Is Watching or Playing Sports on the Sabbath O.K.?

[Carl62]

After reading the thread on 'traveling on the sabbath', I was wondering how this applies to sports. Is watching or playing sports on the Sabbath o.k.?

[Blackmarch]

After reading the thread on 'traveling on the sabbath', I was wondering how this applies to sports. Is watching or playing sports on the Sabbath o.k.?

Does it help you come closer to God, and do the things Jesus would have you do?

[beefche]

As with most things, it's between you and the Lord. Make a decision and then take that decision to the Lord for approval.

[JudoMinja]

How we interpret keep the Sabbath holy is completely left up to the individual. We are told to keep the Sabbath holy. There have been many talks which clarify that keeping the Sabbath holy means doing things that will bring us closer to God- things that focus on Him and worship Him. There have been many suggestions for things to do- go to church, read scriptures, visit the sick, engage in service, etc.

However, leaders have said little, if anything, about what we should not do. I believe we've been instructed not to shop... but other than that, we are left to "govern ourselves".

Personally- I think watching/playing sports is something to be avoided on Sunday. But there are many members who disagree with me. It's between you and the Lord. As long as you feel you are keeping the "spirit" of the Sabbath and focusing on the works and rest of God, nobody gets to tell you exactly what you should and shouldn't do.

[Guest]

There's a reason God invented Tivo.

[Traveler]

I would suggest one's Sabbath priorities have a great deal to do with what is in one's heart. For example I believe there is a great deal of difference depending on how one plans their Sabbath and priorities activities. For example, if they plan around the renewing of their covenants (sacrament) or the Superbowl.

The Traveler

[Tyler90AZ]

Let me pose a few questions

What if somebody only finds joy in football? Did God not command his children to be happy? What about if he continuously thanks God well watching football on Sunday? Is being grateful not a commandment and draws one closer to God?

The hardest thing about being a member of The Church is not watching sports on Sunday, I fail about 60% of the time.

[Captain_Curmudgeon]

OK on the Sabbath, not so clear on Sunday.

[Vort]

After reading the thread on 'traveling on the sabbath', I was wondering how this applies to sports. Is watching or playing sports on the Sabbath o.k.?

Ours is not a religion of bean-counting and sin-tracking. Ours is a religion of becoming, of approaching God and claiming blessings by living the laws that bring those blessings.

We do not, or at least should not, need long lists of 623 rules that we adhere to so that we can keep from offending God. Admittedly, this is how we teach our children and our new converts. Those who are still tender in spiritual growth need guidelines to help them develop maturity. But eventually, we move beyond needing lists and rules for everything. We live by principle.

It is my opinion that watching and participating in Sunday sports does not lead to increased communion with the Spirit. Church-owned educational institutions have always avoided Sunday competition. We have received counsel and examples not to play Sunday sports. But in the end, it's between you and the Lord. Bishops don't ask in temple recommend interviews if you play sports or shop or travel or work on Sunday.

If we deeply desire to commune with the Lord, I think we will order our lives so as to maximize that communion. The Sabbath day is clearly very important in gaining that communion, established as it was from the very beginning. Of course, we should not worship the Sabbath day itself; it was created for us, not vice versa. But my observation is that our generation is in little danger of falling into the worship of the Sabbath day itself, and that in fact we would do much better to pay it more heed.

[Leah]

Ours is not a religion of bean-counting and sin-tracking. Ours is a religion of becoming, of approaching God and claiming blessings by living the laws that bring those blessings.

We do not, or at least should not, need long lists of 623 rules that we adhere to so that we can keep from offending God. Admittedly, this is how we teach our children and our new converts. Those who are still tender in spiritual growth need guidelines to help them develop maturity. But eventually, we move beyond needing lists and rules for everything. We live by principle.

It is my opinion that watching and participating in Sunday sports does not lead to increased communion with the Spirit. Church-owned educational institutions have always avoided Sunday competition. We have received counsel and examples not to play Sunday sports. But in the end, it's between you and the Lord. Bishops don't ask in temple recommend interviews if you play sports or shop or travel or work on Sunday.

If we deeply desire to commune with the Lord, I think we will order our lives so as to maximize that communion. The Sabbath day is clearly very important in gaining that communion, established as it was from the very beginning. Of course, we should not worship the Sabbath day itself; it was created for us, not vice versa. But my observation is that our generation is in little danger of falling into the worship of the Sabbath day itself, and that in fact we would do much better to pay it more heed.

