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The UK Bible Students Website History Corner |
R. E. Armstrong On Sunday Cinema
Openings In England (1945)
Letters
to the Editor
February
3, 1945
‘SIR,—As one of the Bible students meeting at . . . I have been interested in the correspondence on the question of the Sabbath and Sunday cinema opening.
Our viewpoint is rather different from those expressed, but we believe it is the correct one for a Christian.
To claim that the Sabbath was introduced with Christianity, or is part of it, is not only not true to facts, but the reverse is actually the case. The Sabbath was ordained at the time Israel left Egypt . . . the giving of the Law at Sinai . . . [and] in conjunction with the giving of the manna in the wilderness.
The manna given for six days only enforced the recognition of the seventh.
It was in the nature of a memorial of their deliverance, for in Egypt they had no rest from their taskmasters.
It was not ordained
previously nor commanded to any other nation. So the question arises, “Is the
Jewish Law obligatory upon Christians?”
‘Paul tells us that the Law was
added because of transgression. That man was made in the mental and moral image
of his Creator, implies that he had a moral standard superior to the moral
precepts of the Decalogue, which were made necessary because of departure from
the original standard. Christ came to fulfil the Law and doing so nailed it to
His Cross. He gave to His followers a higher law to love God supremely and to
love his neighbour as himself. . . .
‘Summarising the position we have:-
‘1.
The words “Sabbath day” signify “rest day.”
‘2.
Any rest day could be called a Sabbath and was so called, such as feast days
and the first and last days of Passover, no matter upon what day of the week
they occurred.
‘3.
The Jews were commanded to keep holy the seventh day to keep it as a Sabbath
or rest.
‘4.
Christians not being under the Jewish Law are guided in this matter by the law
of love and are not bound to any one day in the week.
‘5. All ordinances of the Jews were shadows of better things to come, and the Sabbath is interpreted in the “better” sense by Paul in
Hebrews 4.
‘6.
Christ gave His followers a new commandment, “that ye love one another.” This
was not added to the ten, not an eleventh commandment, but was in place of the
ten, and much more comprehensive.
‘How do we apply this new
commandment to the Sabbath ? The Laws given to Jews were beneficial to them and
no one can dispute the benefit to be derived from one day’s rest in seven. We
are therefore glad that the laws of our own land recognise and adopt this expression
of the Divine Will for Israel. As Christians obeying the Law of Love, we desire
to see our neighbour enjoy his rest from labour and it behoves us not to act in
any way that will deprive him of his rest. Providing arrangements are made for
all to have their rest one day in seven, whether Sunday or any other day, we
are free to use his services on every day of the week. To view the matter
otherwise would embrace far more than cinemas, and Christians would find
themselves unable to use trains, buses, etc. Further, it should be remembered
that the Jewish Law did not prohibit pleasure or rest on the seventh day, but
work, and the seven-day opening of our factories should be of far greater
importance than the opening of cinemas.
‘It matters not to us whether
cinemas open on Sunday or not. We desire to use our day of rest in Bible study,
worship and fellowship. We cannot, however, bind others to spend the day as we
do, as long as our love to our neighbour sees to it that he does not have to
work seven days to the week for our pleasure. To those who know and love their
Bible, one day a week is quite inadequate. The growth of many new religions
during the present century is evidence of the dissatisfaction with the tenets
of orthodoxy. These new religions supply a need felt by thinking people for a
more adaptable philosophy and theology.
‘For that state of mentality which always wants to be entertained and cannot make mental enjoyment for itself, and to whom religion does not appeal, then the cinema is probably the least harmful alternative.
— Yours, etc., R.E. Armstrong,
Hyde,
Cheshire’
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