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Public Restroom Confessional Priests

"Come all ye who weary and heavy-laden..."
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The kissing cousin of my other confession booth meets toilet facility idea...

If you're like me, you do alot of your best thinking, dwelling, realizing, etc. in the bathroom. Sometimes you remember a regret and need to get it off your chest right then and there, but don't want to tell everyone, and are afraid you might forget by the time you find a priest. Why not make one stall a 'confessional stall' with a sliding screened panel to the priest's booth in the typical confessional format. It would increase the instance of confessions in general, and therefore perhaps make us a more well-adjusted, forgiven culture as a whole.

Safeguards to ensure privacy from spying eyes would be included, and priests with a history of molestation need not apply.

Gives a new meaning to 'Go, and be at peace, my child, doesn't it?'

RayfordSteele, May 16 2002

The alter-ego idea http://www.halfbake...Emergency_20Commode
What can I say... it was late at night. [RayfordSteele, May 16 2002, last modified Oct 17 2004]

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       "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been two days since my last bowel movement."
phoenix, May 16 2002
  

       Father I've committed a cardinal sin - I sat down to take a shit without checking if there was any toilet roll....Have you got any in there?
stupop, May 16 2002
  

       ... "Er... No, my child... all I've got is the Holy Book."
<Pregnant Pause>
'Can you do without Malachi?'
<Second Trimester>
"Er, ahh... How about Zachariah"
<Third Trimester>
'Father, you didn't...'
<Delivery>
"I'll have you know it cost me 2 Our Fathers and 3 Hail Mary's - here, may we both be forgiven for this vile sin we are about to commit"...
thumbwax, May 16 2002
  

       I can honestly say that the quality of my cogitation would be seriously impaired if I knew there was a man of the (touching?) cloth listening to my every grunt and splosh.   

       Great for kids though, as there would always be someone around to congratulate them on the quality of their poo.
calum, May 16 2002
  

       // Do you think so? //   

       Yes, I think that confession is good for the soul. Men can only hold onto so much before it dries them out and steals their hope.   

       That the Catholic church has overly ritualized the practice doesn't change that. I sometimes wish I myself, as a protestant, had an equivalent.
RayfordSteele, May 16 2002
  

       You do.
waugsqueke, May 16 2002
  

       [RayfordSteele], I assume that you are referring to the "ritualization of confession" as opposed to "confession".
half, May 16 2002
  

       There's prayer, of course, but as far as between men, there's really very little that's universally recognized among all the churches, nor as systematically supported by the protestant church structure itself as a whole. While it's true that you can talk to anybody anytime you want to, the more needy a person is of it, the usually less-inclined they are to bring it up without some underlying formality encouraging it. Because the confession ritual also has a 'standard media face,' I argue that it also makes for a better contact point with the secular public than the scattered masses of individuals in the protestant church. They're more aware that it exists as an option.   

       There's a certain confidence that's given when one is placed in standard, familiar situations; like your standard McDonalds, for instance. You don't really go there wondering whether this McDonalds will have remarkedly better Big Macs than the last one; a great Big Mac is only so good, and a lousy one is only so bad.
RayfordSteele, May 16 2002
  

       Ray, keep in mind what Catholic confession is all about. It's so ritualized because Catholicism places so much importance on the penance bit. The box is there not just for you to spill beans, but to get assigned your Hail Marys et al. (God won't forgive you unless you say those Hail Mary's, you know.)   

       Protestant religions see the folly of that whole idea and got rid of the box. But the act of confession is still available to you. And depending on your denomimation, it's part of your weekly worship.
waugsqueke, May 16 2002
  

       Do you think God ever gets upset about the crap that we bring up in his name? Because THIS would be one of those things...lol
Bohemianqueen, May 16 2002
  

       If God is upset, He knows where to send the lightning bolts. No lightning? Okay, then God isn't upset. He's actually a pretty unflappable guy.
Jeremi, May 16 2002
  

       I saw on the Discovery channel a guy who got struck by lightning four different times. He's still kickin.'   

       Jeremi, just because God doesn't go postal doesn't mean He's all hunky-dory with a certain situation. There's this thing called patience...   

       Do German Catholics say 'Heil Mary?'
RayfordSteele, May 17 2002
  

       Jawohl, und der Cross icht Iron
thumbwax, May 17 2002
  
      
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