God Rests on the Seventh Day
Religion is a fundamental part of many societies and cultures. Surprisingly, the United States is a highly religious developed country, with religion playing a role in many aspects of all Americans' lives, albeit sometimes undecidedly. A recent study found that Europeans are less religious than Americans (Arnett & Jensen, 2015). This may come as a surprise to some, seeing as though religious affiliation among young adolescents is decreasing with each generation. However, religious values remain a strong component of how people choose to live their lives. Christianity is a major religious group within the United States. Over half of the U.S. population is religious in some form, with ⅔ of religious people being Christians (although numbers are declining each year).
Although a majority of Christian religions use the Bible as their primary source for teachings and Scripture, it does not necessarily mean that they interpret the Scriptures in the same way. Each group has their own perspective on how the Bible should be interpreted and what is the true meaning behind each Book. Some only focus on the Old Testament, such as Jewish believers. Others focus on specific people within the Bible such as Jesus and Mary, as Catholicism does. Because of this, there are multiple subgroups within Christianity. One of these subcategories are Protestants. Protestants have multiple religious denominations of their own. Within those denominations is a group (subculture) known as Seventh Day Adventists.
Seventh-day Adventists have many distinct differences that make them unique amongst Protestants and Christianity as a whole. The primary example is their focus on the Sabbath and its significance within the religion itself. The Sabbath is so pivotal within the religion that the founders and followers named the group as Seventh-day Adventists. The word Sabbath comes from the Jewish term Shabbat meaning “to rest” (Seventh-day Adventist World Church, 2021). This day is significant for Seventh-day Adventists and Jews, yet differs for other Christian denominations.
Unlike most Christians that commonly celebrate a day of rest for the week on Sunday (such as Catholics), Seventh-day Adventists believe that God rested on a Saturday. This may have occurred during the reign of Emperor Constantine and his decisions after becoming Christian (National Geographic, 2019). As a result of this divergence from other Christian traditions, Seventh-day Adventists value the Sabbath differently. This causes a unique perspective on the beliefs, practices, and cultural significance of the Sabbath to be closely explored. This insight is not to determine whether Saturday or Sunday is the actual day God rested after Creation, but rather an exploration of the different interpretation of the Bible by Seventh-day Adventists and how it affects the way in which they choose to live their lives.
About Seventh-day Adventism
According to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an Adventist is a member of any one of a group of Protestant Christian churches that trace their origin to the United States in the mid-19th century (Seventh-day Adventist World Church, 2021). Seventh-day Adventism was founded by a man named. To summarize, an Adventist individual in the 1800s believed that he knew the date that the Second Coming or “end times” was going to occur. The Second Coming is the belief of Christians that Jesus will once again descend to Earth and take those who are righteous to heaven, while those who remain will be left behind.
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (King James Version, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). He prophesied that this would occur on specific dates in 1844 and when it did not come to fruition, it became known as the “Great Disappointment” (Seventh-day Adventist World Church, 2021). After this occurred the Whites, a husband and wife, founded what is now known as the current Seventh-day Adventist movement, now with a primary focus on the Sabbath and preparation for the Second Coming through practices and faith.
Practices on the Sabbath
The principal ideology of Adventists focuses on the notion that Christ is going to return to Earth at some point in the future and followers should be prepared through devout consideration of the importance of the Sabbath in relation to God. Individuals should spend their time doing healthy and productive activities in general, but significantly during the Sabbath. The Sabbath lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. “Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts” (Seventh-day Adventist World Church, 2021).
Time should be spent reading Scripture, and be in prayer and reflection. Seventh-day Adventists believe that it’s important for mental and physical health to take time to rest and refresh. This day, according to the Bible, is for God, and the commandment concerning Sabbath rest is a part of God’s eternal law. Typically families have certain traditions and practices that they will do Friday evening until the following evening. In The Adventist Home, there are examples provided of activities that a family may participate in while it is the Sabbath. Children are encouraged to watch Biblical programs or read Biblical fables that teach a moral lesson. Husbands are encouraged to lead the family in prayer and provide guidance.
