a gibbon at a zoo that smiles to show happiness because she was raised by humans for a period of her life. Again, not unnatural because it is learned which something that primates, including humans, do.
Even otherkin and therians who may not develop a nonhuman identity still feel and view themselves as "other". From testimonies of adult otherkin and therians who reflect on their lives and times when they did not have a nonhuman identity still felt and viewed themselves as being "other".
I keep telling you, people are nuts.
ReplyDeleteUnder "Reactions" you have a box for "funny", a box for "interesting", and a box for "cool". May I suggest a reactionary box for "nauseous" or perhaps "weary" or perhaps even "self-inflicted massive head trauma"? It is stuff like this that made my post-secondary edjoomuhkayshun exhausting and blood pressure raising. Oh, and you may THINK you made up the stuff about werepoodles, but I actually took a literature course on vampirism and lycanthropy, and there are documented cases going back 500 years of tales of werechickens. I am super serious. If werechickens existed, I am sure some fancy schmancy lord of the manor might have been brought down by a werepoodle or some such creature.
ReplyDeleteI have to look into changing reaction box labels.
DeleteWerechickens - creepy - unless they are free-range of course. ;)
Do the furries fall under this? They gearing up for their 2014 Furry Con in Atlanta ... ... Kevin Spacey photo made me think of them ...
ReplyDeleteHey there. Glad you asked that question. I'm on staff with a Catholic Furries group, and an ex-therian. I'll happily shed light on that.
DeleteTherians and furries are completely different things. They share the aesthetic of anthropomorphism of animals, but where they differ is that furries do not necessarily believe that they are animals.
Therians fall into a series of categories. There's the run of the mill 'animal in human body' therian. Most therians are like this. Some believe they have an 'affinity' with a certain animal. Then there's the therian that has a 'totem spirit', which is exactly like it sounds. Lastly there's the therian who wishes to become their chosen animal through magic. It's a very fluid thing, but often highly occultish. Therianism draws people away from Christ.
Furries are (generally) more akin to anime-fans than to therians. The idea is that it's a mode of artistic self-expression, or an aesthetic preference for art that features anthropomorphic animals. This can include fans of very main-stream media such as Redwall, the Rats of NIHM, Disney's Robin Hood, etc. Now, the examples I gave are innocent, but being an evangelist to Furries I'm well aware that the modern furry culture is not. While many furs are susceptible to Therianism, the more pernicious problem is sexual immorality. That has led them to become, in essence, the lepers of the internet. That's why I'm with them. I've been through most of the problems furry culture has, Christ got me out of those sins, and now it's time for me to fish for souls myself. There are, thankfully, other furs that are solidly faithful to the Church and passionate about helping too.