The False Sunday Doctrine
Der Lutheraner, a German Lutheran religious paper published at St. Louis, Mo., dated June 13, 1899, contains an excellent article bearing on the all-absorbing Sunday observance question. The following extracts are taken from the same:— The false Sunday doctrine of the Presbyterians has, according to the newspaper reports of the General Assembly of this sect, recently convened at Minneapolis, been brought prominently before the people. The Presbyterians believe that the Sunday was instituted by the Lord as the New Testament sabbath, although they have not, as yet, found a single text in the new Testament, and never will find any, where God instituted the Sunday as the “New Testament sabbath.” This false Sunday doctrine is one of their favorite teachings. There is great stress laid by them upon Puritanical Sunday sanctification. They tell us that the “American Christian sabbath is in great danger,” etc. We remark: If the American-Puritan Sunday observance, regarding which there arose so many petty and ridiculous restrictions by law in the American colonies over a hundred years ago, is dying out, it is not to be deplored. No person will ever be made better by an outward, more or less compulsory, sabbath (Sunday) observance; but through such pernicious practices pharisaical hypocrisy will only be encouraged. Our country needs no Puritan customs and Puritanical union of church and state laws regarding the Sunday. In the above-mentioned abominable expressions of the Presbyterians about their “American Christian sabbath” we again see plainly how false doctrine can benight the people. Sad it is that the report of the committee regarding Sabbath (Sunday) observance, in which they have overreached themselves by making such groundless claims, was received with enthusiasm by the General Assembly.