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Just as a slightly silly side note: I understand the traditional phrase “breaking the Sabbath”, but I try not to use it. I just don’t think the Sabbath gets “broken” when someone doesn’t “keep it holy”. I think we can end up breaking ourselves if we don’t set aside time for rest, relaxation, sacred activities, etc. – but the phrase “breaking the Sabbath” simply doesn’t resonate with me. As in most things, I try to find wording that makes sense to me, so I don’t use this one unless I’m not thinking and fall back into traditional culture-speak.
I don’t think that is silly at all Ray. In fact, I think about a viewpoint that you allude to all the time: Most of the “commandments,” beliefs and practices we have work really great in the positive.
-Keep the Sabbath Day holy, and you will find benefit in it.
-Obey the guidance of God, and you will see Him again someday
-Families can be forever
-Following the Gospel will make you a better person
Most of these same things break down quickly with problems when you use them in the negative.
-Breaking the Sabbath Day and you will be punished
-You won’t ever see God again if you don’t obey
-You will be separated from your family and never see them again if you are not married in the temple, one chance and it’s over.
-People who don’t follow the Gospel are unhappy and are bad people.
So …
*Keep a Sabbath and make it Holy. It will bring you benefits.*
is much better than
*Don’t dare break the Sabbath!*
The original post alluded to a belief that God is watching and will be there to punish the person driving too far on the Sabbath, or swimming, or buying something, or whatever the “rule” is for breaking it. I agree more with Brian, that the principle I think we are being taught is that it benefits us from taking a break from worldly activities to focus our mind and remember our connection to God.
The idea that we just cannot expect God to protect us if we do a certain activity that is “wrong” just doesn’t resonate with me on multiple levels.
I think most couples when they first get married usually have to have this conversation as to what is and what is not appropriate for their family for the Sabbath, based on their traditions from their families, and what they decide together to adopt in their family.
I think Christ taught us not to get too caught up in Law of Moses thinking…but instead to turn inwardly and look in our hearts on how we show respect and dedication to our Heavenly Father.
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on this one… I do see keeping the Sabbath as mainly being with family and resting from work. Being from a Baptist background, the concept of Sabbath was more about going to church together, not about avoiding work, or making others work. My family goes out to lunch every Sunday like clockwork after church, it has been that way since I was in a highchair, or a crib in the church nursery! I know that eating out was not mentioned, but it can be put in the mix. I personally see nothing wrong with having a nice lunch out after church, I still do it even though I live on my own. I do not see it as breaking Sabbath since being at Church is my top priority that day and everything else follows. Also, when I leave town to see my folks in Southern CA, I am always gone durring the weekend.
Davem93703 wrote:I do not see it as breaking Sabbath since being at Church is my top priority that day and everything else follows.
My fundamentalist knee is really trying hard to jerk right now. “Calm down, Tom. Calm down. Dave is okay; you are okay.” I know why it is happening, but it’s the oddest thing, especially in light of my previous early response to this thread.
Davem93703 wrote:Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on this one…
I do see keeping the Sabbath as mainly being with family and resting from work. Being from a Baptist background, the concept of Sabbath was more about going to church together, not about avoiding work, or making others work. My family goes out to lunch every Sunday like clockwork after church, it has been that way since I was in a highchair, or a crib in the church nursery! I know that eating out was not mentioned, but it can be put in the mix. I personally see nothing wrong with having a nice lunch out after church, I still do it even though I live on my own. I do not see it as breaking Sabbath since being at Church is my top priority that day and everything else follows. Also, when I leave town to see my folks in Southern CA, I am always gone durring the weekend.
This is the way I view it as well, although I probably wouldn’t feel right about habitual dining out on Sunday — only at those times my non-member family plan it.
But there are times I will shop on Sunday as well if certain circumstances are present. For me, the purpose of the Sabbath day commandment is to make sure I personally go to Church. I don’t see that boycotting businesses on Sunday will cause a spike in Church attendance by the people who run those businesses.
Now, if we’re serious about effecting some kind of societal change in churchgoing through the Sabbath Day requirement, then to shop only at businesses which observe the sabbath day might work. It’s a bit like Jesse Jackson’s Operation BreadBasket where members of his black community would not shop at stores that would not hire blacks. But this would mean refusing to shop at stores which are open on Sunday AT ALL TIMES, which I think many Mormons would not do….