I think a lot of people forget that the Church does give counsel and examples on this subject and many others, and I appreciate you bringing that up, Vort. And I think that many investigators and others outside the Church get the impression from the repeated "it's between you and the Lord" that there are NO guidelines/expectations and that anything goes as long as one states that God told them it's okay to...fill in the blank.....not wear your garments if you don't want to.....play sports/shop, etc. on the Sabbath, drink coffee, drink light beer......

Yeah...I know I'll get flamed for this post, because it goes against the "anything goes" mantra. But I'm one of those crazy people who does believe that there ARE activities that are not in the spirit of the Sabbath. And, yes, I know all about free agency, etc. I just don't buy into the thought that the 'rules' are for everyone else, but I get a special pass.

If you think keeping the Sabbath according to the guidelines of the Church is too difficult to maintain, try being an Orthodox Jew keeping the Sabbath. After that, what the Church/Heavenly Father would ask of us is a piece of cake! And there are amazing blessings to be had.

[JudoMinja]

I think a lot of people forget that the Church does give counsel and examples on this subject and many others, and I appreciate you bringing that up, Vort. And I think that many investigators and others outside the Church get the impression from the repeated "it's between you and the Lord" that there are NO guidelines/expectations and that anything goes as long as one states that God told them it's okay to...fill in the blank.....not wear your garments if you don't want to.....play sports/shop, etc. on the Sabbath, drink coffee, drink light beer......

Yeah...I know I'll get flamed for this post, because it goes against the "anything goes" mantra. But I'm one of those crazy people who does believe that there ARE activities that are not in the spirit of the Sabbath. And, yes, I know all about free agency, etc. I just don't buy into the thought that the 'rules' are for everyone else, but I get a special pass.

If you think keeping the Sabbath according to the guidelines of the Church is too difficult to maintain, try being an Orthodox Jew keeping the Sabbath. After that, what the Church/Heavenly Father would ask of us is a piece of cake! And there are amazing blessings to be had.

I don't think that the "it's between you and the Lord" line means that anything goes. Some may take it that way, certainly. They will see it as an excuse to not be diligent in their efforts to draw closer to him- trying to "justify a little sin". I agree that there are things we are told to refrain from, things we are told to do, and we should follow through. We shouldn't take "it's between you and the Lord" to mean that we can make justifications for ourselves. We should take it to mean that we are supposed to do our own study on the topic and come to our own conclusions.

I just don't agree with other members telling me or someone else what they are supposed to be doing or judging someone because they think they are doing wrong. We are told many times by our leaders that these things are between ourselves and the Lord, on just about every topic. I think this just means that leaders aren't going to sit here and nit-pick over every little thing or condemn someone for believing they are an exception to a certain rule.

There is certainly nothing wrong with offering personal opinions or providing information on a topic from the scriptures or prophets- I was glad to see Vort's examples of what we are specifically taught to avoid on the Sabbath because it's been awhile since I've thought about this particular topic. But it is up to the individual to take these words to heart and apply it to their own life how they see fit. If someone chooses to do something I personally think is wrong, it is not my place to judge. I can share my opinion, share prophetic counsel that supports my opinion, but then if that person still disagrees with me, I just shrug my shoulders and move on.

[LittleWyvern]

I think a lot of people forget that the Church does give counsel and examples on this subject and many others, and I appreciate you bringing that up, Vort. And I think that many investigators and others outside the Church get the impression from the repeated "it's between you and the Lord" that there are NO guidelines/expectations and that anything goes as long as one states that God told them it's okay to...fill in the blank.....not wear your garments if you don't want to.....play sports/shop, etc. on the Sabbath, drink coffee, drink light beer......

I think if somebody starts saying that, then they've entirely missed the point or they don't care too much about what God wants them to do. When we say that it's "between you and the Lord," there's an assumed intrinsic relationship with the Lord here. Part of becoming closer to Christ is being able to understand His will more and more. Developing a relationship with Christ in our religion is helped by our belief in a knowable, relate-able Christ, not somebody who is entirely unknowable or incomprehensible. So, that phrase only works if one believes that you really can find out what the Lord wants you to do in a certain situation. To someone that doesn't believe this, the phrase "between you and the Lord" is meaningless, and leads to the misapplication of it as you described.

Yeah...I know I'll get flamed for this post, because it goes against the "anything goes" mantra. But I'm one of those crazy people who does believe that there ARE activities that are not in the spirit of the Sabbath. And, yes, I know all about free agency, etc. I just don't buy into the thought that the 'rules' are for everyone else, but I get a special pass.

