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Just curious, my room mate likes to go to Sunday brunch. Growing up we usually went to church and then out to dinner somewhere after. (This was before I was LDS of course) I was wondering, how do you guys feel about spending money on Sunday? In this sense I’m meaning going out to dinner or lunch with good friends, not going shopping or something like that. I don’t see a problem with it as I am with good company and still feel that I’m keeping the Sabbath day holy because I’m with good friends and having a good time. My family tries to avoid it. The main reason is that I feel one day a week should be different than all the rest. It helps Sunday stand out. In my opinion there are too many other ways to socialize that don’t require spending money. I do. I have changed my approach to the gods. I no longer believe that one day a week should be set aside as special…I now believe I need to honor the gods EVERYDAY of the week as if they are special.
The idea if a Sabbath no longer works for me…it just feels to pharasicial to me.
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After experimenting with making Sunday just another day, I have decided I like having a Sabbath in my life. However, I will spend money when I need to…and not feel terrible about it. I try to avoid it. I like the thought of everyone not having to work at least one day a week. Generally not, since I like the idea of a distinct Sabbath day of rest from “the cares of the world” – but I will do so without any sense of guilt when necessary or for a special occasion – or if I’m with people who are not Sabbath-observers. For example, when we moved across the country this summer, we were able to get together with my parents and two siblings and their families. The only day we could make it work was Sunday, and attending church just wasn’t possible given our required travel schedule.
So, we met at a restaurant in Oklahoma City, ate a late breakfast/early lunch together and spent some relaxed time talking and enjoying the company. We then went our own ways – with my family getting back into the moving truck and van and driving for a few hours to our hotel in Texas for the night. We bought dinner when we arrived.
My second son is diabetic, and my wife needs to eat regularly or face physical issues. If we are away from home on Sunday and one of them needs to eat, I have no problem stopping and buying something – even though we try to have snacks with us for situations like that.
When it comes to my parents we aren’t super strict when it comes to spending money on Sunday. Because of the business at church and my parents being in their 70s with their health problems, eating out after church is the only way we can really unwind. Spending money or not spending money has not been a big determining factor in a holy sabbath day for me. What I may spend money on or not does impact the day for me and my family.
I grew up with sort of a strict policy of no spending on Sunday, though I’m not sure where this came from, because my parents weren’t that strict about it. Perhaps it was influenced by stories like the one about the father who walked a long way to church on Sunday instead of driving his car so he didn’t have to buy gasoline on Sunday. But at BYU, you can buy dinner on Sunday at the two cafeterias, and it’s a more expensive meal that it is on any other day. KSL and Deseret News operate on Sunday. As I understood it, the reason for not spending money on Sunday was so that people didn’t have to work on Sunday, but the Church (and I assume you) consumes electricity on Sunday for lighting and air conditioning etc. which requires people at the power plant to work on Sunday, so some people have to work on Sunday to allow Church meetings to proceed. So the Sunday work/Sunday money spending issue has been confusing for me. I try not to as a family. I don’t have a problem with it when I need to, and I’m not the most strict sabbath day observer. Meaning, music and television don’t change for us on the Sabbath Day, although my wife and daughter tend to put on spiritual music that day as personal observances. As a family, we stay at home and spend time together — and it can be cycling, running, swimming, or other recreational activities as long as it doesn’t expand to include friends. Naps figure prominently on Sunday afternoons, If we need something on the Sabbath day from the store, we try to go without it or substitute something for it that is already in the house. If we need, it we, buy it without guilt, but my wife really discourages it.
I have at times waited until 12:01 am Monday and hoofed it up to the 24 Hour Department Store near my home when it is something I don’t really need, but want immediately. But I don’t have a problem with spending money on Sunday if its necessary.
I had to teach the Sabbath Day in HP group and it was hard because my views are more liberal than the average bear. I focused on how it’s a matter of conscience, and gave quote after quote about individual freedom to worship God as one’s conscience dictates, while still considering the words of the prophets and all the correlated literature.
I got through it be focusing on the exceptions and not the rule.
I liked “The Sabbath World” by Judith Shulevitz. Don’t know if it’s out in paper yet. For me, I do prefer it when Sunday is different than other days. I find that relaxes me on a whole new level to get ready for the work week. Saturday is relaxing, but not nearly as much as the way I handle my Sunday. It’s not about spending money, but as someone who has had to work on Sundays when I was poor & struggling, I try to avoid making others work on Sunday when I can. I’ll spend money at a vending machine, pay @ the pump gas, buy something online even. But I try to avoid making another person have to go to work to serve my needs, so I generally wouldn’t go shopping or to a restaurant. There are exceptions, though. When I’m travelling, obviously (hotels, restaurants, airports – although we are very liberal in how we choose how to spend our vacation time, and I do pretty much treat Sunday like another day on vacation to maximize our sunk cost), if I need to take a taxi, train, or bus, or if someone is sick (store, pharmacy, doctor, hospital). There are some types of jobs that are just going to have to work Sundays. And when/if I’ve had to do that, I don’t beat myself up about it.
Cadence wrote:I try to avoid it. I like the thought of everyone not having to work at least one day a week.
I am with Cadence on this one and pretty much everyone else. I couldn’t help but laugh at seeing this topic when (today is Sunday) I spent an arm and a leg filling my car with gas for a trip
😆 no guilt here whatsoever.As long as you feel like it doesn’t take away from the day for you I wouldn’t worry. Just don’t voice that around TBMs
:shh: unless you want to rock the boat😈 red1988 wrote:As long as you feel like it doesn’t take away from the day for you I wouldn’t worry.
Yes. And by the way, spending money on Sunday, or pursuing any other lawful activity for that matter, does not
necessarilyequate to not “keeping the Sabbath”. Generally I don’t out of habit and its how everyone around me lives. When we travel it is not an issue. I don’t think “not spending money” is the heart of the sabbath, but it is one show of effort that we give.
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