On June 13, 2025, The Aquila Report—a publication affiliated with the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition—published an article asserting that the “Sundays excepted” clause in Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution affirms that Sunday was recognized as the Christian Sabbath by the Founding Fathers. The report claims that by explicitly exempting Sundays from the ten-day period during which the president may sign or veto legislation, the Constitution acknowledges Sunday as the day of rest and worship. The Aquila Report says that this “Sunday excepted” clause proves that Sunday-keeping was commonly regarded as a sacred time even within the functions of the federal government.
In 2025, Evangelical Christians are arguing that declaring Sunday the Christian Sabbath does not infringe upon the separation of church and state, but rather affirms the principles of the U.S. Constitution. Notice how The Aquila Report seeks to frame Sunday as the Sabbath, asserting that its recognition is backed by the U.S. Constitution—specifically through the “Sundays excepted” clause—as if to suggest a constitutional foundation for Sunday sacredness:
• “The Constitution’s Article I, Section 7, deals with the procedure for bills passed by the Congress which are sent to the President for signature or veto: ‘If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it.” [1]
• “Today, that little clause may be missed. It was not missed by our Presbyterian forebears; and a few pastors and churchmen wrote about it. In 1829 a Virginia correspondent – almost certainly a Presbyterian pastor or attorney – using the pen name, Memorialist,’ asked of the Constitution: ‘Why is this day [Sunday] excepted? Because it was supposed that in all time to come it would be regarded as a day of rest from secular business, and sacred also to God and devotion.” [1]
• “In 1830, the Calvinistic Magazine, under auspices of Presbyterians in East Tennessee, published a letter to the editors explaining the reasons for the Sundays excepted clause: “It has always seemed to me that the following clause from the Constitution of the United States, is a plain recognition of the Christian Sabbath as the law of this land. Why except Sunday, more than Saturday, or any other day? This is the question. And there can be but one answer … Because the framers of the Constitution knew that Sunday was the established day of rest, and religious worship, in every State of this Union; and intended, therefore, to recognize it in the Federal Constitution.” [1]
• “The U.S. Constitution was not an isolated case of affirming the Christian Sabbath, even if most people – including, sadly, U.S. congressmen – were unaware of it.” [1]
Here is the problem with this argument: just as many Christians twist Scripture to defend Sunday as the biblical day of rest, they are now doing the same with the U.S. Constitution. Advocating for Sunday laws directly conflicts with other major provisions in the Constitution such as the “no religious test” clause in Article VI, Clause 3, which prohibits any religious qualification for holding public office or trust. Additionally, the “Establishment of Religion” clause in the First Amendment serves as a further constitutional safeguard, firmly prohibiting the government from endorsing or imposing religious practices. Together, these constitutional provisions uphold the principles of religious liberty and the separation of church and state.
Now, regarding the “Sundays Excepted” clause in Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution, it’s important to understand that this provision was intended as an accommodation—acknowledging that the US president might choose to attend church on Sunday. This “exception” reflects an exemption or accommodation, not a legal mandate to observe Sunday as a holy day. In contrast, the “No Religious Test” clause in Article VI, Clause 3 and the “Establishment of Religion” clause in the First Amendment are clear legal prohibition against requiring anyone to adhere to any specific religious belief.
The U.S. Constitution must be interpreted in its own context, with each clause understood in light of the entire document. The “Sundays Excepted” clause in Article I, Section 7, pertains strictly to presidential procedures, outlining the time frame in which the US president must act on a bill. It grants a ten-day window, excluding Sundays, for a sitting president to sign or veto legislation. This provision is about timing—not about establishing a religious test or mandating Sunday observance. If the tenth day falls on a Sunday, the president is simply given an extra day. This does not mandate Sunday as a religious observance; it simply accommodates the head of the federal government who may choose to go to church on that day, reflecting respect for individual freedom of conscience.
Many who advocate for Sunday to be secured by law often twist both the Scriptures and the Constitution in a desperate attempt to justify their agenda and gain public support. They manipulate Bible verses that apply to the seventh-day Sabbath, or Saturday, and claim that they apply to Sunday. At the same time, they misrepresent constitutional principles—such as the “Sundays excepted” clause—as evidence that the founders intended for Sunday to be a legally protected sacred day.
In reality, both the Bible and the U.S. Constitution strongly uphold the principle of freedom of conscience—the God-given right of every individual to choose whom, how, and when to worship without coercion. Both documents emphasize that genuine faith cannot be legislated or imposed by civil authority. They reject any attempt to merge the church with the power of the state, recognizing that such a union leads to oppression, corruption of religion, and the loss of individual rights. Furthermore, any law that compels religious observance, such as a national Sunday law, violates both the authority of God’s Word and the liberties enshrined in our nation’s founding document.
Sunday laws clearly favor those who worship on that day by legally elevating Sunday above all others, effectively transforming personal religious practice into government-enforced doctrine. It imposes a narrow religious standard on the entire nation—forcing compliance not only on public officials but also on millions of citizens who reject Sunday observance, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Jews who keep the biblical Sabbath on Saturday. This type of law is nothing less than religious coercion disguised as American traditions. It pressures the nation to conform to apostate Evangelical doctrines and transforms civil government into the enforcer of religious beliefs, undermining the constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience and eroding the wall of separation between church and state.
“Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Great Controversy, p. 592).
Sources
[1] https://theaquilareport.com/pentagon-prayers-and-the-constitutions-sundays-excepted-clause/
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