Share the article on
this page with a friend. Click
here.
LDS
Sports and the Sabbath: A Look Back and Forward
written and compiled by Kelly L. Martinez
It's been nearly
five months since I wrote the article "A
Sobering Look: LDS Sports and the Sabbath." To date, the
article has generated over 250 e-mails. In the letters to the editor
follow-up on May 21, we shared a few of the comments made in regard
to the article. I have received requests to share some of the other
comments made about the article and the Sabbath day observance issue.
I'd like to preface the
following comments made by Meridian readers by sharing something
of a personal nature. In that article, I admitted to being less-than-perfect
in the observance of the Sabbath day in relation to sports-watching
on television in the past. Over the years, I have gotten better
at not watching sports on the Sabbath, but would still make occasional
exceptions for the Super Bowl or NBA Finals. As I prepared the article
in May, a funny thing happened: my own actions came under self-scrutiny.
I committed then to refrain from any activity that would detract
from the Sabbath's intention. I would like to testify that the Sabbath
can be properly observed and that the world will not stop if sports
are not a part of your Sabbath. I am still in the process of trying
to improve the quality of my Sabbath observance, but I can honestly
say something I never thought I would: I do not miss watching sports
on Sunday in the least. The Sabbath can indeed be called a delight
if we do what the Lord and His prophets have counseled us to.
Read on for some very
interesting comments offered by Meridian readers:
As far as playing on Sunday, that's their choice, BUT, I reserve the
right to teach my son that even though Joe Mormon plays on Sunday,
you shouldn't do it because it's still contradicting what the prophets
and the scriptures teach us. Judgmental? Yes. Condemning? No.
Jim Croasmun
I really enjoyed the article on Sabbath observance in sports. In my
view, keeping the Sabbath day holy has been so underwhelmingly observed.
I joined the Church in 1998 and so I did many things that were definitely
not so good in a gospel sense. As time went on though, I have looked
at what the Prophets and Church leaders have counseled and have sought
to make improvements. I am in sales and have had to make tough choices
in where and under what terms I will work in order to better observe
the Sabbath. I made the choices and still take a hard stand on what
is and what is not appropriate. To me, it boils down to how obedient
you intend to be. Living this commandment is easy and enjoyable with
the right perspective. I know that I and my family do all we can to
keep the Sabbath. We regard Sunday as the best day of the week. Sabbath
day observance does not limit us in our lives, it opens up enormous
opportunities to honour our commitments to the Lord. Living gospel
principles may not be easy but they are the best things going.
Eugene Layden-Tapp
London Ontario Canada
I have been
in the Air Force for the last 30 years and have often had to work
on the Sabbath. As the world has learned since 9/11, the "bad
guys" don't always give you the choice of when to make yourself
available for duty. I have numerous friends and acquaintances who
have been policemen, firefighters, physicians, nurses and other
professions that find themselves required to fulfill duties on the
Sabbath. Most of us would much prefer spending our time on Sunday
in church and/or with our families, but I think we all realize that
the "ox" finds itself "in the mire" even on
the Sabbath more than we would care to think about. I don't mean
to try to justify anyone's choices for Sabbath activities, but each
of us knew or should have, that our choice of employment/livelihood
would also have certain repercussions with regard to our gospel
responsibilities.
This life was meant to
be a time of choices and accountability, but I believe that those
who are required to work on the Sabbath can still be a good role
model for others if, when they are available for church duties,
they take care of them whole-heartedly and at the same time give
a full measure when required to work ( I think they refer to this
as integrity).
Bishop Dale Jones
Lt. Colonel
U.S. Air Force
Last Sunday, we turned off the TV and read your article about Sports
and the Sabbath, with our family. We have two teenagers and a ten
year old still at home. Though not avid sports fans, we do enjoy the
occasional sporting event. But more than applying to just sports,
your article helped us discuss our own observance of the Sabbath beyond
sports watching. It was a good discussion, yet another one in our
ongoing struggle to keep all of God's commandments more fully. I'm
not sure what the long range consequences of our conversation will
be, but we didn't turn the TV back on. Right away, anyway.
Patsy Peterson
West Valley City, Utah
My wife relates
the story of an LDS nurse who was mortified when President Kimball
was admitted to the hospital on the Sabbath and she was "caught"
breaking the Sabbath. Needless to say, President Kimball reassured
her that the service she was rendering was appropriate for the Sabbath.
There are many essential
services and occupations that require work on the Sabbath. Should
LDS people avoid them all? Obviously not.
What about non-essential occupations? If a God-given talent cannot
be fully developed as an occupation without working on the Sabbath,
such as professional American sports, should LDS people avoid these
occupations? Frankly, other then emergency broadcasts, virtually
all the mass-media occupations could be called non-essential. But
then, how would the Church broadcast General Conferences?
In order to obey President
Benson's counsel that mothers of young children should be in the
home, I had to take a job as a computer consultant that often requires
Sunday travel. Should computer consulting be avoided as an occupation?
Tough questions. If God
really was concerned that the Church knew the answer unequivocally,
then church leaders wouldn't publicly promote those who blatantly
violate this commandment any more then they publicly promote jack
Mormons who become big-name stars.
The fact that church
leaders constantly leverage the positive publicity associated with
sports stars seems to convey the message that the process an individual
uses to determine how to balance the need to keep the Sabbath day
holy with the many other commandments we have been given is the
most important element. It is a deeply personal choice and one where
two people may make the same choice, but only one of them is wrong.
Why we make a choice,
and how we make a choice, is often as important as what choice we
make.
A. Rick Anderson
How do we teach
our young people to observe the Sabbath day, when it can be so easily
broken by a returned missionary?
David A. Hicken
I wonder if
the world realizes the connection of Sabbath observance to the conditions
of drought, floods & famine? I wonder what the Lord thinks of
his returned missionaries glued to their tubes on Sundays (or ANY
day for sport or anything else that keeps them from patriarchal
and priesthood obligations).
Kelly L. Martinez is a freelance writer who has been a part of the Meridian family since 2001. In addition to Meridian, Kelly's work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Deseret Morning News, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and several other newspapers.
Kelly has worked in the collegiate sports information field since 1992, and was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers' stat crew from 1995-99. If it's BYU sports you're interested in, take a look at Kelly's take on BYU Cougars sports on Examiner.com at Kelly also shares his opinions about the sporting world periodically on his blog "After Further Review..."
