Sabbath Keeping - How Important is it?

[Anddenex]

Let me preface my question with what I was taught in my youth, what I taught ( and others ) on my mission, and what I taught while I was teaching seminary.

In my youth I was taught to keep the Sabbath day such that, until I was a teenager, any soccer, basketball, and wrestling tournament which played over Sunday we never attended. Mission life we taught families to keep the Sabbath day holy and to not work on Sunday's. Some friends mention, on their mission, that they were told to invite brothers who were barely surviving to quit their jobs and find new jobs that didn't work on Sunday.

While teaching seminary, especially on the topic of Sabbath keeping, we were invited to share a story about this story BYU football player who decided not to go into the pros because he was taught to keep the Sabbath day holy ( shared in the Ensign )

We have a wonderful video by the Church regarding the rugby player who would not play on Sunday's, so much so, that the professional league changed their schedules so he could play.

Spencer W. Kimball once declared, as the prophet, "The failure to keep the Sabbath holy is evidence of man’s failure to meet the individual test set for each of us before the creation of the world, “to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” (Abr. 3:25.)

Yet, we have a newly called GA who played professional football and did not keep the Sabbath day holy, but broke it.

On one hand we are teaching keep the Sabbath day holy. The Church provides wonderful videos of people who have kept the commandments, while on the other hand we are teaching by example that it appears breaking the Sabbath is not so bad. By precept we teach keep, by example it appears we teach it is ok to break it.

What are your thoughts on this subject matter?

[pam]

There are many professions that require people to work on Sundays. Including football players.

If working on Sundays means that someone is breaking the Sabbath then any profession that is required to work on the Sabbath would be breaking it. That would include doctors, police officers and firefighters.

Does that mean that they should then quit their chosen profession and look for something else?

Now the argument may come up that football players choose their profession because they love football. Yes that's probably true. But so do police officers and doctors and fire fighters. They too love their professions. That's why many choose those professions. I've read many stories of football players who are LDS who try and attend at least one meeting wherever they might be.

I'm not trying to say that football players are just as important as those that choose the other professions.

But if we are going to make a blanket statement it should apply to all.

[Anddenex]

The first brave soul to comment. Thank you pam for your thoughts. Your response is part of the reason for my post.

Why talk and share stories about the rugby player and Eli who could have went pro but decided not to because he remembered to keep the Sabbath day holy?

Certain professions require 24/7 facility care and are "good." Other professions, like football, basketball, are not professions necessary for life -- the sole purpose to take one of these professions is "money."

Professions which require "care" remind of the Lord's statement rhetorically asking us if it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. I think a doctor would have a very hard time telling a woman who is delivering a baby, "Woo! Stop! It is Sunday don't you dare deliver that baby on the Sabbath." A police needs to work on Sunday unfortunately due to our wicked world. Imagine if officers didn't work on Sunday's, talk about a great day for thieves and crooks, "Guys, let's wait until Sunday, we know officers don't work." I don't see these individuals as breaking the Sabbath, but truly what the Lord say regarding our "ox in the mire."

Choosing professional sports isn't an ox in the mire. Thank you pam for your response. I am sincerely trying to understand how other people view this in relation to all the talks we have been given by prophets regarding keeping the Sabbath Holy.

[Zeitgeist]

The Sabbath perfectly illustrates the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

A friend of mine is not religious but comes from a family of orthodox Jews in New York City. The family, of course, does no work at all on the Sabbath. Their small apartment in Brooklyn has one bathroom that has no windows. The family switches the bathroom light on every Friday evening and keeps it on until Sunday. The reason is that no work is permitted on Saturday, even turning on a light switch.

My friend thinks all this is ridiculous, and whenever she visits the family she "accidentally" forgets to leave the bathroom light on when she exits the room. As a result, the poor family has to use the toilet in total darkness for the rest of the day.

I heard this story and had mixed feelings for the family. (Clearly, my friend's behavior is wrong.) Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. If the family keeps lights on as constant reminder of God's instructions to honor the Sabbath, I think that's wonderful. But if they keep the lights on just out of habit and don't think about the reason behind it, then... well, I hope the men in the family can aim well in the dark.

[pam]

Here is an article by Deseret News regarding Eric Weddle who is a professional football player:

Mormon NFL safety Eric Weddle: Balancing football and faith | Deseret News

[pam]

The Sabbath perfectly illustrates the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

A friend of mine is not religious but comes from a family of orthodox Jews in New York City. The family, of course, does no work at all on the Sabbath. Their small apartment in Brooklyn has one bathroom that has no windows. The family switches the bathroom light on every Friday evening and keeps it on until Sunday. The reason is that no work is permitted on Saturday, even turning on a light switch.

