SABBATH DESECRATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22353, 29 August 1934, Page 11

SABBATH DESECRATION

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —There have been many letters appearing in the Otago Daily Times under different headings on the above subject; and one in to-day’s Times on Sunday football by “G. W. G." I would like to support. In the above controversy tbe question arises: Are we breaking the Sabbath or are we not in holding such entertainments? I maintain that we are. In his commandment God is explicit: “ Thou shalt remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” An earthly father expects his children to be obedient to his commands, and were it otherwise chaos and disorder prevails in that household. How much then should not this apply to our Heavenly Parent Who, having provided us with this day of rest, expect us to keep it in accordance with His wishes? The trend of the present-day civilisation is eat, drink, and be merry, and the inevitable consequences must eventuate, brought about by our own obstinacy with God’s ordinances. Even our Sunday wireless programmes are not in keeping with the day. Having given us a church service they are quite satisfied with themselves - and very often switch on some silly, crooning, nauseating jazz stuff that we get every day in the week, and if we remonstrate we are told that it pleases the public, and therein lies the crux of the whole situation. Hence we have Sunday trains, concerts, ampictures and other week-day pleasures, and now there are those who are agitating for football matches and all other sport to be carried out on Sunday. Then we wonder what is going wrong with the world, forgetting that we are separating ourselves from the great purposes qt the Almighty. To the unbeliever all this may appear as mythical humbug (already referred to by some of your writers), but I ask if this earth of ours in its rotation round the sun were to stand still for two minutes what would happen. The greatest calamity the world has ever known since humanity commenced would happen. Not a city on the face of the earth would be left standing. Again, it that part of the atmosphere known as oxygen were withheld for five minutes all breathing animals would die, and what is to prevent such things taking place? There are men clamouring to brin» God down to the level of man, and "if it were so' such things would happen very often, man is so erratic in his make up. The Sabbath must b® kept* if the nation would not suffer in mind and body and estate. There is no voiding that. Golf and other organised games are most certainly not the covenanted way of keeping the Sabbath, and those who break away from the Sabbath institution may take this thought with them—that they are entangling the nation, and tbe people of the nation, in the consequences of tbis_ broken command. God’s promise is to bring to the nation health, wealth, peace, happiness if the Sabbath be kept, otherwise the reverse has been, and will still be, the experience of the people.—l am, etc., Israel.