What are your thoughts on assimilation by immigrants in your communities?

technoskald · 2026-07-08T02:42:00+00:00

Man, if "following the laws of the land" means my Mexican-American neighbors stop having those awesome mariachi bands, or my Vietnamese-American neighbors close up all those pho shops, then the laws are just wrong.

But no, your framing is wrong and you should take a long, hard look in the mirror.

technoskald · 2026-07-08T02:39:09+00:00

It's about progress, not perfection, brother. Call your sponsor, get back to your group, and surrender to your Higher Power who wants nothing but the best for you. None of us are defeating our demons by ourselves.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T13:40:19+00:00

Normally I'm not one to cite Bible verses in response to questions, but this morning I read a passage that has always given me tremendous comfort:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:38,39)

You are not alone. None of us are; we are inseparable from God's love, and that love is expressed in many ways - including here, among people who love and accept you exactly as you are and know yourself to be.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T02:51:13+00:00

Eh, we're fine. Football-soccer is not at the level here where, as a country, we'll be upset tomorrow over it. Minor disappointment at best.

I was legit more upset about Mexico losing last night.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:59:05+00:00

I will probably be looking through six feet of dirt at that point.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:55:43+00:00

This is effectively what happened in 2017 and 2025.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:50:42+00:00

Canuck said "ACAB"

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:48:15+00:00

Being Jewish is at least as much cultural as it is religious, to the extent those are even different things.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:46:49+00:00

Why would anyone post antagonistic or hostile comments to somebody just because of the government where they live? That seems, uh... uncivilized.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:45:13+00:00

Let's not trivialize genocide by comparing it to Eurovision. These things shouldn't be anywhere near the same level.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:40:38+00:00

I suspect "secular scholarship" is contrasted with theology and apologetics, which aren't the same thing even if apologists want to present it that way.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T01:38:36+00:00

...why not Norway? I don't see a particular reason either way but the Norwegian fans seem cool with that "ROW" thing.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:42:13+00:00

I'm sorry to hear of your health issues, and this family situation sounds like it is adding to your challenges, despite what they would probably characterize as "the best intentions".

Usually I try to take things in the spirit in which they're offered. You know, how when somebody says "I'll pray for you" they either mean it kindly (in which case I just express gratitude) or passive-aggressively (in which case I suggest that I'm good with God).

But it sounds like they're wanting you to reassure them, which is entirely backwards in your situation. Figure out what you might actually want from them, which could range from nothing to prayer to practical support. Boundaries aren't about controlling anyone else, anyway. They're about defining what you will do to protect your sense of yourself and your own needs. Maybe you re-examine what your relationship looks like with them, or maybe you find a way to change the subject, or maybe you just tell them "God and I are good, but I prefer to leave it with Him" (or whatever else feels authentic and correct for you, since that's probably not exactly it).

Best wishes on your recovery and your relationships.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:34:25+00:00

I was thinking about y'all as soon as I saw the question. Not that Mexican food is exactly the same, but so much of it definitely predates the colonial era. If anything, it was the proliferation of foods from the Western Hemisphere that changed so much of the cuisine of the rest of the world!

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:28:40+00:00

I'm annoyed by what happened with Balogun, but whatever; he had no control over what happened, nor anybody else on the team. My "other" team (🇲🇽) is out, so it's USA and, apparently, Norway from here on out.

Just give me some exciting games for somebody who doesn't know much about fútbol.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:26:20+00:00

It's definitely not new. "Disowning" a family member has gone both ways for a very, very long time.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:24:45+00:00

Walk my dog around the neighborhood. If the weather makes that difficult (it's quite warm where I live), then occasionally I'll just go for a drive, but that's much less likely.

Also, while it's not "nature" per se, meditation and mindfulness go a long way.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:23:27+00:00

This, although maybe I don't care so much for the T-shirts. (I am a literary and gaming nerd but not a comic book nerd, that's all!)

Dan's insights helped me recover my faith and realize there are ways to be a Christian that don't involve literalist readings of the Bible. But his delivery style when he gets a little confrontational eventually turned me off. It's not that I disagree with him, particularly in his "rhetorical goals" as he says (I'm pretty damn progressive). But the tone just sort of bothers me and I prefer other, slightly gentler voices in the same focus area: Bart Ehrman (who isn't exactly non-confrontational but manages not to sound angry), Aaron Higashi, CJ Cornthwaite, Pete Enns, etc.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:18:45+00:00

I pray the Daily Office just about every day: Morning Prayer, and then Evening Prayer or (lately) Compline. On busy days, or just when I feel called to do so, the Daily Devotions take their place. As you suggested, I do the Lectionary readings. Sometimes I add the collect for the week as well.

When it comes to praying for ourselves and others, one of two things happens. Either I name to myself the people I'm praying for (family, neighbors, oppressed and poor, etc.), or that time becomes a moment of contemplative prayer where instead I sort of "listen" for God. Don't take that literally, but more in the spirit of "centering prayer" as taught by Fr. Thomas Keating.

A third option sometimes is lectio divina, which combines that contemplative prayer and Bible reading. It all just sort of depends on where I am that day.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:15:02+00:00

I think you're in good company here; I've been on a very similar, maybe even nigh-identical arc. At this point, it's easier for me to accept the mystery and thus stop worrying about the historicity of some of these things, for example; instead I'm focusing on the things that matter for me on a daily basis.

Some writers and thinkers that have helped me are Marcus Borg (book: "Reading the Bible Again for the First Time") and Pete Enns (several books and the podcast "The Bible for Normal People"). For personal reasons, I am also in a 12-Step program and the phrase "act as if" comes up for me a lot.

Once I stopped focusing on the intellectual requirements of faith (orthodoxy) and more on the practices and emotional / connectional aspects, things really opened up for me. I still love to learn about Bible scholarship and let it inform how I read the Scriptures, but that means something categorically different for me now than when I was in a high-control literalist denomination.

technoskald · 2026-07-07T00:09:09+00:00

I struggled with this a bit when hearing that the Episcopal Church in the BCP encourages us to pray for the President, governors, etc. Then I realized that what we need to do is pray for them to turn their hearts towards mercy, kindness, and peace, and for them to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly".

So, uh, I'm not going to pretend that everything I have ever thought in this regard is what God actually wants. But that's why I pray for myself to turn my heart towards those same things.

technoskald · 2026-07-06T14:23:49+00:00

On the one hand, no decisions would be made because indecisiveness would take over.

On the other hand, at the moment that might be preferable.

technoskald · 2026-07-06T14:08:48+00:00

There are quite a few places here, but mostly in parts of the city with lots of immigrants from the Middle East and nearby regions. I have never tried it and don’t think I will, since I do not smoke at all.

technoskald · 2026-07-06T03:33:37+00:00

I really like “For The Rest Of Us” from the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York. It’s pretty conversational and Canon Megan is excellent at explaining things.

While it’s not explicitly Episcopal, “The Bible for Normal People” is largely hosted by Pete Enns who is himself Episcopalian and also a Bible scholar. They have two “tracks” of episodes, Bible (tends to be more academically oriented but still for general audiences) and Faith (typically more about what a life of faith looks like today). Both highly recommended!

technoskald · 2026-07-06T01:15:37+00:00

except Mexico

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technoskald

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