Understanding the Rise of National Sunday Laws

The latest developments show a concentrated effort to secure a national Sunday law in the United States, primarily driven by the National Sunday Union and allied religious organizationsARSH July 2, 1889, page 426.2+1. This movement has shifted from a focus on national legislation in Washington to active crusades for rigid Sunday laws at the state levelAMS February 28, 1895, page 67.3.

The National Sunday Law Movement

• Legislative Pressure: Although the original Blair Sunday bill in the fiftieth Congress did not become law, supporters are actively laying plans to introduce new national legislationNSLS27 iii.1+1.

• Organizational Growth: The American Sabbath Union was organized specifically to advocate for these laws, gaining support from various Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist bodies, as well as the W.C.T.U. and the Catholic ChurchAMS January 1889, page 4.2+1.

• Petitions and Signatures: Millions of signatures have been gathered through petitions presented to the Senate Committee on Education and Labor by various senators to show public support for a national rest dayRCAAS 49.5+3.

• The Goal of "National Religion": These efforts represent an attempt to establish a national religion and make ecclesiastical power superior to civil power in the United StatesAMS June 12, 1890, page 190.2+1.

Religious and Civil Implications

• Identity of the Sabbath: While proponents call Sunday the "Christian Sabbath," there is no scriptural authority for this designation, as the Bible identifies the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord Exodus 34:21BP2 120.1+2.

• Ecclesiastical Authority: Observers of Sunday acknowledge the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, which claims to have changed the day of rest from Saturday to SundayAMS March 28, 1895, page 104.16+1. This power "thinks to change times and laws," exactly as prophesied Daniel 7:25.

• Impact on Dissenters: The proposed laws often include deceptive "exemption clauses" for those who observe the seventh day, but these are regarded as ruses to allay opposition until the power to enforce uniform observance is securedAMS October 16, 1889, page 300.3+1.

• Subversion of Liberty: Defining "criminality" based on whether an act "disturbs" another person on Sunday subjects citizens to the whim and caprice of judges and juriesNSLS18 129.1+2.

Historical and Theological Context

• Papal Genealogy: The Sunday laws of the American states are a direct repetition of the laws of the colonies, which were derived from England and ultimately from the pagan and papal edicts of RomeJRLE 2.4+2.

• True Purpose: Despite modern claims that these laws are "sanitary" or for "the benefit of labor," they remain exclusively religious in origin and intentJRLE 2.4+2.

• Call to Action: There is an urgent need to warn the public about these developments, as the impending conflict between human requirements and God's law draws near Revelation 14:123SM 381.1+2.

Faithfulness to the Creator requires upholding His law, for it is written that we must "fear God, and keep his commandments" Revelation 22:14BP2 120.1.