My friend thinks all this is ridiculous, and whenever she visits the family she "accidentally" forgets to leave the bathroom light on when she exits the room. As a result, the poor family has to use the toilet in total darkness for the rest of the day.

I heard this story and had mixed feelings for the family. (Clearly, my friend's behavior is wrong.) Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. If the family keeps lights on as constant reminder of God's instructions to honor the Sabbath, I think that's wonderful. But if they keep the lights on just out of habit and don't think about the reason behind it, then... well, I hope the men in the family can aim well in the dark.

But yet while that might seem ridiculous to us it is part of their religion and I can respect that.

[pam]

And it's interesting to note that many professional athletes still maintain temple recommends. Even when one of the questions is:

Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?

[Anddenex]

I heard this story and had mixed feelings for the family. (Clearly, my friend's behavior is wrong.) Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. If the family keeps lights on as constant reminder of God's instructions to honor the Sabbath, I think that's wonderful. But if they keep the lights on just out of habit and don't think about the reason behind it, then... well, I hope the men in the family can aim well in the dark.

Thank you Zeitgeist also for your thoughts. I often contemplate what the Lords statement truly meant when he said the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

Within your mind and heart then do you feel that a professional sports player is living within the spirit of the law?

The spirit of the law reminds me of Elder Scott's definition he provided us when he visited my mission, "The spirit of the law is living the letter of the law in the right spirit." This is also why I don't believe doctors, police officers, and nursing home workers are breaking the Sabbath because they are living the letter of the law within the right spirit - love thy neighbor as thyself. If a person is in an extremely bad automobile accident on Saturday evening do you stop caring for him because it is Sunday at the hospital? No, we continue to care similar to pulling an ox out of the mire.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

[Anddenex]

Here is an article by Deseret News regarding Eric Weddle who is a professional football player:

Mormon NFL safety Eric Weddle: Balancing football and faith | Deseret News

Eric Weddle lives within my brother's stake in California. I played basketball in a stake tournament with him. He is a good basketball player as well as a football player.

Are we sending mixed messages to our children? We have church videos of children who have chosen not to work on the Sabbath, as examples of honoring the Lord. We also have examples of others who chose not to as leaders. I suppose that is my big question, why share all this if it really doesn't matter? And if it matters, then are we providing the best example.

Just thoughts that I ponder.

[pam]

Then we start getting into talents as well. Do we deny those that have talents in the world of sports to improve upon those talents and perhaps use them in good ways? It's not always about the sport but also how they could use their name and celebrity status to do good in the world.

We might as well come out and say that no one who is LDS should ever consider a professional in the sports field.

[Lakumi]

my job requires I be available on weekends, any retail job usually requires that. There ain't no other jobs here-and it took me months to get this.

One can say "get another job that don't require you to work on Sunday's" but not everyone is graced with such opportunities.

What do you say to them? The missionaries never mentioned that to me, when I was working in the corn (which was an every day deal).

Nothing would please me more for a job that is on the weekdays, but those are becoming harder to find, least for me.

[pam]

I get what you are saying about mixed messages. But I think it all has to do with intention as well. Does one become a professional football player to avoid going to church? Is that the intent? Is it is using their talent to provide for themselves and their families.

Many of us have had to work on Sundays. I did for years. I hated it. But it was a choice of providing for my children as a single parent or not.

What worries me is that we would start labeling people (anyone who works on Sunday) as a Sabbath breaker. Or that we would teach our children that one who chooses a particular profession is a Sabbath breaker. That's so not true in many cases.

Edited October 19, 2013 by pam

[Vort]

I suspect keeping the Sabbath day holy is a very great deal more important than any of us realizes. Does God justify playing professional sports on the Sabbath because that's the way an athlete makes money (in large piles, no less)? I don't know. The question may not even be phrased in a meaningful way. Or, then again, it's possible that if any professional athlete really understood the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy, he would immediately cease any and all Sunday activity and proclaim that no amount of financial remuneration was worth playing on Sunday for. I don't know. But I stand by my first sentence.

[Smudge]

I think it is really important - I don't think Heavenly Father would give us a commandment if it was important! I have a testimony of the importance of keeping the sabbath.

