“Christians should not take part in sporting events or go shopping on a Sunday”Do you agree, give reasons for your answer showing that you have thought about more than one point of view.

AS and A Level Religious Studies & Philosophy

“Christians should not take part in sporting events or go shopping on a Sunday”

Do you agree, give reasons for your answer showing that you have thought about more than one point of view.

400 Words 8 marks

Christopher Fitzsimons 11Q

The commandment “ Keep holy the Sabbath” Is very vague in what it says. The commandment tells us what to do, but where the problem lies is that it does not tell us how to do it. In today’s society more so than at the time of Jesus, the commandment is open to interpretation. There is little doubt any more that Sunday is fast losing its holy day status. Some devout, orthodox Christians still live as people did at the time of Jesus with regard to the Sabbath and would fully agree that we should keep Sunday holy, refrain from all unnecessary work on the Sabbath, and that shopping stores should not open on a Sunday. However in modern day society it is accepted that to devote a full day to God is very difficult and something which is, sadly not very common anymore.

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The majority of 21st century Christians would probably agree that Sunday is a day of leisure nowadays and to go to Mass on a Sunday is regarded enough to keep the commandment. They would also agree that it is not at all practical in this day and age to relax and cease work of all kind for one entire day. People generally believe that once we have gone to the Church for an hour we should be free to spend the rest of the day, as we like, with family or for leisure. Many Students would, nowadays find themselves very busy all Friday and Saturday if they could not do school work on a Sunday. For example, I did a lot of this coursework on Sundays! If we think of all the factories and processing plants, both around the world and in our own country that operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, we can see that it would be very impractical to stop production for a full twenty-four hours a week. With regard to sporting events, a lot of football matches and sporting competitions and training of all sorts occur on a Sunday. Many athletes (especially those who regularly compete) have to train/compete on a Sunday if they are to keep in shape and stay competitive. It would be unacceptable to say that an athlete who has to stay in a particular weight division should stop training completely for a day. This would inevitably lead to complications of all sorts.

Only a few years ago it was illegal for department stores to open on a Sunday, now it is rare to see one closed. Sunday is for many people a day to go shopping with the family, for many who work all week and some on Saturdays as well, it is the only day they have to shop, perform any sort of leisure activity or just relax. They would not want to pray all day.

So, in conclusion although those who keep the Sabbath holy in the way which the Pharisees demanded it be kept, are to be admired, they are a rare species nowadays. I think that to go to Mass for an hour on a Sunday, and then to spend the rest of the day as we please is enough in today’s world to keep holy the Sabbath.