I'm about to start a 24/7 business online, and as I do the question of Sabbath came up in my mind.

What considered to be "work" during the pre-technology era, is quite different what we would consider to be "work" today. The idea of noninterference rest and uninterrupted communion with God was of the issue.

I've talked to one of my Adventist friends about the idea of the business, and he objected saying that I would have to shut the site down on Sabbath. Yet this is ludicrous :), because that would lead to the similar idea that we would have to avoid any kinds of goods and services that are rendered on Sabbath for us, and are paid by us other times. Such would be Internet, Electricity, Telecom Technology (Phones and Cell phones), Traffic, Air Travel and etc.

Unfortunately, I think that there is a fundamental misconception about what Sabbath is to be - a day of personal and family communion with God. Thus we can not force the world around us to just shut down because of our religious expectations. Thus we tend to think of things from the "can't do" perspective.

If we take on that mentality, that would mean that anyone doing any investment word would have to constantly withdraw their money on Sabbath, as investment is a form of selling one's resources which work for you 24/7/365.

While I have mixed position on this issue, and I see incredible amounts of double standards, I think there are many things that one can do short of scheduling a site shut down every sunset Friday.

It is important that the commandment refers to people, which are the person and people (animals) in his/her immediate sphere of influence. It does not refer to technology, such as it would not refer to a hydro or wind mill being stopped and such. The payment transactions do not have to take place on Sabbath to run an online business. Neither do the shipments, and customer service.

I'd like to hear your views on this issue of Sabbath as it relates to a world of today.

You are not actively and personally involved during the Sabbath hours in your local time, right? The Sabbath in our area must be just friday morning in the different locations of the globe, or vica versa-depent on where we are.

I think you can stay open 24/7 as your refrigerator, cell phones, etc always 'on'...but please come back of what the Bible says, "....you shall do NO work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

The terms such as "always connected" or maybe "not to shoot down" doesn't necessarily means we do any work.

"within thy gates"

If you look, the bible commandment has this phrase...within thy gates....IOWs, your house..your sphere where you live...

Do you live in the internet? Is the internet within your gates? [Ok, a PORTAL is within your gates, but you have the option on the portal as to when to look. Therefore, you control the portal that is within your gates...


Tell your friend that he is a legalist...He needs to lighten up and get a REAL life, and not a pharisical one...

Good comments, dear Neil.

But anyway..ooopsss...please do not attack nor condemn anyone that has different beliefs/practices that otherwise not wiser than yours--if you wish.

You are correct, Delta. I need to appologize ...

I appolgize to all the legalists out there in SDA land, who can not determine what it means to follow Jesus to become a real HUMAN BEING. I am sorry that you general legalists dont understand what it means to be human...instead, you hurt us real human beings with quotes of guilt, of us not living up to the standards that God insists that we have, and of undermining our security with God. I suppose I should thank you for all that you legalists do....but I am not sure exactly what it is that you do positively...

I believe you should study the principles of Sabbath keeping in the Bible and in the Spirit of prophecy (if you accept it), pray about it, and then do what you honestly believe is right in your own heart and mind.

John, I did, and I honestly believe that I am not going against God's word by running an online business, even though the users would be able to view the site on Sabbath. I would not do it if I believed otherwise.

Yet I find certain people do have misconception about what Sabbath meant to be. For example, they won't turn on the TV, yet they would spend their time browsing the Youtube in search for entertainment. They would criticize your for doing light exercising in the morning, but they would have no trouble overeating on the potluck food :). I guess it depends on people you meet.

I read the threads on forums like this on the Sabbath and write dissertations about things. That's how I study the Word. That and listening to Alexander Scourby on mp3. So I would not want the owner to shut it down. It's also a business 'cause they sell stuff. But I'm not going to do transactions.

I think you should get your business out. Just don't touch it yourself on the Sabbath.

If your site is based in the US and someone in Australia makes a transaction after sunset there, he would not be breaking the Sabbath because Sabbath there is over with 12 hours before it's over with in the US. So by leaving your server up, you are not encouraging people to make transactions on the Sabbath.

If they do makes a transactions on the Sabbath, it's not your responsibility. It was not open on the Sabbath for them to make transactions, but for them on the other side of the world.

There are so many issues like this and different people have different convictions:

Romans 14:5 ..Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

I can't say it's bad to buy an item from a machine because you are not requiring someone to work. I can say it's not lawful to buy something from a merchant because that requires him to work.

Neh. 13:16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing [is] this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?

It's not that I personally like buying stuff from machines on the Sabbath. I just can't find anything from Scripture or Ellen White. So I can't say anything. I couldn't say it's bad to do light exercises either.

But paying someone to break the Sabbath for you is like paying someone to kill someone. You're still guilty. I don't care of he's going to be doing it anyway.

I can't convince anyone that riding a taxi or bus on the Sabbath is bad. How can you pay a taxi driver to break the Sabbath for you and then give him a Bible study? What if he decides to be converted and start keeping the Sabbath. He will hate you because you where glad he was lost and breaking the Sabbath for your convenience.

The only people that have to be on call on the Sabbath are like firemen, police, doctors, nurses and other such emergency related occupations.

I have a few online business, such as www.adventistfoods.com, they are pretty hard to shut down for any given period, it messes up search engines robots if you take them off line.

I had to decide what to do, and decided to let the consumer choose when to purchase these foods. ( Which can be up to $20 cheaper a case cheaper than your local store, with an option of free delivery to your home )

If you do start an online business I hope you register it at www.adventistbloggers.com, [lus let us know as well.

I know a number of adventist that can now be at home all day, as their internet income covers their living expenses +++

Having a family business like that is great.

Here is another one

http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=178814011&tag=bloggers-20

For folks that are into Emmys etc