Seventh Day Adventist question

**Katie1723** · #1 May 25, '05, 4:35 am

Since they celebrate the Sabbath Saturday and say it is solely the Lord's Day, they do nothing that is secular. I asked my partner, who is SDA to stop on the way home from his church so I could get a cup of coffee. He said he couldn't as this was a secular activity. HE wouldn't be buying, I would. Needless to say, we didn't stop. I didn't make a bigh deal out of it, but it made me wonder, do SDA's do absolutely NOTHING secular on Saturday? He won't even watch secular TV.
Thanks,
~ Kathy ~

**mercygate** · #2 May 25, '05, 5:19 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie1723

Since they celebrate the Sabbath Saturday and say it is solely the Lord's Day, they do nothing that is secular. I asked my partner, who is SDA to stop on the way home from his church so I could get a cup of coffee. He said he couldn't as this was a secular activity. HE wouldn't be buying, I would. Needless to say, we didn't stop. I didn't make a bigh deal out of it, but it made me wonder, do SDA's do absolutely NOTHING secular on Saturday? He won't even watch secular TV.
Thanks,
~ Kathy ~

Man! My Orthodox Jewish friends are also strict Sabbath observers. It's a good example, and I aim to take on a little more of that . . .
You make it sound like a bad thing. Sounds wonderful to me.

**Katie1723** · #3 May 25, '05, 4:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mercygate

You make it sound like a bad thing. Sounds wonderful to me.

Your interpretation I am afraid...I was merely asking the question if ANY secular activity is allowed. That's all. All I wanted was a cup of coffee.
~ Kathy ~

Malachi4U · #4 May 25, '05, 4:53 pm

All my SDA friends to just about everything on Saturday (Friday dusk to Saturday dusk) except make money at a job!

They camped, they went out to eat, they went to movies, some ate meat, etc... They never even stopped bad mouthing the Catholic Church, Christs body (I guess this one is allmost required?).

I don't know the official policy but I do know the practice of it's members.

**Katie1723** · #5 May 25, '05, 5:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malachi4U

All my SDA friends to just about everything on Saturday (Friday dusk to Saturday dusk) except make money at a job!

They camped, they went out to eat, they went to movies, some ate meat, etc... They never even stopped bad mouthing the Catholic Church, Christs body (I guess this one is allmost required?).

I don't know the official policy but I do know the practice of it's members.

Thanks Malachi for your answer. I was wondering if this is a "rule" of some sort or what.
~ Kathy ~

SDA2RC · #6 May 25, '05, 5:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie1723

Since they celebrate the Sabbath Saturday and say it is solely the Lord's Day, they do nothing that is secular. I asked my partner, who is SDA to stop on the way home from his church so I could get a cup of coffee. He said he couldn't as this was a secular activity. HE wouldn't be buying, I would. Needless to say, we didn't stop. I didn't make a bigh deal out of it, but it made me wonder, do SDA's do absolutely NOTHING secular on Saturday? He won't even watch secular TV.
Thanks,
~ Kathy ~

Kathy,
Generally SDA's are encouraged or even told to leave all secular, non-mandatory work and activities for the other 6 days of the week. Watching TV, secular Radio, sports events, movies, malls, buying gas, cooking food, etc..etc.. are some examples of what many if not most SDA's refrain from doing on Saturday.

The idea is that the day is to be Holy and very different than the other 6 days each week, therefore they should abstain from doing the things on Saturday that are done the other six days per week. In addition, SDA's are supposed to refrain from coffee... therefore you had a double whammie against you.. LOL

The SDA church manual explains it like this:
"The Sabbath hours belong to God, and are to be used for Him alone. Our own pleasure, our own words, our own business, our own thoughts, should find no place in the observance of the Lord's day (Isa. 58:13). Let us gather round the family circle at sunset and welcome the holy Sabbath with prayer and song, and let us close the day with prayer and expressions of gratitude for His wondrous love. The Sabbath is a special day for worship in the home and in the church, a day of joy to ourselves and our children, a day in which to learn more of God through the Bible and the great lesson

Page 164

book of nature. It is a time to visit the sick and to work for the salvation of souls. The ordinary affairs of the six working days should be laid aside. No unnecessary work should be performed. Secular reading or secular broadcasts should not occupy our time on God's holy day."
http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/chu...ter13.html#163

Hope this helps.