I don't see how anybody would be flamed for that: of course there are activities that are not in the spirit of keeping the sabbath day holy. Some are fairly obvious. But confusion can arise when person X says that activity A is not good for the sabbath and person Y says that it is, and activity A is one of those borderline things that people often worry about. This confusion can be alleviated by realizing the point of "between you and the Lord:" that is, we communicate with the Lord and find an answer that depends on our specific circumstances. Then, despite person X and person Y having a disagreement on activity A, they can both appreciate that neither of them are trying to get a "special pass" or that one is keeping the sabbath day "better" than the other: they're both keeping the sabbath day the best they know how, according to what they feel the Lord wants them to do. Of course, if neither person X nor person Y really tried to find out what the Lord wanted them to do, then this discussion is meaningless, but I do think it's possible that the Lord can give different answers to different people: intrinsically here the Lord knows us all individually, and knows how best we can grow and what level we're currently on as far as spiritual progression goes. What is best for person X might be slightly different for person Y, and that's fine. Sure, we are given few specific rules, but I think they're there more to point us to the spiritual point of the sabbath day: to give us a day to remember what God has done for us. How we accomplish that is best determined on an individual basis, and involving careful study and prayer. After all, if we want to become closer to God, who better to ask how to do this than God Himself?

[pam]

I have 3 adult children who still live at home. Yet they are hardly ever home. However there are times when I have all of them there on Sunday. If a certain football team happens to be playing we will watch it after having dinner. Its one of the rare times that I get all of them there at the same time and can enjoy their company. I don't regret nor do I in any way feel guilty over it either.

[lizzy16]

If sports is a bonding family activity I think its fine personally as Pam suggested.

I remember one Sunday being at home and my sister wanted to play frisbe and soccer. And, my parents were both home. For a while my mom was working 40 hours a week and going to school full time. Life was really hectic and we never much saw each other.

I remember really clearly all of us being outside, playing frisbee and then soccer. And then croquet. And then we went on the trampoline together and my dad told stories :)

As a kid I have a lot of memories of fun things with my parents. But, my sister basically has a separate childhood then I did. My parents are both now in school full time so they're always busy studying ect. For my sister, that day was great and I'm sure she still remembers it. Anytime we can get all the family outside playing we always have fun. I can't wait to go home and play soccer with my siblings :) And, if that means playing on a Sunday because my brother works nights and is always asleep during the day. Then, I'm all for it.

[Dravin]

If sports is a bonding family activity I think its fine personally as Pam suggested.

I grew up with a tradition of going to Grandma's house on Sundays for ice cream and time with extended family. Us kids would either spend a fair amount of time playing kick ball or wiffle-ball in the summer or sledding and general playing in the snow in the winter. I never felt there was anything inappropriate about it because it was a bonding activity.

Edited July 26, 2012 by Dravin

[skalenfehl]

If the Israelites had cable TV, you bet they'd be watching or playing sports on Sunday. And every day. They wouldn't need a golden calf or any idols.

Here's another question to consider--Is visiting the afflicted on the Sabbath ok?

Let's not split hairs like the Jews did and instead let's follow Jesus Christ.

Edited March 25, 2012 by skalenfehl

[dahlia]

It seems that the Sabbath should be a day of rest and for being with family. If, after you've gone to church, you want to watch a sports event - and your family would like to do it too - I don't see a problem. If you come home and lock yourself in your man cave and watch sports for the next 6 hours, that's a problem.

I don't see why you have to spend the day reading scripture or singing hymns. If you want to, fine, but considering the amount of work we all do each week, I think a day of rest should be what ever that means for you, as long as you've met your church obligations.

[mordorbund]

On Mordorbund's day, playing sports is encouraged (where golf is not considered a sport, but hiking is) while viewing sports is highly inappropriate (golf is still not included as a sport here, but is still highly inappropriate). In your specific case, it's ok for you to watch pick-up games, but not organized sports (I know it sometimes encourages you to jump into the fray).

Now for the Lord's day, I recommend you ask Him what He recommends for your case. Ask again even if you've asked recently - sometimes standards change as we change.

[skalenfehl]

Presiding Bishop H. David Burton said: “Now, I know it’s hard, particularly for our young people, to choose to observe the Sabbath day when athletic teams on which they so much want to participate regularly schedule games on Sunday. I too know it seems trivial to many who are in need of just a few items on the Sabbath to quickly stop at a convenience store to make a Sunday purchase. But I also know that remembering to keep the Sabbath day holy is one of the most important commandments we can observe in preparing us to be the recipients of the whisperings of the Spirit” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 9; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 9).

