Sunday Laws and Freedom of Conscience
It is urged by the advocates of Sunday laws that they do not infringe the rights of conscience, because while they forbid work on Sunday they do not forbid the keeping of another day also. But is this true? God has said, "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work." This at least gives all permission to work six days out of each seven. The divine law also says, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." One man reads that commandment and says, That requires me to keep the definite seventh day of the week. Another says, That means that I shall work six days and rest one; any stated day will do. The first man keeps Saturday, the seventh day of the weekly cycle. The second man keeps Sunday, the first day of the week. The State steps in and says to the first man, "You may keep the seventh day if you wish, but you must also keep the first day. Does it not, by thus depriving him of one-sixth of his God-given time for labor, to all intents and purposes fine him for acting according to his convictions of duty?