Brandon

Subrosa · #7 May 25, '05, 9:52 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie1723

Since they celebrate the Sabbath Saturday and say it is solely the Lord's Day, they do nothing that is secular. I asked my partner, who is SDA to stop on the way home from his church so I could get a cup of coffee. He said he couldn't as this was a secular activity. HE wouldn't be buying, I would. Needless to say, we didn't stop. I didn't make a bigh deal out of it, but it made me wonder, do SDA's do absolutely NOTHING secular on Saturday? He won't even watch secular TV.
Thanks,
~ Kathy ~

Hi Kathy!

I've got a question...Isn't driving a car a secular activity? Or can they be selective about it? How about meals? Or dressing? Going to the bathroom?

Suppose you can make any of these activities sacred by praying about/for/over them. Can one do it to any activity?

Subrosa

**Katie1723** · #8 May 26, '05, 4:07 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Hi Kathy!

I've got a question...Isn't driving a car a secular activity? Or can they be selective about it? How about meals? Or dressing? Going to the bathroom?

Suppose you can make any of these activities sacred by praying about/for/over them. Can one do it to any activity?

Subrosa

I can't figure them out. But it's ok.They are entitled to their beliefs as we are to ours. I just find it strange sometimes. I don't know how they justify one thing over another, but I do respect them. And the deil in me loves watching them squirm when I start praying the rosary in the middle of their services!
~ Kathy ~

**mercygate** · #9 May 26, '05, 5:49 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Hi Kathy!

I've got a question...Isn't driving a car a secular activity? Or can they be selective about it? How about meals? Or dressing? Going to the bathroom?

Suppose you can make any of these activities sacred by praying about/for/over them. Can one do it to any activity?

Subrosa

Orthodox Jews do not drive on the Sabbath. Or turn on an electric light or light the stove. Going to the bathroom: They will not tear toilet paper, so they have it laid out in sheets . . .

SDA2RC · #10 May 26, '05, 6:28 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Hi Kathy!

I've got a question...Isn't driving a car a secular activity? Or can they be selective about it? How about meals? Or dressing? Going to the bathroom?

Suppose you can make any of these activities sacred by praying about/for/over them. Can one do it to any activity?

Subrosa

Driving a car is generally considered neutral if being done for non-secular reasons. SDA's are encouraged to not travel needlessly on the Sabbath. Some activities are required for functioning, eating, dressing, using the bathroom, these are somewhat natural, not necessarily secular in nature. Police, firemen/women, EMT's, Nurses, Doctors etc. are also excused from not working if needed, because they are required for the health of the community.. ie. "if you ox falls into a canal..."

Brandon

Arglaze · #11 Sep 3, '08, 12:03 pm

Couple of points on this, and I'm glad someone brought it up:

1. I'm an SDA. It is a dangerous trap to get too particular as to the rituals, forms and traditions of the Sabbath. That was the problem that the Jews in Jesus' days had and we need not become too concern with those technicalities. There's just about every excuse to say why something should or shouldn't be done on the Sabbath and I see SDAs falling into that trap constantly. And they miss the Bigger Picture of what the Sabbath is.

2. Most Catholics don't know, but the Sunday was to be kept just like the Jewish Sabbath was by orders of the Pope and Emperor Constantine (not gonna go too much into the history). But up till recently Catholics have slacked on what the proper observance of the Sunday was, which was just as rigorous as Sabbath keeping, abstaining from secularities, etc. In my country which is a Catholic country, up to 2 generations ago that i can see, Catholics kept the Sunday the same way the rigorous Sabbath was kept. Because of all this forms the real purpose behind the Saturday Sabbath was lost.

3. Trying to keep it as simple as I can. God gave us the Sabbath as a day of rest and refreshing and as a memorial of the 7 day creation week. He made the world in 6 days and rested the 7th day. The Sabbath was not meant to go into a whole bunch of technicalities as to what shouldn't be done on the Sabbath, thats falling into men's game of "I am holier than thou". Which I'm the first one to admit, SDAs including myself at one time, do more than anyone.

