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Mormons & Sabbath Day: Working On Sunday?

The thread on watching or playing sports on Sunday brings up the point about working on Sunday.

It seems that most people have agreed that working on Sunday is OK if you are a doctor, police officer, fireman, etc. So my question is this:

What about all of the people that the church hires and requires them to work on Sunday? Example, audio visual techs for conference, building maintainance at the universities, finance department at the church office building, etc. (These people are hired and get paid, they do not work for free on Sunday).

What are some of your thoughts?

Sunday Working Day Sabbath and Mormons

Just like any other situation, the person has the choice of working on a Sunday or not. Whether the Church makes them work or not on a Sunday, it doesn't make a difference really, having working myself for the Church before, the way the Church handles business is just like any other company. Therefore, the commandment is to rest on a Sunday and not do any kind of labor work, we can rationalize it as many ways as we can and we are nobody really to judge what our brothers and sisters decide to do, but let's agree that the commandment is clear as water.

Edited: LDS_forever on 24th Mar, 2004 - 9:24pm

Mormons & Sabbath Day: Working On Sunday? Studies Doctrine Mormon

The commandment only applies to the saints in Zion. The saints in the stakes of Zion have no such commandment given to them. Read the revelations again. Whenever the Lord mentions this particular commandment, it is always only directed to the saints in Zion and not to the stakes.

Sunday Working Day Sabbath and Mormons

Buggeyes, I must say that I do not understand what you are trying to say... what is the distinction from a Saint in Zion and a Saint in a Stake? What does that have to do with keeping the Sabbath Day Holy?

Offtopic but, Please do update your profile so that you blend in...

Sunday Working Day Sabbath and Mormons

Profile has been updated.

There are only three places in the scriptures (latter-day scriptures, ie. the Doctrine and Covenants) that speak of the commandment of keeping the Lord's or Sabbath day holy, or even just mentions the Sabbath. Those are:

Doctrine and Covenants 59

Doctrine and Covenants 68: 29

Doctrine and Covenants 127: 10

Our commandment of keeping the Lord's day holy (Sunday) comes from D&C 59 and D&C 68: 29. These commandments are only directed to the saints living in the land of Zion (Jackson County, Missouri). These are the inhabitants of Zion. Those living in the stakes of Zion (everywhere else) have no such commandments given to them.

D&C 127: 10 is just a mention of the word Sabbath by Joseph Smith, but has no bearing on this discussion except to explain that Latter-day Saints currently interpret the word "sabbath" as meaning Sunday. But in D&C 59 the Lord explains that we are to use His day, Sunday, as our Sabbath, but that this is only a commandment for the inhabitants of Zion.

This is the reason why in 68: 29 we find the Lord again speaking of the inhabitants of Zion keeping the Lord's day holy, and not to all the saints. In case you still don't follow, look at this scripture:

Doctrine and Covenants 68: 25-31

First, in verse 25, the Lord speaks to the inhabitants of Zion or any of her stakes. Then He again directs His words to the inhabitants of Zion or any of her stakes in verse 26. Verses 27 and 28 also follow the line of thought of verse 26, i.e. the Lord is still directing Himself to Zion and her stakes. But then in verse 29 He directs His words only to the inhabitants of Zion. He does the same with verses 30, 31 and on to the end of the section.

The reason is obvious. The commandment found in sectin 59 is ONLY directed to those living in Zion. This is the reason why we are only counselled to live or keep the Sabbath day holy as best we can. Zion is not yet redeemed, therefore all the saints currently live in stakes of Zion. The prophets, although we are not commanded to live the words found in section 59, would nevertheless like all saints to live as close to the spirit of those words as possible, therefore they counsel all saints to keep the Sabbath day holy, but we are not commanded to do so. If we were commanded, anyone who worked on the Sabbath would be a Sabbath breaker and would not be accounted worthy.

Read the revelation carefully, then read the words of the prophets and the current practices of the church. There are areas of the world in which the saints, due to their individual circumstances, are counselled by the church to worship on a day other than Sunday. Yet the revelation is specific on certain things, such as what day to use as our Sabbath. The reason why there are so many exceptions to the "rule" is that there really is no rule for the saints in the stakes of Zion.

We, the saints of the stakes of Zion, live among the gentiles and the gentiles do not obey the Sabbath-day worship. We live in Babylon and Babylon cares little for Sabbath-day worship. The Lord obviously understood that the saints in the stakes, living among Babylon, working among Babylon and for businesses which would not worship on this day, made an allowance for us, but not for the inhabitants of Zion. Those people had the privilege of establishing a society free from Babylonian influences. Of all people, they could completely obey the commandment not to work on Sunday.

If you feel guilty for working on the Sabbath, this guilt is merely self-inflicted. There is no scriptural basis for saying that a saint in any of the stakes of Zion who works on Sunday is a Sabbath-breaker, since we were never given any such commandment.

