My observation of the critical, fundamental conflicts going the rounds lately boil down to three flashpoints:
1. Are there powers that players (assuming a canonical or canon-aligned game) shouldn't have?
2. Are there character concepts that players (assuming a canonical or canon-aligned game) shouldn't play?
3. What is the value of the canon and precedence in coming up with an answer to the first two questions?
Templates have gotten tangled up in the discussions because templates are tangentially associated with all three issues, but templates aren't the real battleground, and because they can be fluid, they are not, ultimately, a determining factor.
Refresh has also gotten tangled up in the discussion because it has been made part of an equation about free will, but the actual conflict there is whether that relationship is commutative (by which I mean: if 0-Refresh = "no free will", does "no free will" = 0-Refresh?). If you believe that a character type which has no free will in the canonical setting should still be playable, you're going to say "no, it is not a commutative relationship," no matter how much sense it seems to make to the naysayers.
But the crux which has informed all of these disagreements has been about the value one should assign to (and thank you for the subtle satire in the NPCs thread, ways and means) canonical precedence when figuring out what and how to play.
The canon is constraint, it is true. Some rebel against constraint as a habit. But constraint inspires creativity. I see it all the time when playing "Fiasco": how do we make these weird plot elements fit together? That's creativity. And there is no shortage of creativity on these boards.
The canon also ensures that we are all speaking a similar language, and sharing a similar vision when we come together to discuss how we want to play our game. Some have said that ignoring the canon is tantamount to playing "urban fantasy" as opposed to Dresden Files. And maybe that's what some people prefer to do.
But for most of this board, I imagine that the canon is at least somewhat influential on how people play and run their Dresden Files games. And the truth is that a lot of the setting remains unexplored - a matter of guesswork. Which is why established elements of the setting take on a great deal of significance, because we can point to these pillars and say "no matter what else, these things are certain."
I could enumerate the things which are ostensibly canon but are disputed on the grounds that we can't know everything about the setting, or that Harry Dresden is an unreliable narrator, or that there will always be exceptions to what seem like cosmic rules.
But at the end of the day, the point of the game is to have fun.
And for some, part of that fun is cleaving as closely as possible to the setting as it is established. That means a lot of things just won't be valid for a player characters. And they aren't wrong to believe that Angels or Fae, having no free will according to the setting, shouldn't be on the table as a character concept. They'll probably accept an Angelic Scion. They would certainly accept a Changeling. And who knows: maybe in game, that Changeling embraces the Fae side but still has Refresh left over. Boom! Grandfathered in!
And for others, the canon is a nice guideline - a good starting point - but ultimately second to the rule of fun. And they aren't wrong to want to play Angels or Fae who, despite the setting's clear establishment that both lack free will, have as much roleplaying possibility as any of the "preferred" archetypes, even though the free will issue is going to come up a lot.
We need to stop talking across each other and come together in our shared appreciation of this setting/game/whatever reason you happen to be here.
If that means the people who show preference for canonical precedence don't think your idea would be appropriate for a canonical game, that's the way they choose to play, and the feedback they are going to give. And if you don't care about canon or setting constraints, be honest about it, and factor that into your discourse.
Likewise, canon enthusiasts, not everyone cares that Jim Butcher denied the possibility of a gold coin floating around with Lucifer in it. They want to put it in their game. Heck, a bunch of us dealing with Jade Court are presumably also canon enthusiasts, and we're going to get a little heartbroken over how we opted to build them when Jim finally raises the curtain and puts that faction into play, right?
Let's all have some pie.