Working Sundays and becoming LDS


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21 minutes ago, Adrian_Liam said:

Hello all I have had a desire to become a Latter Day Saint for a while now. I would love to attend the church again and discuss a Baptism. However I have work every 3rd Sunday atm as work w/o thing care/support living. Would this affect me in anyway ? Or would I have seek a new job. ? 

We have many members who, due to the nature of their jobs, have to work on Sabbath at times.  

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49 minutes ago, Adrian_Liam said:

Hello all I have had a desire to become a Latter Day Saint for a while now. I would love to attend the church again and discuss a Baptism. However I have work every 3rd Sunday atm as work w/o thing care/support living. Would this affect me in anyway ? Or would I have seek a new job. ? 

I think if you have to work a Sunday now and then to support your family but are otherwise trying to obey the Sabbath, that's fine.

Perhaps you could keep working this job for now, but pray to Heavenly Father for career opportunities that will help you keep the Sabbath even more often and see what comes of it?

Edited by DoctorLemon
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58 minutes ago, Grunt said:

We have many members who, due to the nature of their jobs, have to work on Sabbath at times.  

I'm one of them. 

I work for a local newspaper that's a bit short-handed at present. If breaking news happens on a Sunday, or if a holiday causes some of my other duties to be shifted about, I'll have to put in a few hours' work. It's normally not an issue, and management understand that if it's a planned-in-advance thing I'll get on it once I get out of sacrament meeting. 

The big issue is dealing with a certain co-worker who won't leave things be if I'm out of the office. Last time this came up, she made a hash of some paperwork that had been left on my desk because she didn't want to wait for me to get there and find the one document she needed. 

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Hi Adrian,

The 2nd counselor in our Bishopric is an ER trauma surgeon.  Sometimes when he's sitting on the stand during sacrament meeting, his pager will go off and he has to run to the hospital.  You'll be fine.

Here's some basics on the whys and wherefores of LDS thinking about the Sabbath day:

https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-24-the-sabbath-day?lang=eng

 

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5 hours ago, Adrian_Liam said:

Hello all I have had a desire to become a Latter Day Saint for a while now. I would love to attend the church again and discuss a Baptism. However I have work every 3rd Sunday atm as work w/o thing care/support living. Would this affect me in anyway ? Or would I have seek a new job. ? 

I think you're actually asking a couple different questions.

1) Is it possible to still be considered a member in good standing if you work on Sundays?  Yes.  But it mainly depends on your attitude about it.  Being only every 3rd Sunday helps.  If you're purposefully neglecting your own attendance because you simply don't care, then that's one thing.  But if it is because of something like -- your job requires it, that's different. 

2) Are you going to get excommunicated for it?  Probably not -- as in... REALLY not.

3) Is it going to have a negative effect on you?  Of course.  You'll be missing Church attendance.  You'll also be missing the opportunity to renew your covenants and be spiritually fed.  You'll miss the socialization aspect of membership in the Church.  You'll miss opportunities to serve others.  You'll also miss the Sabbath as the day of putting away your worldly cares for one day a week and focusing on spiritual things that you may not have time for during the week.  So, yes, there are disadvantages -- even more than I have listed.

If you think there's a problem, discuss it with the bishop and you can come up with ways around it.

Edited by Guest
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Guest MormonGator

No worries at all. You won't be disciplined for it. The real world sometimes take first place and you need to work in order to feed your family. Feel no guilt whatsoever my friend. Hope you continue researching the church! 

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I worked Sunday's for 18 years. Look how great I turned out.

Kinda tough to be a cop and refuse to work Sunday's. Just goes with the territory. Nice thing is you can arrest a Mormon on a Sunday occasionally and then you can talk church. Seems to have mostly been for domestic violence so we talk about how to man up and take care of your family in a loving way instead of beating the wife and or kids.

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On 2/17/2018 at 2:57 PM, Adrian_Liam said:

Hello all I have had a desire to become a Latter Day Saint for a while now. I would love to attend the church again and discuss a Baptism. However I have work every 3rd Sunday atm as work w/o thing care/support living. Would this affect me in anyway ? Or would I have seek a new job. ? 