Yeah, that is unfortunate that the Mormon complex cripples many of us to believe that we are the chosen ones. When the fact is that according to the Book of Mormon if any person lives righteous he will be blessed on the land that the Lord has given them. Also the rain and the sunshine both fall upon the wicked and the righteous. We also need to remember that we are not the only ones that will be resurrected “For as in Adam all die in Christ shall ALL be made alive.” Remember “For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Additionally, In the end, according to the Apostle Paul, “EVERY knee will bend and every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ.” These principles are what I like to term as the ALL principle. Additionally, Our prophet even if he is not accepted is the Prophet unto all the world. For example, the family proclamation TO THE WORLD, was written for every nation tongue and people; not just Latter-Day Saints. Yes it is true that we have a covenant responsibility or obligation, but that means we have a higher obligation to serve those who do not belong to the church. We are supposed to be exemplary examples of Christian virtue and serve at all times and be missionaries.
However, if we fall short we are worse than many sinners because we have sinned against the greater light. (Look at the Nephite Nation). This helps me realize that I have compassion on all men and women, that I am no greater; I have to be the one stooping down to wash everyone’s feet, just like the Savior. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that publish good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good and that saith unto Zion thy God reigneth.”
I once had to stay after church to help my bishop as a teen. His eldest son was also my best friend. Needless to say the whole family and myself went to dinner at the Old Country Buffet that same Sunday. I have always hated Sundays they were more a day of work than anything and they are akin to Monday in my book. That being said for the most part I enjoy church now, and while I’ve pretty much always hated Sunday I enjoy not working and having the day off. If we all were in tents in the wilderness and or farmed the land, Sunday would be most welcome from the break of everyday life. Today Sunday and the supposed keeping it holy the LDS way is one commandment niether I nor DW keep in strict observence. Mostly sunday is spent at church and doing as we please as we are both busy and working most of the week so It’s a family and relaxation day. If relaxing includes some shopping oh well. i don’t worry about a church member seeing us shopping cause if they’re shopping well… you know the drill.
I have to agree with the concensus of the board and say Sunday is a day for family and relaxing how you do that is up to you. My feeling is God, Family, and the Gospel trumps church anyway.
I guess in my journey through mormonism I find myself caring less and less what other members and sometimes, even spacifically what leaders think about my brand of Mormonism within the raesonable confines of orthodoxy and culture. the Sabbath is kindof like God giving us a vacation day so to speak. I find that going to the ocean and reflecting the majesty of such and my awe at our Heavenly Father’s creation and my realationship with my life is a perfect lesson in the almighty and trumps listening to some wind bag at FT complaining about corns on thier feet or the last blessing they got from thier last cold or cough. I don’t wish to be so callous and I actually love FT meeting more than half the time, but sometimes worship is best observed outside of the chapel.
There are probably a lot of people that think that way. The nice thing about the church is that people are allowed to have a myriad of different perspectives on topics. I’ve heard people who thought that purchasing something from the vending machine on Sunday was a sin. Many people in my family don’t have a problem with running to the supermarket on Sunday to purchase something they want or need. Each person gets to make up their own mind on the topic and yet we all still get along. On my mission, we taught that, on Sunday, we do things that bring us closer to God and nothing else. I like that motto and I try to live by it as much as possible. I am far from perfect on it so , being the perfectionist I am, I also have to work on lightening up on myself and giving myself a break when I don’t do it the way I want to.
I don’t have a problem camping on Sunday, but I try to do things on that day that are pensive and draw me closer to God. I would tend to agree with your wife about driving a long distance that would involve me getting gas at a gas station. Since I don’t want to have to work on Sunday, I try to make it so others don’t have to work on Sunday as well if possible. This hasn’t stopped me from traveling on Sundays, but it is a goal of mine to get to the point where I can do my traveling on either the Saturday before or the Monday after.
I think that extra blessings come from trying to keep the Sabbath Day holy. God is not some vengeful God looking to punish us when we do something wrong. I think that many times, he leaves us on our own in those kinds of situations if He thinks that something positive will come out of the situation. After all, His world and His glory is our happiness. So it really doesn’t matter what other people think.
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