Do you shop on Sunday ........
Work is a foundation for the formation of the family life, which is a natural right and something that man is called to do.
We are called to work and we reap the benefits of our labor to a point.
We are also called to rest and if we focus on remembering the Sabbath and resting it becomes clear that work and labor have seen drastic changes. The compendium of the social doctrine of the Church calls these changes new things in the world of work.
A new form of property has appeared capital and a new form of labor – labor for wages. In this way labor became a commodity to be freely bought and sold on the market more over the worker was not even sure of being able to sell his own commodity continually threatened as he was by unemployment.
If you are not willing to work overtime, double shifts or Sundays there are people will to sacrifices freedom and family for a pay check.
The Catechism of the Church states: God’s action is the model for human action. If God rested and was refreshed on the Seventh Day, man too should rest and let others especially the poor be refreshed.
The Sabbath is a day of Rest against servitude of work and the worship of money.
The Scripture admonishes us to observe the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Deut. 5:12
The Seventh Day is a Sabbath of solemn rest Holy is the Lord. Ex. 31:15
God has set an example with regards to man and work that we have ignored. There are those who out of necessity must work on Sunday but are provided rest during the week.
Sanctifying Sundays and Holy Days require common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others.
Sunday has become like any other day with regards to commerce. The shopping malls are open; restaurants stand ready to serve – from fast food to fine dinning. Sunday appears to be just another day. It was not always this way. There was a time in our history when Sunday was as God intended – a day of rest. What happened – what has changed that has relegated Sunday to being JUST ANOTHER DAY?
The repeal of Blue Laws. Blue Laws restricted certain activities, particularly shopping hours on Sunday. It had its root in accommodating Christians Sunday worship. Though it persists to this day more as a matter of tradition.
In recent years 40 states including Massachusetts have scaled back those laws. MIT Economist Jon Gruber just finished analyzing the effect of those changes. He says “it is quite a sticking response, they go to church less and give to church less”.
One of the main reasons given to discontinue the Blue Laws is that they are out of date for today’s society. Nothing is further from the truth. If anything they are more compatible and necessary today than at any other time in history. Sunday closing laws are compassionate legislation that is pro-family, pro-environment and pro-labor.
It is highly likely that all Blue Laws stem from the first such statute set down by Emperor Constantine.
“Let all Judges and all city people and all tradesmen rest upon the venerable day of the Sunday.”
Blue Laws date back to the Colonial Period, starting with the first Blue Law in 1610 that required the citizens of Jamestown to keep the Sabbath day holy.
But it was not until the early twentieth century that such statute became common. Church groups and some merchants association supported these measures, auguring that society would benefit if citizens were required to take a day of rest.
In 1961 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Sunday closing laws were Constitutional, since such laws were Civil and not religious in Nature.
Police found the strict enforcement was impractical and the Virginia General Assembly enacted twenty one exemptions to the Blue Laws. In 1974 the Legislation allowed each city and county the right to suspend or retain closing laws. Finally in 1988 a group of Virginia Beach businessmen initiated the case that ended Blue Laws in the state of Virginia.
One of the last remaining Blue Laws in the United States that covers virtually all selling is found in Bergan County, New Jersey. Grocery stores are allowed to operate.
Repeated attempts to lift the laws have failed. As many locals see keeping the laws on the books as a protest against increasing hours and days of commercial activity.
Texas as well as Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota continue to operate car dealerships under Blue Laws prohibitions in which an automobile may not be purchased or traded on Sunday.
Many unusual features of American custom such as the fact one can buy groceries, office supplies and house wares from a drugstore are the result of Blue Laws. Drug Stores were allowed to remain open on Sunday to accommodate emergency medical needs.
The simple fact of supply and demand led to the repeal of the Blue Laws. People were ready and willing to shop and merchants were willing to open their doors, (even on Sunday) to take their money.
Will we ever see the Blue Laws in affect again? The answer is NO.
Commerce, retailers, consumers have become accustom to buying and selling on Sunday.
It is possible for a retailer to succeed in business today and close his business on Sunday? Yes, we have an example of a retailer in Georgia who from the beginning refused to cave in to the worship of money and has closed the doors to his restaurants on Sunday. Despite his loss of Sunday revenue his business has thrived. Who is this man that has taken a stand against conventional wisdom which says “closing on Sunday is folly”?
Truitt Cathy, founder and CEO of Chick-Fil-A. Chik-Fil-A motto is - “We exist to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
The Family Christian Book Stores chain has enacted a policy of opening their doors on Sunday. As a Christian bookstore, they should feel especially obligated to close their stores on Sunday. Instead, they appear to have made a conscious decision to seek profit at the expense of others. By opening their stores, they are contributing to the weakening of the church's witness, the decay of our society and the lowering of standards.
Will we ever see Sunday as a Holy Day and an opportunity to rest? Not as long as Christians do not set the example. We leave our churches and race to our favorite restautant for Sunday Dinner. It used to be that the favorite place for dinner on Sunday was at home with family and friends. Now we rush through a Sunday service so we can get to the Piccadilly before the Baptist, who are trying to get there before the Methodist.
If we as Christians make a collective choice and honored the Lords Day by staying home we might turn the tide of supply and demand and force the closing of restaurants and stores for one day a week.
If no one enters the shop on Sunday the business owner would have no choice but to close shop. We can complain about no one horning the Lords Day but maybe a better choice of action is to honor the Lords Day ourselves and encourage others to do the same.
