The Unauthorized Investigator's Guide to
The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints

Lesson 4

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

The Missionaries Will Teach...

On Sunday, we go to the house of God to worship him.  While there we remember the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us and renew our covenants with God by partaking of the sacrament. This shows our commitment to honor and worship God and to repent of our sins and mistakes.

On Sunday, we spend our time at church worshiping with our friends and family.  Our relationships are strengthened and renewed, and our faith grows as we study the scriptures and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

When people spend time on Sunday in commercial or recreational activities, the religious life of the community and the nation decays and all aspects of life are negatively affected.  We can only have the blessings associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy if we refrain from shopping and sporting activities.

The Sabbath day is holy and should be set apart from worldly activities.  If you enter into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and appropriate family-centered activities, God will fill your life with joy and peace.

Some Additional Thoughts...

Mormons spend a lot of time at church on Sunday. In addition to three hours of the standard meetings, most people will have additional time spent at church in various meetings and activities that keep the machine of the church rolling forward. 

Something that really bugged me as a member was that my workday consisted of sitting at a desk all day, interrupted by frequent meetings. When Sunday finally came around and I had a day to "rest" from my labors, the only appropriate activities entailed more sitting and more meetings.  What I felt like I needed was to get outside, feel the sun, get in touch with nature, and be physically engaged with the world.  I wanted to go camping, hiking, skiing, swimming and cycling; these were the things the spirit told me to do to renew my soul.  But the Church told me not to engage in physical recreation; I was supposed to spend all day in church activities and lounging around at home having "family-centered activities appropriate for the Sabbath".

Giving an entire day to the church is a huge sacrifice. Carefully monitor whether making this sacrifice results in the promised blessings.

 

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If you have a question or would like to discuss these topics, I suggest that you go to a Mormon-related bulletin board (here are some recommendations). If you'd like to contact me with comments or feedback, you may send an email to analytics@lds4u.com.