4. The Sabbath is a memorial of God's creative power, and it demands, in that day, that we commune with and consider Him as our Maker and acknowledge his creative power to save humanity, which is the same power that framed all the worlds into existence. The power to create out of a sinful miserable creature like me, a righteous being that will through eternity be to His praise and glory.
Therefore, being that the purpose of the Sabbath, anything that takes our eyes of from God in that particular day, causes us to sin against him. And yes, including myself, we all get easily distracted with many things that takes our eyes away from God and therefore we break His Sabbath (school, work, even camping done the wrong way, hiking, etc.) For the most part, people don't need to be told what takes their eyes of from Jesus in the Sabbath, people already know when they are doing something that is secular in nature. You could even be in church and be distracted with people talking about a bunch of stuff that doesn't bring you closer to God. So worshiping God on the Sabbath and learning of Him in Nature or the Bible to further our knowledge of His Love and salvation is the real purpose of the Sabbath.

5. In that light then, I am not surprised that people leave churches when they are forced to follow so many man made rules (the technicalities). I by no means excuse anyone who knowingly breaks the Sabbath, in light of what I said previously, and what the Sabbath really stands for. But I will refrain from condemning anyone since that's not my job, the Bible already does that work.

6. I'm not attacking anyone in a personal level, but the Sunday worship unlike the Sabbath was appointed by tradition, and any priest that's studied catholic history will tell you that, I know because in my country I was forced to study catholicism in school. That Makes the keeping of the 'Sunday' a man made institution. However, if keeping the Sunday is your conviction, then keep it the way it should be kept. Doing good to others and keeping your eyes on God and studying the Scriptures, not in secular activities. And I repeat, no one needs to be told what is secular activities, most people that have a sense of religion already know.

By the way, I have scripture texts for every point presented here, I just didn't want to crowd this with a bunch of them.

May God bless you and the Spirit of Christ be with you always

<< Ariel >>

bpbasilphx · #12 Sep 3, '08, 12:35 pm

Note the following:

One of the forbidden works on the Sabbath, according to the Bible, is the lighting of fires.

Now, just how does your SDA friend's car run, except by lighting hundreds of fires a minute?

If he drives his car on the Sabbath, he is actually VIOLATING the commandment!

bpbasilphx · #13 Sep 3, '08, 12:37 pm

**2. Most Catholics don't know, but the Sunday was to be kept just like the Jewish Sabbath was by orders of the Pope and Emperor Constantine (not gonna go too much into the history).**

Question: Which pope? Please be specific.

Arglaze · #14 Sep 3, '08, 7:54 pm

Again if you get caught up in the technicalities of lighting fire and a car lighting fire to run being breaking the Sabbath. There's just about every excuse to say getting up from bed on a Sabbath is working because you're lifting your weight.

Jesus said (briefly): who that has cattle in danger would go out of his way to save it? And if you've worked with cows like I have, you know its hard work.

If we go back to the technical issues you miss the point about the Sabbath. The Sabbath stands as a memorial of the 7 days creation, and demand our attention in that day toward God.
If we want to think like Pharisees, sure turning on a car on Sabbath is work. If we want to follow Jesus advice, it is proper to do good in the Sabbath.

**mercygate** · #15 Sep 4, '08, 5:23 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arglaze

Again if you get caught up in the technicalities of lighting fire and a car lighting fire to run being breaking the Sabbath. There's just about every excuse to say getting up from bed on a Sabbath is working because you're lifting your weight.

Jesus said (briefly): who that has cattle in danger would go out of his way to save it? And if you've worked with cows like I have, you know its hard work.

If we go back to the technical issues you miss the point about the Sabbath. The Sabbath stands as a memorial of the 7 days creation, and demand our attention in that day toward God.
If we want to think like Pharisees, sure turning on a car on Sabbath is work. If we want to follow Jesus advice, it is proper to do good in the Sabbath.

This is a very Catholic view of 'sabbatarian' observance. Catholics and other Christians do it on Sunday because Christ, Himself, is the grat Sabbath rest. In practical terms, I believe we lose a great deal by treating it solely as a day of worship. Setting aside a day for family fellowship, for restful study of the Word, for perhaps doing a purely charitable spiritual work of mercy . . . that would "keep holy" the Lord's Day.

I live in one of the last bastions of Sunday blue laws. That's a good thing.