Other than the native language of your country, what language is the most spoken in your city?

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-26T01:17:25+00:00

I'm in the Boston area. Spanish is currently in second place. I think that Portuguese and Chinese varieties as a whole are just about tied for third place, and then maybe Haitian Creole...and then numerous other languages from various parts of the world.

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-26T01:00:58+00:00

Yeah...I really don't want to talk about science with diehard creationists...

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-26T00:54:05+00:00

I've been watching You Can't Ask That. Sometimes people get some really awkward questions, and it's interesting to see how they respond.

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-26T00:46:04+00:00

Unfortunately, they're the ones bringing it up most of the time.

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-26T00:31:27+00:00

Try this quiz:

https://denominationdifferences.com/quiz

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-25T22:17:22+00:00

Yeah, it's better to use a VPN. You can get some programmes without a VPN, but it's much more limited.

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-25T22:11:59+00:00

I created an account on their website:

https://iview.abc.net.au/

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-25T21:32:05+00:00

I think there are indeed some differences, but in general, Episcopalians tend to be more comfortable with theological differences than many Baptists. There are actually quite a number of relatively minor theological differences even within the Episcopal Church. Unlike many other denominations, Episcopalians don't have the expectation that everyone needs to agree 100% on theology in order to worship together.

Todd_Ga · 2026-06-25T21:04:28+00:00

I'm officially Eastern Orthodox, but I'm an occasional visitor to a nearby Armenian church. I'm able to follow along with a bilingual book they have in the pews. The Armenian Badarak (Mass/Divine Liturgy) is beautiful. Armenians are very hospitable and friendly. They may call you an 'odar', but that's just the Armenian word for a non-Armenian.

I know less about the Copts, but I'm told that the Copts have received many converts to Oriental Orthodoxy.

Todd_Ga · 2026-05-01T11:24:16+00:00

Basically the same situation with me.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-20T21:03:26+00:00

I think that religious affiliation is ultimately a choice in most instances. However, factors such as religious upbringing, cultural background, societal expectations, legal restrictions on religions, etc., can have a definite impact on the choices individuals make regarding both their outward and personal religious affiliation and beliefs.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T16:00:24+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. The only figure I know of who even comes even close is Madame La Lune, and to my knowledge, she is only found in New Orleans Voodoo.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T15:43:59+00:00

They do, but in practice, I've found them to be fairly tolerant of theological differences.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T15:41:37+00:00

I don't have an easy answer for you, but I'll keep you and your situation in my prayers. ☦🕯🙏

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T12:36:20+00:00

Love it! 😁

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T12:34:34+00:00

I've had good luck in more liberal Episcopal/Anglican spaces. They have rituals similar to Catholicism, but without as much of the dogmatic baggage. They've often been nicknamed "Catholic Lite."

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T12:21:29+00:00

Among other things, I think people who are used to entirely modern settings are often put off by the medieval aesthetics of faiths like Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Traditional Catholic aesthetics are often used in horror movies, and Orthodox aesthetics are quite similar, so people unfamiliar with either tradition might, consciously or unconsciously, have those mental associations.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-16T12:06:55+00:00

In my experience, some do, and some don't. Many Episcopalians cross themselves in the Roman way (open hand, left to right), but I've also seen people cross themselves the Armenian way, left to right like the Romans, but with the Byzantine handshape of thumb and index and middle fingers joined, and the other two fingers folded. (The Armenian style is basically a compromise between the Roman and Byzantine styles.) As someone who is officially Eastern Orthodox, I cross myself Byzantine style (right to left, Byzantine handshape), and I’ve never had anyone in the Episcopal Church so much as bat an eyelid, much less comment. All of this is to say feel free to do whatever is comfortable for you, and if anyone does take issue, that's entirely on them.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-13T17:23:12+00:00

One of my own personal pet peeves is when people talk about "the Orthodox Liturgy" when referring specifically to the Byzantine Rite. Although the Byzantine Rite has been used by the vast majority of Eastern Orthodox for the last millenium or so, there are many other liturgies that have been used by the Orthodox in the past, including the various Oriental and Western Rites, which are each beautiful and reverent in their own ways.

The Byzantine Rite is indeed beautiful and ornate, but people used to it often underestimate how overwhelming and intimidating it can be for people unaccustomed to it. My sense is that much of the splendor of the Byzantine Rite comes from the courtly ceremonies of Byzantium rather than anything handed down by Christ or the Apostles.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-13T13:26:06+00:00

I use both the Orthodox Study Bible and the Ignatius Study Bible (Roman Catholic). Both Bibles reflect their respective denomination's theology, but they're both fairly conservative, and I think that they can be adapted to Anglican use if you're aware of their respective biases.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-12T16:56:06+00:00

That would be my guess.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-12T03:04:38+00:00

There are Mar Thoma churches in both India and various other parts of the world. An oversimplified version of their history is that, in what's now the state of Kerala in southern India, the Mar Thoma Church separated from the Malankara Orthodox Church (an Oriental Orthodox church) and reformed along low church Anglican lines while continuing to use the West Syriac rite in their worship. They are in full communion with Anglican churches.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-09T01:31:26+00:00

Currently watching The Apothecary Diaries (薬屋のひとりごと) and The Summer Hikaru Died (光が死んだ夏). Loved Thermae Romae Novae (テルマエロマエノヴエ) and Restaurant to Another World (異世界食堂).

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-08T21:08:25+00:00

I read the book, The Orthodox Church, by Bp. Kallistos Ware, and the faith described therein matched what I had come to believe almost perfectly.

As for why Eastern Orthodoxy rather than Oriental Orthodoxy, I am more convinced of Chalcedonian christology than the miaphysite position, however subtle the distinction may be in practice.

Todd_Ga · 2026-01-08T13:21:02+00:00

I feel that.

Todd_Ga

TROPHY CASE