In case you still want further proof that the Lord differentiates between those living in the land of Zion and those living in her stakes, look at the tithing revelation. All of those words were directed to the inhabitants of Zion, then, in the last verse, the Lord says that what was stated also applies to the stakes.

Some people "wrest" the scriptures and apply meanings that were never there. Some people think that what applies to one is applicable to all. Had the Lord meant that all His instructions to the inhabitants of Zion were applicable to all, there would be no need to mention that He also is talking to the stakes of Zion in verse 7 of section 119 (the tithing revelation.) The same applies to sections 59 and 68. The Lord Himself makes a distinction between Zion and her stakes.

I will give one final example in case there are some who still don't understand. The law of chastity is a commandment to all the saints. We never hear the prophets make any exceptions whatsoever. Can you imagine any commandment of God having exceptions? Why would the Sabbath day be any different? If it is a commandment, the law is plainly set down in section 59, no work on Sunday, yet we find exceptions and keeping the "spirit of the Sabbath day" being preached from the pulpit. Could you imagine our leaders saying,

Get my drift?

Mormons & Sabbath Day: Working On Sunday?

Do you always write so long before getting to the meat of the matter? I will ask... where does it say that we are to only gather information for living the Sabbath from the Doctrine and Covenants? What is to say that your interpretation of those verses is the correct one? There has been numerous books published by the Church and taught each Sunday in Church... it is necessary that we also consult these if we are to reach a conclusion about what is acceptable for the Sabbath which the Lord made for man.

Mormons & Sabbath Day Working Sunday

This is a new dispensation. New dispensations call for new revelations and instructions. Our instructions in this dispensation come from the dispensation head. Had Joseph Smith never received any instructions concerning Sabbath-day worship, nothing that was done in past dispensations concerning Sabbath-day worship is binding upon us. This is why the Lord takes time in the Doctrine and Covenants to give the instructions anew.

I find that there is much confusion among the members concerning this principle. Often, we find ourselves thinking that anything written down in previous dispensations automatically becomes binding upon us. Yet, we pick and choose. The law of Moses is readily discarded as something we don't have to live, yet the Ten Commandments, given under the law of Moses, are held up as laws we must live, given to us in the latter-days. The reality is that our "ten commandments" are found in D&C 42 and other areas of the revelations. The Sabbath-day worship of the ancient Israelites was Saturday. The Sabbath-day worship of the Nephites was also Saturday. The Sabbath-day worship of the primitive church in Jerusalem was Sunday. Without further revelation, which set of instructions do we obey? The answer is neither. Those instructions were meant for those people living in those dispensations, not for us. We require new instructions, which we have gotten.

Our standing orders IS the Doctrine and Covenants. But obviously, all scripture, of whatever dispensation, that can further our progress and whose principles can be applied to our lives in wisdom, is good to use.

The person to say whether my interpretation is correct is you. You must search the scriptures (I linked them all) and learn it for yourself. No one is force-fed knowledge in this church. Either we do our own footwork and come to a knowledge of the truth or we do nothing and remain ignorant.

The numerous books published by the church and taught each Sunday in church, as you mention, are to be likewise measured by the only standard we are to use: the standard works. If anything found in those books does not measure up, those teachings are to be discarded. No book holds the same weight as the scriptures. When we rely upon manuals and interpretative commentary, we rely upon someone else's interpretation. We are to rely only upon the scriptures themselves and our own interpretation as guided by the manifestations of the Holy Ghost to ourselves. In this way we are safeguarded against deceit.

My experience in the church has shown me that most members rely upon the interpretative commentaries to understand the scriptures, and not the scriptures themselves. Or, they will just read the commentaries and consider that they have read the scriptures. It is not the same. You WILL be deceived if you do this. Interpolations of men have and will creep into all religious organizations, including our own religion. Because of this, we must measure everything. Even the footnotes and chapter and verse headings of the scriptures must be measured by the scriptures themselves and can be used to interpret the scriptures. They do not hold the same weight as the scriptures and if that interpretation is false, can lead the members astray. This is a real danger and it happens all the time.

Mormons & Sabbath Day Working Sunday Mormon Doctrine Studies

I understand what you are trying to say, but I do not agree with some of what you are saying. It may work for you, if it is the Lord's will, but I do not believe such a degree of 'isolation' if I might call it that can give man the necessary vision he needs to understand the grandeur of the work of the Lord. Following your school of thought one would have to respectively research everything as 'new', I do not see progress there... if I receive a book from the Church then upon reading I will know if it be truth or not because of prior knowledge of other truths learned. I do not have to barricade myself into a corner by my own interpretations when there are those around who can help. To think that we cannot receive instruction outside of the scriptures is at the very least - very narrow minded. Now this thread is about working on Sunday, and I am yet to see your doctrinal quotes supporting the idea that we are somehow not under a 'command' to obey the Sabbath as you say... The commandment only applies to the saints in Zion. The saints in the stakes of Zion have no such commandment given to them.