My Cousin the Auto Mechanic

[Kogarashi]

That was only part of the problem -snip-

Very unfortunate and disappointing all around.

The pastor should have kept it to himself at least until the program was running well in his own district, and should have limited the people informed about it to those who were in need for reasons beyond their control: disabled, laid off, etc.

Agreed. First, make sure the program works. Second, make sure only those who well and truly have no other recourse and are in the greatest need are on the list. That's how you make charity systems like this work.

[wolfie]

I always had the impression Pastor was a bit of a narcissist and was pushing this to get the credit.

I've heard that a carpenter's son had a poor opinion of people who made sure that others saw them doing "good" works. The story is written in a well-known book. Has the Pastor read this book? It usually has a cross on the cover.

What really ticked me off was the Pastor who vouched for his parishioners so they could get their car back without paying. When they didn't pay (this was the other complete stiff) my cousin had the secretary call him. When told about the stiff his answer was "well, that's between you and them. Good luck and God bless."

That same book also says that it's wrong to steal (what the people who got their cars fixed with no intent of paying did) and to bear false witness (what the Pastor did by vouching for a deadbeat with no intent of "making good" ifwhen the deadbeat stiffed your cousin).

[CyberLurch]

I've heard that a carpenter's son had a poor opinion of people who made sure that others saw them doing "good" works. The story is written in a well-known book. Has the Pastor read this book? It usually has a cross on the cover.

That same book also says that it's wrong to steal (what the people who got their cars fixed with no intent of paying did) and to bear false witness (what the Pastor did by vouching for a deadbeat with no intent of "making good" ifwhen the deadbeat stiffed your cousin).

In all fairness, clergy are just as human as everyone else. People play con games on them, too. It's possible that the pastor had good intent initially, but the people he tried to help were just pieces of shit who conned him into helping them. I'll agree it was kind of bad that the pastor vouched for someone and didn't take responsibility for it, though.

[mjr]

In all fairness, clergy are just as human as everyone else. People play con games on them, too. It's possible that the pastor had good intent initially, but the people he tried to help were just pieces of shit who conned him into helping them. I'll agree it was kind of bad that the pastor vouched for someone and didn't take responsibility for it, though.

Agreed, but I think the worst part of the whole thing is that this pastor managed to turn eltf177's cousin away from the church, and it sounds like (based on later posts) away from religion completely.

[Seshat]

Yeah. I'd have started with a quiet word to the members of the congregation who I personally knew had been charitable and giving themselves.

[paxillated]

My momma raised me right. I appreciate the people who work "for me," and like to say nice things. (I got a great idea some years ago: If I'm thinking nice things about someone, I should say them!)

One day I went to our longtime pharmacy for a script. On checking out, I realized I didn't have my wallet with me. I was ready to drive home (10 or 11 miles) and come back, but the Pharmacist pulled out a $10 bill and paid my copay.

Yes, I paid him back and thanked him. He had forgotten about it! I hadn't. God bless him.

And, Wolfie, I've got a few versions of that book you mention. I often wonder if some of these people - whether it's the ones who are happy to give away my stuff (not theirs), or the ones who are screaming that I'm going to hell because they don't like my denomination - are reading the same book as I am! Some of them seem to have skipped a few chapters...
OTOH, I've met a few who try to live like that carpenter. They're the ones I'd rather be like.

[otter]

I live paycheck to paycheck and recently had a lot of car repairs that hurt me pretty good--had to take out a loan to pay them and some student bills that came up. Lucky i found thjs great little shop--I love it. Third time i was in there I brought them fresh chocolate chip cookies. Probably that & me ljstening to the mechanic is why he went against the rules and told me what could and could not wait jn regards to repairs. Saved me from another loan, like I need anymore of THEM.

[bainsidhe]

he went against the rules and told me what could and could not wait jn regards to repairs.

Really? My regular mechanic does this all the time. And it's probably one of the reasons I'll usually take them up on performing additional maintenance, since they explain things and offer options, rather than giving a hard sell. One of the nice things about a family-run mechanic.

[TheSHAD0W]

Really? My regular mechanic does this all the time. And it's probably one of the reasons I'll usually take them up on performing additional maintenance, since they explain things and offer options, rather than giving a hard sell.

If a mechanic tells you something's wrong with a vehicle but that it isn't critical, and it fails before you get it fixed, the mechanic is potentially liable for damages. Worse if someone's injured. It may not even be your choice if the ambulance chaser the person hurt hired goes after everyone in sight.

[protege]

If a mechanic tells you something's wrong with a vehicle but that it isn't critical, and it fails before you get it fixed, the mechanic is potentially liable for damages.

It depends on what type of repair(s) we're talking about. If it's something serious, like the brakes not working, or the car constantly stalling, most mechanics see that as a high priority repair, and will insist on getting those done first. Cosmetic, or less serious repairs--like failing oxygen sensors, or your inside (dome) light not working usually don't require filling out a waiver, and can usually wait until later. Why a waiver? Like anyone else, mechanics don't want to find themselves in hot water...should some idiot decide that they can't be bothered to get their brakes fixed.

[Shalom]

I brought my truck in to the dealer once (Ford dealer, Chevy truck, but whatever) for a tire replacement, because they're the only one in the nearby area with a road force balance machine, which it needed. They offered a free alignment check, so I agreed to this ... they came back with a minimum of $1100 in repairs just to make the vehicle "driveable". Yeah that happens with a 27 year old truck with 240K miles on it. The ball joints are good, the wheels aren't likely to fall off or the steering come adrift, worst that will happen is that I might wear the front tires out a little prematurely. They wrote "Vehicle is unsafe, must be towed" across the invoice and tossed it back at me. I drove it off the lot.

Took it to another place (ETD), asked them to get it aligned as best as they could with the parts that were on it... they did, with the understanding that there's no guarantee that it'll stay that way for longer than it takes to get over the yellow line on the edge of the parking lot. They did a pretty decent job considering the limitations. Been driving it that way ever since. Mostly goes where I point it, too...

(Lately I haven't been driving it much, though, because I'm driving my leased subaru way too much. 15 months into a 36 month/42K mile lease, and I've already put 30K miles on it. This is going to be a problem come 2018.)

eta: there's a car stereo place that also has the RFB machine, but the guy who knows how to run it is only there on Thursdays or some such BS.

[Mental_Mouse]

One quibble...

... Has the Pastor read this book? It usually has a cross on the cover.

That same book also says that it's wrong to steal (what the people who got their cars fixed with no intent of paying did) and to bear false witness (what the Pastor did by vouching for a deadbeat with no intent of "making good".

One quibble: That's not what "false witness" as per the Bible means. The original phrasing is more like "whiten your neighbor's face in public", and refers specifically to false accusations.

Which is not to say that it's right to vouch for a deadbeat, but that's not about that Commandment, it's about more basic (and older) principles: Making sure your word is good (q.v. honor, integrity). To properly stand by his word, the pastor should have covered the default the first time, rather than doubling down. And yes, after the pastor put his word on the line, it's not just between the mechanic and God. It's first between the pastor and the mechanic, and then between the pastor and God. Also, the recipients' attitudes were very much the sort of thing where any pastor should have been on it like a ton of bricks. "You said what to the guy who's putting himself out to help you?"

There's plenty of honest and trustworthy clergy around, but the ones who aren't do great damage to their faiths, and to society as a whole. Dante had several places for those, and it's terrible that this sleazeball betrayed and savaged a good man's urge to charity.

ETA: The commandment that comes closest to "standing by your word" would be "Do not swear falsely by the Lord your God". Personally, I don't think an actual invocation of God is necessary to require standing by one's promises.