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A lot of people I know, especially farmers work seven days a week, a cow who is giving birth, is not going to hold off so the farmer can have a day of rest. Nor is she likely to fast for one day so the farmer can rest instead of feed her.
So many people complain about having to work on a Sunday, and yet they will freely go shopping, thus forcing others to work. What is especially interesting to note, is that Sunday is not even the traditional day of rest for Christians, that day was Saturday. Even our modern calendars reflect this, as the week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday.
Sunday was the day observed by early Pagans. They worshiped Mithra, who, guess what, happened to be the Sun-God. Sunday? See the reference here?
Early Christians observed Saturday as their day of rest under The Laws of Moses. However, so were Jews. It is believed that since the Roman governments of the time, occasionally persecuted Jews that early Christians, around the 4th century, and especially under the guidance of Constantine, changed their day of worship to the Sunday.
In 321 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine declared Sunday as the official day of rest in the Roman Empire. It is important to note that he was still a Pagan Sun worshiper at the time, and Sunday had always been his day of worship. He even wrote it as law that all work shall cease on this day. He was gracious enough to remember our friend the farmer, and allowed those who work in agriculture to continue to work on that day.
Other theories abound as to why the day was changed. Of course one belief is that because Paganism was so popular and hard to turn people against, that by allowing the two religions (Christianity and Mithraism) to mix, the early Christians used this as a way to encourage people to join Christianity without giving up their own ways of worship. It is a well documented fact that Christianity also adopted two very popular Pagan holidays, Easter and Saturnalia (now Christmas) for the same reason.
Later in 364 AD, the Church Council of Laodicea, an early Church in Rome, ruled “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday, but shall work on that day.”.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t see a lot of people working a six day work week, most only want to work for five, insisting on the weekends off. Most of the time they enjoy spending their weekends off, by making others work for them, as they indulge in shopping or other leisure activities on those days, activities that require somebody else working. Hypocritical much?
Until the 12th century in Wales, and the 15th century in Norway, Saturday was still the regular day for worship by many Christians.
The Bible has many passages that both support a Sunday sabbath and reference the moving of the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. Of course it is important to note that many of these references are probably due to the fact the Bible was also being compiled around the time of these days of worship being changed. Much of the early editing of the Bible took place during Constantine’s rule, and under his direction.
Historians have never agreed as to when Constantine accepted Christianity. Many feel that for a time he still worshiped Mithra but wanted to give the general appearance of being a Christian. Most feel he did convert to Christianity later in life, after the age of forty, but possibly maintained some pagan beliefs for a while. He never outlawed paganism.
And so I ask again, if God is so superior why did he, or she, need a day of rest? Are farmers, people who get up before the sun to feed and check their animals, and stay up at night checking on calving cows, in some way superior beings? Are Christians who shop on what should be a day of rest, acting as hypocrites because they are condemning others to work on that day?
And ultimately, if the original day of worship was changed from Saturday to Sunday for appearances sake only, what other changes took place that maybe are not so legitimate?
Sadly most Christians are programed to think they worship on Sunday because that was the day they were told Jesus came out of the tomb. Very few even think to question their programming. Historians all agree the original day of worship was Saturday.
Very nicely said.
Nice article; it is interesting to know about the secrets of worshipping on Sunday.
Nice article with very valid points
Leaving all religion aside (while I realize this article is written from a religious point of view), humans are more productive if they get rest now and then. Realistically, it would be very hard to shut down every thing in our whole society one day a week. Also, for those who do work the 9-5, m-f circuit, it can be exceptionally hard to get shopping and other chores done if the stores need keep the same hours as your job. It always seemed to me that the “resting” part was the big thing. Everyone needs a day off (even God–those thousand year days get really long and hard) every now and then–and it needs to be a real day off, not just a day when you change work.
The sages have several explanations for this. On the one hand, they point out that God is not the one who needs rest–the need is man’s. But the mystics point out that when God was not actually creating the world but holding back infinity. How long was the first day? It was before time–so infinite. So creation “takes place” on the first day; the day after Shabbat. Or put another way Shabbat is a time to commemorate the infinity prior to time.
Also, in Jewish thought not all things we might consider as ‘work” (e.g., reading) are prohibited. But things that have to do with fire are–again this underscores both points made above.
Regards,
Inna
You make some good points. My husband and I once taught Children’s Church to only have it taken away by a new pastor because I had to work one weekend a month. I am a nurse. So here is my question. Are nurses, doctors, resp therapist, lab tech and everyone else that keeps a hospital open 24/7 superior being too. Yes, we all need a day of rest and a time to worship but who is to set the day and judge us if we can’t worship or rest on that day. I hope this article will open many eyes. Well, well done.
I don’t know why we rest on Sunday but I’m all for resting on Saturday and Sunday too.
Some good points, I sometimes even if cannot rest each day, at least like the older days, some places can close a bit earlier so family can possibly have dinner together
Good piece.
Everyday is a good day to give thanks to God.
I’ve always asked the question as to why God needed to rest, and I’ve never gotten a response. If you thing about it, the Christian religion teaches that God is omnipotent, and should be able to do anything. He should have been able to create everything in less than a nanosecond, yet it didn’t happen. In fact, when you read the book of Genesis, it implies that God is not omnipotent or omnipresent……