Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: the Sabbath Message-ID: Date: 25 Apr 91 01:33:30 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 37 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article ROBERT@kontu.utu.fi (Robert W. Johnson) writes: >The Sabbath day is something from the Old Testament law. In the Old Testament, >man to be pleasing was require to keep the law. But in the New Testament, >salvation is a matter of faith, not the keeping or rituals and ordances. >... I personally do not believe that keeping the Sabbath is the key to Christian living. But I *do* believe that there is good reason to celebrate the Sabbath whether you celebrate it on Saturday or Sunday. First off, purely practical reasons, whether you are relgious or not. In Genesis, God worked for 6 days, and then he rested. Our society today is over-stressed. Many people would benefit from setting aside one day of the week where they will not try to work, but will simply rest, spend time with their family, read a book. I am not a phsychologist, but to me it seems we'd all be a lot healthier if every seven days we sat down and relaxed. Secondly for religious reasons, many of us mean to set aside time for Bible study and regular prayer and find ourselves too busy, or too tired. One day in seven spent in contemplation would do us all good. Even if you are not religious, one day on which you will sit back and examine your life. Am I accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish? Am I happy in my life? Am I working well with mycoworkers? Am I living well with my family? With my mate? A *regular* program of self-examination is encouraged for concerns of physical health, why not mental health as well. God the Father taught us to take one day off in seven for our own good. (Jesus said that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath.) My parents taught me to brush my teeth every night before going to bed for my own good. They never punished me for not doing it, they just taught me to do it, and reminded me when I forgot. Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton