Norwich bulletin., 1911-09-11
Religious Authority for Sunday Ob-
 servance.

Mir. Editor: Allow me to say a few words endorsing Reasons" position on the Sunday question. The gist of his position seems to be. that man is under no moral obligation in regard to a religious observance of Sunday, and therefore the state has no legitimate right to force such observance upon him. It is up to those who claim the moral obligation of Sunday observance to show upon what authority this ob- ligation rests.
 For centuries the Christian church has taught. and still teaches, that secular work, worldly pursuits and pleasures. are sinful on Sunday Il would seem that it is high time that this point should be settled. There are. at the present time, in this city. representa- tiVes of a sect who declare that 1t is l sin against God not to keep Saturday, the seventh day, as the Sab bath of the Lord. On the other hand, the great majority of the church says that the seventh-day Sabbath is an old Jewish institution, and that God does not require men to keep it now.
 The question is. which one is right or are both wrong? l incline to the latter view l call on any adherent of Sunday to show from the Bible, that li is q moral sin to do on Sun day anything that is morally right on the other six days of the week.
 
 of successful contradiction, that the sacredness of Sunday has absolutely no Scriptural authority; that Sunday observance is no part of tt.- Chriss tian religion as taught by the New Testament: that God has not author ized the church to set up Sunday as a religious institution.
 Tn Season." in his letter implies that it is necessary to resort to the law to induce men ito be half as good as they ought to be- This really means that men ought to observe Sun day. and if they will not do it from a sense of right, then there should be a law compelling them to do so. We ask Tn Season to produce the authority which declares that men ought to re- ligiously keep Sunday. Two great di- visions of the Christian church freely admit that Sunday observance rests upon church authority alone. We quote the Catholic position as follows: "QueS.-How do you prove that the church hath power to institute feasts and holy days?" "Ans.-By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sun day. which ProTestants allow of" tAbridgement Chris. Doc.).
 The position of the Episcopal church may be found in "A Catechism of the Doctrine of the Church by the Rev. R. H. Nelson,' formerly of this city, now bishop of Albany: But are we
 
 day which the church orders to be kept?' f"Ans.-Yes; for we are bound to obey the churchs law in all things
 It is clear, then. that to enact Sun day laws is to enforce purely church holy day on all men regardless of whether they accept the authority of the church or not. Such a proceeding is contrary to the principle of religious freedom. If the constitution of this government protects a man in the observance of any religious institution he may believe in, it must, to be just, protect a man in the disregard of any religious institution he does not be- lieve in. Religious liberty means, not only that a man may worship God as he sees fit. but it means that man may reject all worship and recognition of God whatever Religious liberty means the liberty to be non religious.
 The position of the church on the Sabbath question is often very incon- sistent. In the work by the Rev. R. H. Nelson. already quoted from, is the following concerning a portion of the Communion service: "The priest recites the Ten Commandments, and after each one the people ask God to help them to keep His law.
 According to this, when the minis ter recites the Fourth Commandment which says: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God" the
 
 hearts to keep this law
 In another place. however, we have the following concerning the very Sabbath which the people have asked us to keep:
 "Q.-What day of the week were the Jews required to keep sacred?"
 "A.-The seventh day, called the Sabbath (Ex. xx:S-10)
 "Q.-Is this law which was given to the Jews binding on us?'
 "A.-No the law of Moses was full filled in Christ"
 This is the kind of instruction peo- pie have had on the Sabbath question:. teaching the observance of the Fourth Commandment, and then denying that this law is of any binding force on Christians, but that Christians should keep Sunday, "the day which the church orders to be kept"
 For over three thousand years the Jews have observed the seventh day in obedience to the Fourth Comma nd inent. Now. it ought to be plain that tbis command cannot leg itiniately be used to enforce the Sabbath of the Jews and the Sunday of the Chris tians. The Jews have this law to