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How Much Repenting Do I Need to Do? — Tabula Rasa
I need theological advice.
Today started calmly enough. I work at home and was quietly surfing Ricochet when Mrs. T informs me that the garbage disposal isn’t working. So I hit the reset button. No dice. I then tried to unfreeze it with the Allen wrench. Won’t move. I remove the old disposal and some pretty despicable water gets on me, to which I respond with some mild cursing.
Off to Home Depot I go, and after shelling out $100 (plus tax) I have a new garbage disposal. That’s when the problems started.
First error: I believe instructions exist solely to correct installation errors after they have been made. I had some wiring issues that I didn’t anticipate. The issues were more complicated than I thought they’d be, so I uttered a few more unseemly words. To summarize the rest of the story, I hit a few more bumps in the road and said a few more words that I should have kept to myself.
Mrs. T usually leaves the premises when I engage in any kind of plumbing, but she was around to hear me cursing; so I was in trouble with her a while. That trouble has dissipated somewhat now that I have successfully replaced the disposal and no leaking has been seen (yet).
So here are the questions? Is it really a sin to engage in a bit of mild profanity while engaging in a home plumbing job? I’ve always felt there should be a home repair exemption, especially for plumbing jobs (especially if it requires the complete removal of a toilet). Can you help me out? How much repenting do I need to do?
Published in General
Profusely, because you offended your wife. You cared more about yourself than her. She is the last person on the planet you want to offend.
Now you are trying to be a weasel and rationalize your behavior. I find that more offensive than the first offense. People will rationalize anything and blame it on the circumstance. “It wasn’t me, Honey. It was the plumbing.” “I lost my job so I just had to go to the post office……”
UPDATE: My comments on being a weasel are purely theoretical. How would I know? I would have written a better comment but Rico 2.0 is causing me problems. It is not my fault.
Profanity is only a sin if it’s blasphemous.
Uttering scatological profanity is not a sin, except when uttered to hurt another person’s feelings.
So sayeth Swami Misthiocracy.
Please note that none of the Seven Words You Can’t Say On Television are blasphemous, which tells you a bit about the philosophical priorities of the FCC.
I always thought home repair was like sin. It always took longer and cost more than I expected. I say your even. Of course I don’t matter. Just ask your wife.
Buy a balloon, breathe the helium, and then you can curse as much as you want without bothering anybody. I’m sure Santa’s elves cuss like sailors for this very reason.
My parents never permitted taking the Lord’s name in vain. Period. But we could cuss a bit if 1) we were funny 2) we used a foreign language or 3) the situation really called for it. I’d say this is a good guideline.
TR: Engaging in – and ultimately succeeding in – such tasks is penance enough…Perhaps some praise/thanks giving and an intimate dinner w/Mrs. Tabula are the next steps?
How many foreign languages have you studied?
It’s easier when you only study the dirty words.
You’ve obviously never owned a Volkswagen Beelte…
Right, if you’re not swearing , you’re doing it wrong. In fact, if you’re not swearing it probably means things are going smoothly. Which means … you’re doing it wrong! Indeed, if your plumbing DIY comes off just like they show in the Home Depot videos, it’s a sure sign the leaks will appear later, after you’ve put your tools away and are feeling rather good about your handyman skills.
Reminds me of the BBC America commercial:
“Sh!te! Arse! Bugger! Hear them on your TV before the American censors figure out what they mean!”
No Lord’s name in vain. Just your common plumbing cussing. In any event, I’m relying on category three.
As a member of the Jewish faith, this is a theological quandry that I simply can’t relate to. It would never occur to me that I could competently fix anything myself.
Are miracles the only option?
No, but there is a special blessing to recite on the occasion of finding a competent plumber.
As a little aside, this reminds me of the following (very old) joke: Old lady phones the police to complain that the phone-line repair guys outside her house were engaging in profanity. When questioned, Jim replies “Officer, Spike here was up on the pole and he dropped a hot rivet on me. I merely replied, ‘Spike, you must be more careful.'”
You have just let the cat out of the bag. This has been the real key to success. Care to sell me this faith “trade secret”?
Do you have a prayer for possessed toasters?
Before or after they speak at the function?
For some reason, despite decades of contrary evidence, I continue to believe that I can do plumbing. I get the basic concept (gravity, water flowing, and pipes are all comprehensible). What I forget is that it requires skill and patience, both of which I lack.
When it comes to cars, garage door openers, furnaces/air conditioning, and the like, I make no attempt at repairs, and my life is much better for the lack of effort.
I think if your wife asked you to do plumbing she should repent immediately and profusely. If the house were on fire would she expect you to man the hoses? If she needed an appendectomy would she hand you a knife? Of course not. Plumbing is to be done by professionals that can be sued if it leaks.
Is this a trick question? It’s a spoon, right?
Profanity directed at garbage disposals is the least of our problems on this planet Earth. Surely wish you wouldn’t direct any of your Ricochet energy from your infamous book posts. :)
On the advice of a parish priest, whenever we’re tempted to “damn” something (or, heaven forfend(!), someone who just cut me off in traffic, for example), instead we should “bless” it or them. I imagine with a plumbing job, there’d be a lot of “blessed” this and “blessed” that going on. Holy water optional.
Remember your Nintendo training! What would Mario do?
“Son of a Nutcracker” works just as well. I wish I could remember to use it as much as the Wife and kids do. I’ll be making a pit stop in when all is done, for the many many time Nutcracker wasn’t used. However you pay to play.
You installed a garbage disposal? Damn! I’m impressed.
Heres the breakdown:
rahab can lie to the canaanites;
abraham can conceal from his wife;
elijah can mock;
and husbands can say the d-word and the h word while doing home repairs, and can say jack ass while watching sports
Cursing is absolutely required when confronting water flowing in pipes and out of pipes against your will. Unless you failed to prevent your house from floating down the street Mrs. T owes you an apology.
I’m pretty sure that the photo you [originally] posted is a fake, because cabinets under kitchen sinks are never that clean or well organized. But I am thankful for your not posting the photo of your initial troubleshooting efforts (you know, the classic plumber with his head in the cabinet and his hindquarters in the air with his jeans—well you know the rest).