Legal Definitions - Sabbath-breaking

Sabbath-breaking refers to the act of violating specific laws or regulations that govern activities permitted or prohibited on the Sabbath day. These laws, often historically referred to as "blue laws," aim to enforce religious or moral standards by restricting certain commercial, recreational, or labor activities on Sundays or other designated holy days.

• Example 1: Commercial Activity

  Imagine a small town where a local ordinance, a remnant of older "blue laws," prohibits all non-essential retail businesses from operating on Sundays. A new antique shop owner, unaware of this specific local rule, decides to open her store for business one Sunday afternoon to attract weekend tourists.

  This situation illustrates Sabbath-breaking because the antique shop owner is engaging in a commercial activity (operating a retail business) that is explicitly forbidden by local law on the designated Sabbath day.

• Example 2: Recreational Activity

  In a particular state, there is a long-standing statute that prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption (e.g., at liquor stores) on Sundays before a certain hour. A convenience store clerk, either by mistake or oversight, sells a six-pack of beer to a customer at 9:00 AM on a Sunday, an hour before it is legally permitted.

  This demonstrates Sabbath-breaking because the sale of alcohol at that specific time on Sunday is a commercial transaction restricted by a law designed to regulate activities on the Sabbath, making the clerk's action a violation.

• Example 3: Labor/Work Activity (Historical Context)

  Consider a historical scenario in a 19th-century American city where strict "blue laws" were in effect, mandating that most forms of manual labor cease on Sundays. A local blacksmith, needing to complete an urgent repair for a customer, works at his forge for several hours on a Sunday morning, generating noise and smoke in the community.

  This exemplifies Sabbath-breaking as the blacksmith is performing labor that was explicitly prohibited by the prevailing laws on the Sabbath, which were intended to ensure a day of rest and quiet observance.