Outside of the Sabbath, individuals should still follow certain practices and lifestyle choices so that they may be in the best possible state of being for the arrival of Jesus since “...concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (King James Version, Matthew 24:36). The Ten Commandments are especially important and should be followed as closely as possible.
The goal is to live life as “godly” people and according to His will. This means to refrain from activities and actions that would be deemed “sinful” such as adultery, murder, temptation, lust, and drugs and immoral practices. An important difference between Adventists and some denominations is the emphasis on treating the body as a “temple”. This means to keep the body as the way God created it to be. They refrain from excess piercings, tattoos, or other acts that they consider altering the appearance (Seventh-day Adventist World Church, 2021).
There is some contention between the belief of Seventh-day Adventists of the Sabbath being on Saturday versus most other religions celebrating on Sunday. Because the Bible does not have days of the week written within it, there is no definitive way to determine on what “day” God finished completing creation. This argument causes both sides (Saturday is correct vs. Sunday is correct) to believe that they are the ones who are celebrating on the correct day. As a result, there is some animosity between the different denominations within Christianity. Oddly enough, this animosity seems to be higher within the group (Christian vs Christian or Protestant vs Protestant) than it is among Christianity and Judaism.
Due to the emphasis of following the Old Testament and its teachings, Seventh-day Adventists accepted Old Testament dietary regulations, many of which are still being practiced today. This includes refraining from consuming caffeine (coffee or tea), shellfish, pork, drugs or medications that work as stimulants or are considered harmful, and alcohol. Pork and shellfish/seafood are considered to be “unclean”. These are all considered to inhibit a person’s ability to live life in the way God deemed it to be, regardless of whether these items may have been present and utilized during Jesus’ time by the religious and sinners alike.
An interesting fact that was learned was that in 1900, Seventh-day Adventist J.H. Kellogg and his brother created the Kellogg cereal company. The cereal company is still around today and is highly popular amongst the religious and non-religious alike. Although they appeal to the Bible for the justification of these dietary practices, they maintain that these are primarily based upon the broad theological consideration that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be protected.
The importance of the Sabbath is reflected in the ways that Seventh-day Adventists model their everyday lives. Although their denomination shares many aspects of other religions and cultures, the way they developed their beliefs, customs, and traditions is what makes them stand out amongst other Protestant denominations. It is a vital example of how although Christianity is lumped into one category generally by most people, it means different practices for different denominations. Regardless of whether the Sabbath is celebrated on Saturday or Sunday, the primary doctrines and beliefs remain the same. The belief that Jesus will return, that God is the prime Creator, and that individuals should live their lives according to God’s will is shared.
References
Team, Adventist.org. (2021). Official Beliefs of the Adventist church. Adventist.org, https://www.adventist.org/.
Arnett, J.J. & Jensen, L.A. (2019). Human development: A cultural approach
(3rd ed.).Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Green, Nathan. (2013). The Blessed Hope. [Painting]. Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/360499145143723279/
King James Bible (2017) (Originally Published in 1611).
Rattini, Kristin B. (2019, February 5). Who was Constantine? [Magazine Article:Online].
National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/constantine
White, Ellen G. (1988). The Adventist Home. Herald Publishing Association.
Walmart. (2021). Photo of Frosted Flakes.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Frosted-Flakes-Cereal-Original-31-Oz-2-Ct/173989887?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=17374&&adid=22222222227051640085&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=147807154260&wl4=pla-291801463604&wl5=9061145&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=125210768&wl11=online&wl12=173989887&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8eOLBhC1ARIsAOzx5cEgx6HDuhSm4U1Dodvu8-aQEtL-a7M_L8SBB-SuPkexJykRHrVMtdQaAg--EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
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