Iain,
<snip>
I know - it does seem hypocritical - though I would say that this is only
done on occasions and not as a regular thing. I gave it as an example of
how we all often unthinkingly do things that the rest of society does,
without considering it from a Biblical perspective. (Which would appear to
be the Fourth Commandment, though that raises the issue of whether
Christians ought to treat Saturday as the Sabbath - and some I know do so,
feeling that the move to Sunday was a pagan influence. That is a knotty
issue that I don't really want to get bogged down in. The Fourth
commandment specifies a day of rest - which one we nowadays arbitrarily
choose does not seem to be of such importance as the general principle).
<snip>
I didn't use the word "hypocritical;" I used "interesting." ;-) But, as you
point out, there are a lot of times when we follow the rest of society
without giving much thought to looking at things from a Biblical
perspective. This not only applies to Sunday observance but often to
commerce, our driving habits, to name a few.
As you say, when you are on business, you don't really have much choice but
to use hotel/restaurant, etc. However in UK, Sunday shopping have been just
adopted by large numbers of people uncritically, and it becomes their normal
day of shopping. 24/7 is indeed a modern buzz phrase. I think it's this
that I object to, plus the fact that people have to give up their Sundays to
work - whether this means that Sunday workers have extra time off on another
day, I don't know.
I object to all this commercializing on Sundays as well and I'm not so sure
that, as a society, we are better off with the freedom to be able to buy a
pint of lager, a can of paint, or a sports jacket on Sunday. The downside
is that family life is disrupted and, for some, attendance at Sunday worship
services becomes difficult. I'm convinced that God, in His wisdom, decreed
that we should take some time off to recharge our batteries.
It so happens I work at Harwell. Perhaps I'll bump into you some time?
I've only been there once, some 15 years ago. Arrived Sunday morning (!) at
the UKAEA Staff Hotel :-( [you'll know what I mean], walked to the village
of Harwell and attended an Anglican service.
Chuck
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