Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jclark@sdcc6.ucsd.edu (John Clark) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: the Sabbath Message-ID: Date: 28 Apr 91 23:27:39 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of California, San Diego Lines: 31 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article davidbu@loowit.wr.tek.com (David E. Buxton) writes: +In reading the OT it is clear that there were ceremonial Sabbaths that +were annual Sabbath days - Passover, Day of Atonement, Feast of +Tabernacles . . . . After the cross it would clearly be a big issue of +the times as to what to do about these annual Sabbath days. The It would be one thing if the SDA had a 'liberal' sabbath keeping concept. But in reality, many 'keep' sabbath with the same 'pride' as any of the ancient Jews(one can cook but baseball definately not). The pecking order also include vegetarianism or not. Again the vegetarians pride themselves on how well they avoid meat. One could grow old on vegetarian pizza. It would seem that doing some act as sign of 'devotion' quickly becomes a point of pride. There are some for whom such acts are truely humble acts, but for many it is a sign of exclusion and superiority. This seem to be rampant in Christian writing. One cannot just be 'saved' one has to 'behave', of course what is proper behavior has been the subject of a 2000 year debate(excluding the 1500 years of Jewish debate before). It is not enough, says the Chritian, to have Faith, for Faith with out works is dead. And so a whole set of 'works' is dreamed up or squeesed out of the Bible for which the 'Faithful' can act out the state of 'Grace'. It would not be so bad if the SDA could say to the world 'here are our beliefs', but they go further and say 'these are the truths and everyone else is less than that'. -- John Clark jclark@ucsd.edu