When I moved away to university - I never studied on a sunday - and only shopped once (the bus to church was exact fares which I didn't realise plus the clocks changed so had an hour nto wait in the cold so broke the note by buying a hot choc!). Anyway even when I had a Monday deadline I wouldn't study on a sunday - and I never once failed to meet a deadline or felt that my work suffered as a result.

[Anddenex]

Thank you for your responses, I will respond when I get back from some errands I am running this morning.

[Guest]

I have to make this correction:

We have a GA that USED TO... LONG TIME AGO... play professional sports on Sunday.

And here is how I see things (just my opinion).

Okay, after that... there's Family Home Evening on Mondays, right? So, what makes FHE? Because we spent the time with the family? Or that it is Monday? My family don't do FHE on Monday. We do it on different days depending on what works best for all of us.

Same thing with the Sabbath. Except... Sacrament meeting is held on Sunday. It's just a practical matter for the Sabbath to be a Sunday so that everybody can reserve that specific day to worship God in communion. Before the resurrection, Sabbath was a Saturday...

So, just because you work on a Sunday doesn't mean you can't keep the Sabbath holy. You can still reserve one day to dedicate to the work of God and still find a way, to the best of your ability, to join in that communion.

Now, of course, the ideal is that you reserve Sunday. Because then you can join all the other believers in communion who reserves Sunday for that activity. And that's what all those videos are for - to strive for the ideal. But just like the church gives allowances for a career-woman in a marital union, the church gives allowances for those whose lives veer towards a career Sunday... you do the best you can to labor in God's Kingdom.

Now, the transgression occurs when you didn't even try to find every way possible so you can keep Sunday holy... like, knowing full well that you're not going to be trying out for the MLS yet you skip out on Church because of a soccer game...

Edited October 19, 2013 by anatess

[james12]

Here are a couple of thoughts. What is the principle behind keeping the Sabbath? Is it a day to worship the Lord? A day of rest? A day to honor the covenant?

Now this scripture from Romans 14 (Not to condemn the interesting question Anddenex, just for consideration). Paul tells us to not pass judgment on disputable matters or those who are weak in the faith. One man considers one day more sacred than another, another man considers every day sacred. Who then honors the Lord? Moreover he asks, "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. " (Rom 14:4) The other man is not our servant but God's. To his master (i.e. God) he stands or falls, not to us.

I can conceive of a man changing over the years. The lesson for us could be that, if we give our hearts, the Lord accepts us where we are at and over time will convert us.

[Anddenex]

Then we start getting into talents as well. Do we deny those that have talents in the world of sports to improve upon those talents and perhaps use them in good ways? It's not always about the sport but also how they could use their name and celebrity status to do good in the world.

We might as well come out and say that no one who is LDS should ever consider a professional in the sports field.

Thank you pam. We are definitely supposed to increase in talents the Lord has given and to increase talents we have not yet discovered.

I think you ask a great question, my question in response do you think these talents could be improved upon, as with my basketball talent, on other days than the Sabbath? I know in California they have open gyms on the weekends ( including the Sabbath ); although I am not a professional player if I go to my Sunday activities and then go play on the Sabbath to increase my talent what are your thoughts?

If the professional sport is played on Sunday, then yes, I would agree; however, I definitely think the Church should keep with teaching by principle. I don't think celebrity status should allow anyone to break commandments while other are kept to them. I think we see this too much in our celebrity world and it isn't good. Celebrities receive much lesser punishments ( are allowed to abuse substances ( even within music videos ) while others who make the same choice receive harsher punishments who have actually done less. Celebrity or non-celebrity they should be held to the same standards.

[Anddenex]

my job requires I be available on weekends, any retail job usually requires that. There ain't no other jobs here-and it took me months to get this.

One can say "get another job that don't require you to work on Sunday's" but not everyone is graced with such opportunities.

What do you say to them? The missionaries never mentioned that to me, when I was working in the corn (which was an every day deal).

Nothing would please me more for a job that is on the weekdays, but those are becoming harder to find, least for me.

Lakumi, I definitely understand your dilemma and this would be between you and the Lord. I think in some of these cases we experience another "ox in the mire" and an individual must do what they need to do to survive.

God knows our personal situation and he also knows what choices are available to us. In this situation people have a choice. They can move to a place where jobs are offered only on the weekdays. They can choose to work on Sunday because there is no other option. They can choose a job that doesn't pay as well that doesn't require Sunday hours.

In these situations Lakumi, I am thankful we have a merciful God who extends his hand of mercy toward us; yet, I don't forget he is also just.

[pam]

I feel like you want to make this a black and white situation. It's not black and white. Is it up to us to judge the intent of one's heart if they choose to play a professional sport?

Then we might as well lump all sports players including Olympians. Because some of their events are also on Sundays.

And then we might as well get rid of all sports at BYU and other colleges. Because we are basically telling them..your career stops here. That is if we want to lump all who play sports into a category of Sabbath breakers.

[Anddenex]

I suspect keeping the Sabbath day holy is a very great deal more important than any of us realizes. Does God justify playing professional sports on the Sabbath because that's the way an athlete makes money (in large piles, no less)? I don't know. The question may not even be phrased in a meaningful way. Or, then again, it's possible that if any professional athlete really understood the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy, he would immediately cease any and all Sunday activity and proclaim that no amount of financial remuneration was worth playing on Sunday for. I don't know. But I stand by my first sentence.

I completely agree and feel the same way Vort.

[Anddenex]

This is why I am asking the question, "Are we sending a mixed message to our youth"? I am trying to understand the Lord, and like you in this regard, "I don't know"; however I do know that this is what we are teaching them by precept:

"Prepare during the week so that you can reserve Sunday for the many uplifting activities that are appropriate for the Sabbath day. Such activities include spending quiet time with your family, studying the gospel, fulfilling your Church callings and responsibilities, serving others, writing letters, writing in your journal, and doing family history work. Your behavior and dress on the Sabbath should show respect for the Lord and His holy day.

Sunday is not a day for shopping, recreation, or athletic events. Do not seek entertainment or make purchases on this day. Let others know what your standards are so they can support you. When seeking a job, share with your potential employer your desire to attend your Sunday meetings and keep the Sabbath day holy. Whenever possible, choose a job that does not require you to work on Sundays" ( emphasis added ).

Yet, by example, are we teaching the same thing?

P.S. Lakumi, notice the last statement that we even teach our youth "whenever possible." :)

Edited October 19, 2013 by Anddenex

[Lakumi]

Lakumi, I definitely understand your dilemma and this would be between you and the Lord. I think in some of these cases we experience another "ox in the mire" and an individual must do what they need to do to survive.

God knows our personal situation and he also knows what choices are available to us. In this situation people have a choice. They can move to a place where jobs are offered only on the weekdays. They can choose to work on Sunday because there is no other option. They can choose a job that doesn't pay as well that doesn't require Sunday hours.

In these situations Lakumi, I am thankful we have a merciful God who extends his hand of mercy toward us; yet, I don't forget he is also just.

moving is an option though I do not have the money to do it (moving back across the province -that is Ontario- is expensive)

my job pays me the lowest a job can legally pay someone, and no minimum hour guarantee so there is no going down the peg- this is the bottom rung!

[Anddenex]

I think it is really important - I don't think Heavenly Father would give us a commandment if it was important! I have a testimony of the importance of keeping the sabbath.

When I moved away to university - I never studied on a sunday - and only shopped once (the bus to church was exact fares which I didn't realise plus the clocks changed so had an hour nto wait in the cold so broke the note by buying a hot choc!). Anyway even when I had a Monday deadline I wouldn't study on a sunday - and I never once failed to meet a deadline or felt that my work suffered as a result.

Thank you Smudge, and you make a valid point that I consider also.

[Guest]

This is why I am asking the question, "Are we sending a mixed message to our youth"? I am trying to understand the Lord, and like you in this regard, "I don't know"; however I do know that this is what we are teaching them by precept:

"Prepare during the week so that you can reserve Sunday for the many uplifting activities that are appropriate for the Sabbath day. Such activities include spending quiet time with your family, studying the gospel, fulfilling your Church callings and responsibilities, serving others, writing letters, writing in your journal, and doing family history work. Your behavior and dress on the Sabbath should show respect for the Lord and His holy day.

Sunday is not a day for shopping, recreation, or athletic events. Do not seek entertainment or make purchases on this day. Let others know what your standards are so they can support you. When seeking a job, share with your potential employer your desire to attend your Sunday meetings and keep the Sabbath day holy. Whenever possible, choose a job that does not require you to work on Sundays" ( emphasis added ).

Yet, by example, are we teaching the same thing?

P.S. Lakumi, notice the last statement that we even teach our "whenever possible." :)

And you're saying that we are teaching the opposite of this by example because a GA USED TO IN THE 70'S play professional sports for 6 years?