Charity's Views on the Sabbath

When I had conversations in 1995 with Charity, a Professor CIE and my spiritual mentor, we covered the Biblical injunction to keep holy the Sabbath, Sunday in our calendar. Here is the transcript of that discussion.

Ralph: One , two, three, four, "There is no god but me, make no graven images, don't use the Lord's name in vain”. Then "observe the Sabbath and keep it holy as I, the Lord your God, has commanded you. You have six days in which to do your work, on the Seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day, no one is to work, neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your country. The slaves must rest, just as you do. Remember, you were slaves in Egypt and I, the Lord your god, rescued you by my great power and strength. That is why I command you to observe the Sabbath."

Charity: The Creator does not rest. We do not rest.

Ralph: That's what the story says. He rested on the Seventh day after creating the world.

Charity: Why would the Creator need to do that? The Creator is not human. The Creator is energy. Why should The Creator be tired?

Ralph: I'm just telling you what the story said.

Charity: It makes no sense to ourselves, because The Creator is pure energy. The Creator cannot become tired. The Creator is not a human being. The Creator is energy, pure and simple, and is the creator of ourselves.

Ralph: I think I could see a few other flaws in that, too. You don't have days of the week there.

Charity: No.

Ralph: So therefore, without time concept, you have no reason for seven days to go past anyway.

Charity: No.

Ralph: You wouldn't know when the Sabbath was.

Charity: No, we wouldn't know on what day the Creator was supposed to start creating.

Ralph: We do have some conflict there – which day is the Sabbath, anyhow? Some say it is Sunday and some say it is Saturday.

Charity: Do not some say it is Friday, also?

Ralph: The Jews start Friday and go through Sunday. I'm sure you have some somewhere who call it Tuesday, if they want to.

Charity: As we state, first and foremost, The Creator is not going to know it. We don't have time for that. I think that pretty well answers that avenue.

Ralph: So it doesn't make any sense to take a day off to rest?

Charity: The Creator does not need rest.

Ralph: But the humans do; they do better that way.

Charity: Right, therefore that is why they are stating that avenue. It's their rule.

Ralph: A good social rule.

Charity: Of course. But don't you not have priests and men who lead the worship who work on those days.

Ralph: I lived with one, remember.

Charity: Right.

Ralph: His biggest day was Sunday, and I was told he couldn't work on Sunday. Because of that rule, I didn't.

Charity: The rule is not followed, is it not?

Ralph: Believe it or not, while at home, I did not see the contradiction. I feel awfully stupid for not having seen that, but I lived under the injunction that I was not allowed to work at any job I had on Sundays, and I met that restriction when I got my first job in the ice cream store where the biggest day was Sunday when everybody had visitors over and wanted ice cream. They would come down to the store on Sunday afternoon to get the ice cream for Sunday night. And I had a heck of a time saying, "Should I go to work?" Fortunately my uncle was visiting and he said, "Go to work!" He was a preacher, so I got sanctioned, but that nearly ruined my entry into the workforce.

Charity: The Creator does not need you to be tired.

Ralph: But my father was busy, busy, all day Sunday.

Charity: So therefore it is not really being followed.

Ralph: Anyhow, it's here.

Charity: So it's another human made rule.