UK Court of Appeals backs Sunday as a ‘day of rest’
“Sunday Church”
The Court of Appeal in the UK has somewhat backed Sunday as the day of rest:
December 5, 2013
The Court of Appeal has today (5th December) upheld protection of Sundays as a day of worship and rest for Christians. In a landmark judgment, the Court of Appeal dismissed earlier findings that Sunday observance was ‘not a core component of the Christian faith’. The ruling comes in the case of children’s worker, Celestina Mba.
The Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal had ruled that since not all Christians observe Sunday, it could not be a ‘core component’ of the Christian faith and was therefore not safeguarded…
An Employment Tribunal had found that the committed Christian ‘genuinely believed’ that she had made it clear at her job interview that she was unable to work on Sundays owing to her faith. An initial agreement respected her Christian faith and she didn’t work on Sundays. But after two years her employer sought to change the arrangement…
‘Error in law’
Paul Diamond, her barrister, argued that the onus was on her employer to seek reasonable accommodation for the employee and that the employers must act conscientiously.
The Court of Appeal found that the earlier courts had applied the wrong test to Merton’s decision. Lord Justice Maurice Kay said “I am satisfied that there was an error of law in the decision of the ET and that it was repeated in the judgment of the EAT.”
However, in spite of this, the Appeal Court refused to reconsider the findings of facts made by the Employment Tribunal or to order a new hearing to apply the correct test to the facts of the case. Thus, the dismissal of Celestina was upheld.
In his ruling, Lord Justice Maurice Kay concluded: “After the most anxious consideration, I have come to the conclusion that, in all the circumstances of this case, and notwithstanding the legal errors to which I have referred, the decision of the ET that the imposition of the PCP was proportionate was ‘plainly and unarguably right’.”
‘Big Step Forward’
Andrea Minichiello Williams, Barrister and Director of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Ms Mba, said: “We believe if the Court of Appeal had been prepared to consider the facts according to the correct test, Celestina would have won. The onus should be on the employer to reasonably accommodate their employee. http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/religious-freedom/court-of-appeal-recognises-in-law-sunday-as-christian-rest-day
Unusual logic.
Anyway, while it is true that Sunday was never the true weekly day of rest for true Christians, the ‘legal’ acceptance of Sunday is not a surprising move. Future Sunday laws have long been considered likely by those of us who observe the seventh-day Sabbath.
Sunday was not the day of rest for Jesus, His disciples, the original apostles, or the early faithful Christians–they all rested on Saturday. So, while I do not believe that Celestina Mba should have been fired for keeping Sunday, the truth is that faithful Christians do not keep Sunday as the weekly day of rest.
Sunday basically started to be implemented as a compromise with the Romans and Mithraism in the second century. Sunday was finally codified in the fourth century by first by a law and then later by a council called by the Roman Emperor Constantine. He in 331 A.D. then issued his famous Edict Against Heretics and persecuted those who held to the original Christian faith.
Sunday has been considered as “the mark of the Beast” by many Sabbath-keepers, and is related to at least part of it. The Bible tells of persecution coming to those who keep God’s commandments, and that is specifically including those who keep the Fourth one related to the seventh-day Sabbath.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? How clearly endorsed Sunday?
Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath Did Ignatius write against the Sabbath and for Sunday? What about the Didache? What does the actual Greek reveal?
Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity?
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church?
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