If you are asking "I am worthy to attend Church and be Baptized even though I work on Sundays?" The answer is absolutely, please join!

However, if the question is "As a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ should I work on Sundays?" That becomes a different question.

Please ignore those who self-justify their own breaking of the Sabbath day-even members of the Church.  It's actually quite sad.  The leaders of the Church have for several years, specifically called out the members on their lack of Sabbath day observance.  Worshiping the Lord on the Sabbath day and the Church members refusal to honor the Sabbath, lack of care for the Sabbath day is so incredibly bad that from January of this year until April, the lesson in one week out of every month in Priesthood and Relief Society is dedicated to the Sabbath day.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-leaders-call-for-better-observance-of-sabbath-day?lang=eng&_r=1

Think about that it . . . it is so bad in the Church that for at least 4 months one Sunday every month is being dedicated to talk about the Sabbath.  Unfortunately, too many members make so many justifications about working on the Sabbath.  The Bishop's counselor is a surgeon, so-and-so is a police officer, so-and-so is a firefighter.  Members today have Super-bowl watching parties . . .that was pretty taboo growing up. So much self-deception and denial.

Of course there are going to be instances and individuals who must to some work on Sunday due to emergencies in life. People don't stop getting sick, or needing operations, or crime doesn't stop, or houses don't burn down simply because it's Sunday.  So of course, sometimes we need to work on Sundays.  

However, the responses here are a far, cry with what I grew up with and what I taught as a missionary.  The vast, vast majority of people have absolutely 0 reason to work on Sunday.  I remember growing up hearing stories of faith and sacrifice. Of members who worked Sunday and said to themselves, "I need to obey the Sabbath more", and who would tell their bosses, "I do not work Sundays", being worried about being fired, or having to quit a job and wondering where the next paycheck would come from.  I remember hearing stories of faith, that those who had enough faith the Lord would bless!!  I implemented it in my life! I remember being 16-17 and having to tell my low-paying job boss-flat out. Don't call me on Sundays, I won't work or pick up shifts on Sunday.  I remember being worried that I would be fired.  But I had faith in God and dedicated that while I wouldn't work Sundays, I'd work twice as hard every other day of the week . . . and I did.

The thing that has most amazed me over the last 10-15 years is how much self rationalization has snuck into the Church, because we don't want to "offend" someone. You see by writing this I might "offend" someone who works on Sunday and quite simply lacks the faith in God to not work on Sunday.

And I call my own self out on this; with phones and e-mail it's so easy to get e-mails on Sunday and respond to them.  I've made a commitment that I don't check work e-mail on Sunday.

Edited by JoCa
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10 hours ago, paracaidista508 said:

I worked Sunday's for 18 years. Look how great I turned out.

Kinda tough to be a cop and refuse to work Sunday's. Just goes with the territory. Nice thing is you can arrest a Mormon on a Sunday occasionally and then you can talk church. Seems to have mostly been for domestic violence so we talk about how to man up and take care of your family in a loving way instead of beating the wife and or kids.

I disagree. You just need a backbone and a little faith.

Edited by JoCa
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1 minute ago, omegaseamaster75 said:

Depending on where he worked Sundays may not have been optional. Your post comes off very poorly.

I know everything today comes off "poorly". Preach repentance, "it comes off poorly", against current societal norms "it comes off poorly".

Edited by JoCa
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2 minutes ago, omegaseamaster75 said:

Depending on where he worked Sundays may not have been optional. Your post comes off very poorly.

I agree that it may not have been optional . . .but did he at least fight for it?  Did he go to the boss and say "I don't work Sundays?"  If he did, incorrect assumption on my part, my bad, and I apologize.

It's funny, we make exceptions all the time in today's society for Muslims, where hijabs, pray in the street (see England), we'll bend over backwards to make them feel accommodated. But the Christian who doesn't want to work Sundays?

People got to learn to stand up for their beliefs and their culture otherwise, the next generation won't know it. 