We are called to work and we reap the benefits of our labor to a point.
We are also called to rest and if we focus on remembering the Sabbath and resting it becomes clear that work and labor have seen drastic changes. The compendium of the social doctrine of the Church calls these changes new things in the world of work.
A new form of property has appeared capital and a new form of labor – labor for wages. In this way labor became a commodity to be freely bought and sold on the market more over the worker was not even sure of being able to sell his own commodity continually threatened as he was by unemployment.
If you are not willing to work overtime, double shifts or Sundays there are people will to sacrifices freedom and family for a pay check.
The Catechism of the Church states: God’s action is the model for human action. If God rested and was refreshed on the Seventh Day, man too should rest and let others especially the poor be refreshed.
The Sabbath is a day of Rest against servitude of work and the worship of money.
The Scripture admonishes us to observe the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Deut. 5:12
The Seventh Day is a Sabbath of solemn rest Holy is the Lord. Ex. 31:15
God has set an example with regards to man and work that we have ignored. There are those who out of necessity must work on Sunday but are provided rest during the week.
Sanctifying Sundays and Holy Days require common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others.
Sunday has become like any other day with regards to commerce. The shopping malls are open; restaurants stand ready to serve – from fast food to fine dinning. Sunday appears to be just another day. It was not always this way. There was a time in our history when Sunday was as God intended – a day of rest. What happened – what has changed that has relegated Sunday to being JUST ANOTHER DAY?
The repeal of Blue Laws. Blue Laws restricted certain activities, particularly shopping hours on Sunday. It had its root in accommodating Christians Sunday worship. Though it persists to this day more as a matter of tradition.
In recent years 40 states including Massachusetts have scaled back those laws. MIT Economist Jon Gruber just finished analyzing the effect of those changes. He says “it is quite a sticking response, they go to church less and give to church less”.
One of the main reasons given to discontinue the Blue Laws is that they are out of date for today’s society. Nothing is further from the truth. If anything they are more compatible and necessary today than at any other time in history. Sunday closing laws are compassionate legislation that is pro-family, pro-environment and pro-labor.
It is highly likely that all Blue Laws stem from the first such statute set down by Emperor Constantine.
“Let all Judges and all city people and all tradesmen rest upon the venerable day of the Sunday.”
Blue Laws date back to the Colonial Period, starting with the first Blue Law in 1610 that required the citizens of Jamestown to keep the Sabbath day holy.
But it was not until the early twentieth century that such statute became common. Church groups and some merchants association supported these measures, auguring that society would benefit if citizens were required to take a day of rest.
In 1961 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Sunday closing laws were Constitutional, since such laws were Civil and not religious in Nature.
Police found the strict enforcement was impractical and the Virginia General Assembly enacted twenty one exemptions to the Blue Laws. In 1974 the Legislation allowed each city and county the right to suspend or retain closing laws. Finally in 1988 a group of Virginia Beach businessmen initiated the case that ended Blue Laws in the state of Virginia.
One of the last remaining Blue Laws in the United States that covers virtually all selling is found in Bergan County, New Jersey. Grocery stores are allowed to operate.
Repeated attempts to lift the laws have failed. As many locals see keeping the laws on the books as a protest against increasing hours and days of commercial activity.
Texas as well as Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota continue to operate car dealerships under Blue Laws prohibitions in which an automobile may not be purchased or traded on Sunday.
Many unusual features of American custom such as the fact one can buy groceries, office supplies and house wares from a drugstore are the result of Blue Laws. Drug Stores were allowed to remain open on Sunday to accommodate emergency medical needs.
The simple fact of supply and demand led to the repeal of the Blue Laws. People were ready and willing to shop and merchants were willing to open their doors, (even on Sunday) to take their money.
Will we ever see the Blue Laws in affect again? The answer is NO.
Commerce, retailers, consumers have become accustom to buying and selling on Sunday.
It is possible for a retailer to succeed in business today and close his business on Sunday? Yes, we have an example of a retailer in Georgia who from the beginning refused to cave in to the worship of money and has closed the doors to his restaurants on Sunday. Despite his loss of Sunday revenue his business has thrived. Who is this man that has taken a stand against conventional wisdom which says “closing on Sunday is folly”?
Truitt Cathy, founder and CEO of Chick-Fil-A. Chik-Fil-A motto is - “We exist to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
The Family Christian Book Stores chain has enacted a policy of opening their doors on Sunday. As a Christian bookstore, they should feel especially obligated to close their stores on Sunday. Instead, they appear to have made a conscious decision to seek profit at the expense of others. By opening their stores, they are contributing to the weakening of the church's witness, the decay of our society and the lowering of standards.
Will we ever see Sunday as a Holy Day and an opportunity to rest? Not as long as Christians do not set the example. We leave our churches and race to our favorite restautant for Sunday Dinner. It used to be that the favorite place for dinner on Sunday was at home with family and friends. Now we rush through a Sunday service so we can get to the Piccadilly before the Baptist, who are trying to get there before the Methodist.
If we as Christians make a collective choice and honored the Lords Day by staying home we might turn the tide of supply and demand and force the closing of restaurants and stores for one day a week.
If no one enters the shop on Sunday the business owner would have no choice but to close shop. We can complain about no one horning the Lords Day but maybe a better choice of action is to honor the Lords Day ourselves and encourage others to do the same.
