Religion/belief system

[Fenris]

Hi, Nathan! Me again. I searched for this but couldn't find it, so...

If one were to use ideas from an existing practice (in the case of an idea I've been toying with, Hermeticism) would it be best to stick with its dogma or could I still take creative license? I don't want to offend people if this ever gets published.

Let me illustrate. So far I've adapted some of the ideas of Hermeticism into my latest WIP. The ideas themselves stay true to the main beliefs of Hermeticism (mostly), but I wonder if its practitioners might take offense at me taking creative license with it (and if any of you peruse this board, your feedback would definitely be helpful in this regard). For example, one idea of Hermeticism is a type of magic called alchemy. If I were to take that and run with it, while not actually changing anything about it but simply the way it is used/perceived, do you think that would still be too risky?

Changing the names would probably be the simplest solution, but the resemblance is still there. Thoughts?

[Nathan Bransford]

Hi, Nathan! Me again. I searched for this but couldn't find it, so...

If one were to use ideas from an existing practice (in the case of an idea I've been toying with, Hermeticism) would it be best to stick with its dogma or could I still take creative license? I don't want to offend people if this ever gets published.

Let me illustrate. So far I've adapted some of the ideas of Hermeticism into my latest WIP. The ideas themselves stay true to the main beliefs of Hermeticism (mostly), but I wonder if its practitioners might take offense at me taking creative license with it (and if any of you peruse this board, your feedback would definitely be helpful in this regard). For example, one idea of Hermeticism is a type of magic called alchemy. If I were to take that and run with it, while not actually changing anything about it but simply the way it is used/perceived, do you think that would still be too risky?

Changing the names would probably be the simplest solution, but the resemblance is still there. Thoughts?

Taking creative license with a religion's history and belief system is a tradition that is probably older than the written word itself. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Fenris]

Thanks, Nathan. I figured it'd be all right, but just wanted to make sure. Zealots and all that. A lawsuit would not be a good way to start off a career, unless I was planning on being a lawyer.

[Nathan Bransford]

Thanks, Nathan. I figured it'd be all right, but just wanted to make sure. Zealots and all that. A lawsuit would not be a good way to start off a career, unless I was planning on being a lawyer.

Well, I'm not your best resource for determining whether you are going to get sued or not. My advice is from an artistic standpoint. Write at your own risk, and when in doubt consult a publishing attorney.

[polymath]

In most if not all the English speaking world religions are fair game for commentary and hold no copyright, patent right, trademark right, or other intellectual property right exclusive to their theologies. Only comparatively recent works published under ongoing copyright hold any protections against derivative uses.

Ideas are not copyrightable either. Hermeticism is one of the oldest surviving belief systems and dating back to antiquity, perhaps as far back as the time of Moses who is believed in some consensuses to be a contemporary of Hermes Trismegistus, who founded Hermeticism, though the modern iteration of Hermeticism is based partly on Renaissance era reinventions.

Anyway, the risk I see is one of drawing scorn from moral authorities, which is just disapproving talk that more likely than not will generate buzz, exactly what can make or break a potential breakaway novel. Regardless, like all literature it all comes down to the narrative's merits driving success. Even a mediocre novel with some literary merit and fair to good structure and aesthetics will succeed if there's cultural controversy involved.

[Fenris]

Anyway, the risk I see is one of drawing scorn from moral authorities, which is just disapproving talk that more likely than not will generate buzz, exactly what can make or break a potential breakaway novel. Regardless, like all literature it all comes down to the narrative's merits driving success. Even a mediocre novel with some literary merit and fair to good structure and aesthetics will succeed if there's cultural controversy involved.

True enough. Thanks, you guys.