[X-USAF]

In my mind, the jury is still out on this one.

I would love to hear spirited comments over this.

Almost forgot, I hope all had a very Merry Christmas!

[dubyagee]

Christians are supposed to practice what they preach. And I personally believe the practice part is more important than the preach part. "Everyone else does it" is not a good excuse for Christians. And I don't expect God will pay much mind to it on judgement day.

[exmarine]

Definitely food for thought. If a Christian wants to keep the Sabbath holy, how is that defined? Should a Christian conform to all the Sabbath laws in Leviticus? If not, is it still keeping the Sabbath holy? Who defines what a holy Sabbath is? Each individual or God? This creates a dilemma. The people who scream the loudest to keep the sabbath holy should be following the laws in Leviticus to the letter - but do they? I doubt it seriously.

So, what does "keep the Sabbath holy" mean for a Christian?

[Alberta's Child]

The big chains came in and the Blue Laws went out . . .

The big chains and the Blue Laws were only a symptom of a larger issue -- people who were supposedly "Christian" suddenly decided that shopping on Sunday was no big deal.

I have one rule when it comes to things like this -- I never go shopping on a day when I wouldn't want to go to work. This means Sundays as well as most civic holidays.

[Lysander]

Sunday is not the Sabbath. It is the "Lord's Day" in recognition of the day Christ rose from the grave. The Sabbath is from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday.

[KJMorgan]

The unfortunate thing is that Christian bookstores have become a money making racket like just about everything else. Knick knacks, "Contemporary Christian Music" (bland mindless trash), tee shirts, Testamint candies, WWJD trinkets , oh and if ya look real hard you might find a Bible, if you don't see one ask. If Jesus walked into one of these places he'd be overturning the counters and driving the buyers and sellers into the street.

They're just out to make a buck off God, they may as well be open Sunday, they don't honor Him any other day.

[aomagrat]

Jesus healed on the Sabbath. His diciples picked grain on the Sabbath.

[xzins]

My thoughts on this go in two directions:

1. Most large churches I know of have bookstands from which one can buy religious books any day of the week, including Sunday. They may call it "donation" on the bookrack, but we know what's being said.

2. Gentile Christian's Freedom from the old legal code of the Old Testament is something that most Christians fail to act on, even though many of them mouth things that show they know that they are dead to the law by the body of Christ. The Sabbath was NOT one of the Old Testament rules that the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council required the Gentile Christians to observe. Those four were:
Acts 15 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. 30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.

3. Paul emphasizes the above for Gentile Christians in his letter to the Colossians:
Colossians 2
15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.