President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected” (Ensign, Jan. 1978, 4).

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Let the Latter-day Saints be in their homes, teaching their families, reading the scriptures, doing things that are wholesome and beautiful and communing with the Lord on the Sabbath day” (“Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, July 1996, 73).

And if we read in the Book of Mormon we will read that the converted Nephites and Lamanites devoted themselves to much fasting and praying. And when Christ visited them and gave them the law of the Sabbath, they observed it. For three generations, anyway.

[bcguy]

There are times, even on Sundays, where the tv is not on. Wife is listening to conference while I am scanning ldsnet for interesting subjects. I would prefer to spend time with relatives on a Sunday then doing something else that keeps me away from people.

BTW, while the church abhors working on Sundays, what about a really long walk? Its partly sunny outside and feel like taking to the street with the dog :)

[Scovy]

I'm just going to add on a little from what Volt said. We don't live the law of Moses any more and the church will not come out with a commandment on everything we do. The church has given us great counsel on how to observe the sabbath. I use the watch TV all the time growing up on Sunday and being married now for several years my Wife and I decided TV stays off on Sunday. I quite enjoy it now. I have relatives that watch nothing but football on Sunday and are fully faithful in the church. Decisions like this are personal and should be best observed to what you think is right with the Lord.

[ImCherie]

Hi

Im Cherie (as my user name suggests) I live in Southern California, and I teach the

relief society lesson on the 3rd Sunday of the month. I have been preparing the lesson

on taking the sacrament, and keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. So I have been looking

into sports and the sabbath. that brought me here.

[Anddenex]

I have 3 adult children who still live at home. Yet they are hardly ever home. However there are times when I have all of them there on Sunday. If a certain football team happens to be playing we will watch it after having dinner. Its one of the rare times that I get all of them there at the same time and can enjoy their company. I don't regret nor do I in any way feel guilty over it either.

OOH, OOH, it's the San Diego Chargers? I win!

[Anddenex]

My experience with keeping the Sabbath Day Holy:

First, upon returning home from my mission I sought to obey the Sabbath by reading scriptures, serving, studying, and I wouldn't use the Sabbath as a day for studying my secular school work (why did those who study on the Sabbath have better grades? )

I remained in my church cloths studying while hearing screams for the Jazz games, other sports teams, etc... by good wholesome young men, and young women. This didn't affect my rose colored glasses though.

Second, the next three questions I have found I can answer "Yes" to:

1. Does anybody know a Bishop who watches sports on Sunday?

2. Does anybody know a Stake President who watches sports on Sunday?

3. Does anybody know a General Authority who watches sports on Sunday?

These are my Shepherds. These are the individuals my Lord had called to lead me by precept and example, yet, knowingly the Lord called individuals to leadership who some would say are surely breaking the Sabbath Day and are not keeping it Holy. My rose colored glasses begin to take a different hue.

Third, upon being married and having children for a long time we watched neighbors get together on the Sabbath while we stayed home, we were honoring the Sabbath, they weren't. Until a friend went out of his way to make sure we attended. I never felt a loss of the spirit when I attended neighborhood get togethers on the Sabbath and enjoying a few sport games. After the game, or activity, sometimes it turned into a really insightful and wholesome religious conversation. We don't have any cable at home, so not watching sports was easy, unless we were invited to a friends house.

Conclusion, as other people have shared, the decision of honoring the Sabbath is between the Lord and the individual. If a person feels not watching sports is not honoring the Sabbath, great! If a person feels watching sports on the Sabbath with family or neighborhood friends is not dishonoring the Sabbath, great!

In the end, I will stand before my Lord and receive my reward. My bet, there will be people in the highest degree of glory, within the highest tier, who watched sports up to the day they died.

[skalenfehl]

What is the point of having prophets and prophecy if we do not obey? Now this post is not intended to criticize or blame; only to cast a stronger light. I don't care to dispute. Each man decides for himself anyway as it should be. We believe in Jesus Christ. But do we believe Jesus Christ? We believe in the prophets and apostles. But do we believe the prophets and apostles? Do we really believe that we'll keep company with them who were meek and submissive and obeyed the Lord every whit? The wise virgins were busy filling their lamps while the foolish virgins slept.