Freedom to Rest | Sabbath Truth

Home
Free Resources
The Sabbath Blog

A recent vote in North Dakota is continuing the process of repealing a century old law restricting retail sales on Sunday mornings. Local retailers, in cities like Fargo and Grand Forks, have been losing business to merchants across the Minnesota state line for years. Changing the law will allow stores to open before noon on Sunday. Various religious groups have weighed into the conversation with their opinions on the validity of the law, some feeling that the law is helpful because it allows time for families to be together and to attend church, while others see it as an unacceptable intrusion into their private affairs.

The law is based on religious traditions of Sunday observance in force in 1899 when North Dakota became a state. History is replete with examples of such religious practices becoming state legislation. Most of these cases have led to mistreatment of people who disagreed with or chose not to comply with the majority-based laws. Many of the people who founded the United States left their own countries because of their disagreement with state mandated religious regulations.

Despite their own negative personal experiences with religious legislation, many of the early colonies enacted laws regarding religious observances. Prominent thought leaders such as Roger Williams and Thomas Jefferson were influential in changing the landscape to a large degree through their writings. Jefferson’s document, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, was foundational for later documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the first amendment to the Constitution, which validated the natural rights of individuals to make religious decisions without the interference of state laws.

The current discussion in North Dakota is stated in terms of universal rest for families and communities. However, the day chosen is Sunday. Why not Friday? Or Tuesday, for that matter? It just happens to conveniently coincide with the majority day of worship. But what if Sunday isn’t the “right” day to worship? What if the majority is wrong about the day to worship? Jesus said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Luke 20:25). It seems Jesus saw a difference between religious issues and civil issues. Is it the government’s responsibility to tell us when to take a break or a vacation?

If you would like to learn more, check out this link on America and religious freedom.

Couldn't we rest on the Sabbath but worship on Sunday?

What is a Black Sabbath?

The Search for the Missing "Sunday" Text

Sunday is the Sabbath since the disciples broke bread then

Comments

When you post, you agree to the terms and conditions of our comments policy. Click here to read it.

If you have a Bible question for Pastor Doug Batchelor or the Amazing Facts Bible answer team, please submit it by clicking here. Due to staff size, we are unable to answer Bible questions posted in the comments.

To help maintain a Christian environment, we closely moderate all comments.

Please be patient. We strive to approve comments the day they are made, but please allow at least 24 hours for your comment to appear. Comments made on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday may not be approved until the following Monday.

Comments that include name-calling, profanity, harassment, ridicule, etc. will be automatically deleted and the invitation to participate revoked.

Comments containing URLs outside the family of Amazing Facts websites will not be approved.

Comments containing telephone numbers or email addresses will not be approved.

Comments off topic may be deleted.

Please do not comment in languages other than English.

Please note: Approved comments do not constitute an endorsement by the ministry of Amazing Facts or by Pastor Doug Batchelor. This website allows dissenting comments and beliefs, but our comment sections are not a forum for ongoing debate.

Articles

Related Articles

Comments

Articles

When Does The Sabbath Start?

The Day of the Sun

Isn't obedience legalism?

Sunday is the Sabbath since ...

Project 2025: Should Employees ...