The Atlantic is a popular news magazine with both print and digital editions. It reaches millions of people every month, covering a wide range of topics including politics, economics, culture, and technology. On February 26, 2023, The Atlantic published an article titled “How My Wife and I Took Back Our Sundays” that emphasized the need for having a day off each week to give yourself the opportunity to rest and recharge.
Jason Heller wrote the article, in which he described how he and his wife have regular full-time jobs and how they do other types of work on Saturdays that they can’t normally do during the work week. But when Sunday arrives, it is their day to rest and recover. They have pledged to each other never to work on Sundays. Some may believe that the writer’s decision to highlight rest on Sunday is purely coincidental; however, there is an active campaign in society that is attempting to influence our behavior when it comes to rest. At the heart of this effort is Sunday rest by law.
The Atlantic published the following in an effort to emphasize the value of resting on Sunday:
• “We have an agreement: One day a week, we do absolutely nothing. In a society obsessed with productivity, this is harder than it should be—but it’s worth it.” [1]
• “A few years ago, my wife, Angie, and I made a pact: Every Sunday, we swore to each other, we will abstain from work. And we kept our promise.” [1]
• “Lazy Sunday, as Angie and I like to call it, is hardly a revolutionary idea. A weekly time of rest is, after all, an ancient staple of several religions.” [1]
• “Angie and I shouldn’t need to actively protect our one day off, to make it a ritual—but sadly, we do.” [1]
• “I’m lucky enough to have an office job, but I use Saturdays for freelance writing. The instinct to hustle—whether for success or just survival—is hard to shake.” [1]
• “Angie, who works remotely in IT, is essentially always on call during the week. She’s also a caregiver for her mom, who has multiple sclerosis, and her brother, who has paranoid schizophrenia. Every Saturday, she helps them with cleaning, shopping, and health care. That time is deeply meaningful, and she’s happy to spend it with them, but it’s also draining. This is part of why rest is crucial: We need to show up for other people, and in order to do that well, we need time to recover in between.” [1]
• “Although Angie and I aren’t religious, we really do think of our secular day of rest as sacred; that’s why we take pains to protect it, even when it means turning down some career opportunities or the next week being a little more stressful. When you take away all the tasks you might feel pressed to do on a Sunday, what you’re left with isn’t an absence. It’s an opening.” [1]
The idea that we should work on Saturdays and rest on Sundays has been ingrained in our minds through constant repetition. This constant reinforcement is intended to influence our thoughts and behavior when it comes to rest. When Sunday rest is repeated over and over again, it tends to become familiar to people, and they are more likely to associate the two together. The Sunday rest advocates hope that the constant repetition will eventually compel states and governments to act.
Our world is being conditioned to just accept Sunday, even over the clear teachings of the Bible. The Atlantic article goes so far as to say that you can keep Sunday as your day of rest even without a religious affiliation. The problem with this statement is that the Sabbath is a religious institution. God established the seventh-day Sabbath during creation week to be more than just a day of rest but also a day to worship Him, and it should be observed on a weekly basis, on Saturday (Genesis 2:1–3). The seventh-day Sabbath, or Saturday, is enshrined in the moral law (Exodus 20:8–11).
Additionally, Sunday will never be the Sabbath, no matter how many times people repeat the lie (Mark 2:28; Hebrews 4:4). The purpose of the Sabbath is to provide a time for rest, reflection, and spiritual renewal, as well as an opportunity for individuals to connect with their Creator. This has always been the case and will continue to be true even when the earth is made new (Isaiah 66:22, 23).
“The question is, ‘What is truth?’ It is not how many years have I believed that makes it the truth. You must bring your creed to the Bible and let the light of the Bible define your creed and show where it comes short and where the difficulty is.” (Faith and Works, p. 77).
“You know how it is with the papal power. The people have no right to interpret the Scriptures for themselves. They must have someone else interpret the Scriptures for them. Have you no mind? Have you no reason? Has not God given judgment to the common people, just as well as He has to the priests and rulers?” (Faith and Works, p. 77).
“God help us to be Bible students. Until you can see the reason for it yourself and a ‘thus saith the Lord’ in the Scriptures, don’t trust any living man to interpret the Bible for you. And when you can see this, you know it for yourself and know it to be the truth of God. You will say, ‘I have read it, I have seen it, and my own heart takes hold upon it, and it is the truth God has spoken to me from His Word’.” (Faith and Works, p. 77).
Sources
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/02/remote-work-wfh-weekend-five-day-week/673206/
Robert King says
Sunday rest law coming very soon. This will be the fulfilling the testimony of the nations cup of Iniquity being full at the behest of a world rest day on Sunday.
Michelle says
The Sunday law will soon be fulfilled and are we ready as adventists
Joe says
Sadly Michelle we (I) are not. The lack of personal commitment and the lack of genuine commitment from the church leadership will have devastating consequences for all involved.
Be encouraged and ask God to keep you and your loved ones on the path of righteousness.
Blessings,
Joe in Pennsylvania
Ed says
They are trying to condition society to accept Sunday as the day of rest.
Ben says
Sunday laws are coming.
Alex says
If you repeat the same lie often enough, people who don’t study the Bible will believe it .