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1 minute ago, JoCa said:

I know everything today comes off "poorly". Preach repentance, "it comes off poorly", against current societal norms "it comes off poorly".

It's one thing to preach repentance it's another to challenge others faith. The first is fine, the second comes off as a personal attack of an individual's faithfulness.

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5 minutes ago, omegaseamaster75 said:

It's one thing to preach repentance it's another to challenge others faith. The first is fine, the second comes off as a personal attack of an individual's faithfulness.

Preaching repentance is challenging faith. You can't have one without the other. Like I've said before, everything today is a "personal attack". Seriously, today's modern society has become a self-congratulatory fluff.

Shoot, I'm horrible many times at the Sabbath, I'm no Saint at it.  I'm glad the Church is focusing on it.  I recognize my own lack of faith, where I don't do things I should do or do things I don't do on the Sabbath.  The one thing I don't do is try and justify my own behavior. And it's really hard in today's modern society to actually observe the Sabbath. I recognize that, I understand it, but it's still the goal.

Edited by JoCa
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Boys, boys.  Newbie in dah house.  Behave.  ;)

 

As you can see @Adrian_Liam, we all have different opinions on everything.  :)  But there's one thing certain - we want you to follow Christ the best way you can manage.  Talk to the missionaries/bishop about it and they'll help you work things out so you can get that out of the way and move you closer towards your baptism.

God bless and may you find joy in Christ and his Church. 

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23 hours ago, JoCa said:

I agree that it may not have been optional . . .but did he at least fight for it?  Did he go to the boss and say "I don't work Sundays?"  If he did, incorrect assumption on my part, my bad, and I apologize.

It's funny, we make exceptions all the time in today's society for Muslims, where hijabs, pray in the street (see England), we'll bend over backwards to make them feel accommodated. But the Christian who doesn't want to work Sundays?

People got to learn to stand up for their beliefs and their culture otherwise, the next generation won't know it. 

No I didn't fight for it..you earn your badge just like everyone else. Police work is different than the civ world. This is a major police agency and the town doesnt shut down for the sabbath like utah and idaho for example. Unfortunately people murder, rape, molest, rob and beat family members on Sunday too. In fact it is one of our busiest days.  To opt out cuz of the Sabbath doesn't play well in a pd. Not to mention they would tell you to gtfo and dont let the door hit you in the backside. We make no accommodation for Sabbath desires. You only have a 10-12 hr shift so you can find time to worship if you want when you are not on the beat. Sure I could have put in for some admin day shift weekend off gig, but I'm a cop not an admin. If you want to be a cop then you are on the street...whenever they want you there.

Find a backbone...give me a break. Come here and apply...anywhere in the phx metro area. Plently of perps just waiting to make short work of you and your backbone. 

Edited by paracaidista508
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17 minutes ago, paracaidista508 said:

No I didn't fight for it..you earn your badge just like everyone else. Police work is different than the civ world. This is a major police agency and the town doesnt shut down for the sabbath like utah and idaho for example. Unfortunately people murder, rape, molest, rob and beat family members on Sunday too. In fact it is one of our busiest days.  To opt out cuz of the Sabbath doesn't play well in a pd. Not to mention they would tell you to gtfo and dont let the door hit you in the backside. We make no accommodation for Sabbath desires. You only have a 10-12 hr shift so you can find time to worship if you want when you are not on the beat. Sure I could have put in for some admin day shift weekend off big, but I'm a cop not an admin. If you want to be a cop then you are on the street...whenever they want you there.

Find a backbone...give me a break. Come here and apply...anywhere in the phx metro area. Plently of perps just waiting to make short work of you and your backbone. 

@paracaidista508 I respect and appreciate what you do as a police officer.

Even if you don't approve of my video game habits :D

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On 2/17/2018 at 1:57 PM, Adrian_Liam said:

Would this affect me in anyway ? Or would I have seek a new job. ? 

No, and No. We have a general authority who played professional sports for six years. If I read the article correctly, we have a new mission president who played professional sports for 15 years or so. Last time I checked, Sunday is a common work day for these folks.

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