Moderators Gerr Posted April 24, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 24, 2014 My wife says I shouldn't be doing very conspicuous work outside (like the loud engine noise of the lawnmower) on Sundays for fear of offending our Sunday-keeping neighbors. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gregory Matthews Posted April 24, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 24, 2014 Are they offended? If so, yes, do it at some other time. To continue will present yourself to them as an ungodly person and blunt your witness. I am reminded of a SDA evangelistic series once conducted in a remote area of the U.S. The team came in are performed major effort in erecting tents, etc. on Sunday morning. No one attended as that was a great insult to the community. If they are not offended, continue to mow your lawn. Quote Gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerr Posted April 24, 2014 Author Moderators Share Posted April 24, 2014 I don't know and I have not heard of anyone being offended, otherwise I would have done as you suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rudywoofs (Pam) Posted April 24, 2014 Members Share Posted April 24, 2014 What about those who mow *their* lawns on Saturdays? If everyone stopped doing everything that offended someone else, nothing would ever be said or get done. Noise ordinances are usually 10PM - 7AM depending on the decibels. Quote Pam      Meddle Not In the Affairs of Dragons; for You Are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup. If we all sang the same note in the choir, there'd never be any harmony. Funny, isn't it, how we accept Grace for ourselves and demand justice for others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Naomi Posted April 24, 2014 Administrators Share Posted April 24, 2014 A lawnmower at 7 or 8 on Sunday morning may offend more than just those going to church. Sunday mornings have always been the only available time I had to dedicate to the yard, and it has been something I look forward to doing. I have had neighbors who were on their way to church stop and visit for a minute. Have been invited to met them for lunch at whatever local cafe they would be dining. Of course the last place that I lived was somewhat limited on places for lunch ... I suspect that I was invited because I was not in church and could go a bit early and hold a table for whichever denomination invited me. Then they would go home and work in their yards, nap or go shopping, etc. Everyone and everyplace is different ... it's always a good idea to respect your neighbors. Quote If your dreams are not big enough to scare you, they are not big enough for God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Why not simply invite them over to share a meal with you and allow them to get to know you and help them to understand what the Seventh Day Adventist church is all about? Nothing clears up problems with your neighbors like making them your friends. Allow them to understand why you worship as you do, you may be surprised that they may be genuinely interested to find out why you do what you do as a family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gregory Matthews Posted April 26, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 26, 2014 O.K. But if you want to develop friendship, you should carefully consider whether or not you will help develop that friendship by engaging in activity that they find very offensive. Quote Gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Tom Wetmore Posted April 26, 2014 Administrators Share Posted April 26, 2014 It might surprise some here to know that EGW recommended avoiding agitating and offending our neighbors by working on Sunday during a time when Sunday laws were a serious concern. We should not think that working on Sunday is a showing of our keeping of the Sabbath on the 7th day. The 4th commandment is not so much about mandating working 6 days as it is about resting on the 7th day. Otherwise, we should be in violation of it by taking off any day from working but the 7th. And it may also come as more of a surprise that EGW also advocated holding meetings on Sunday for the purpose of reaching out to Sunday keepers. And EGW herself often spoke at Sunday keeping churches on Sunday. We should be building bridges, not burning them. People tuned to Sunday keeping may be more disposed to coming to a meeting on Sunday. If we broadcast on the frequency others are tuned to, they will be more likely to listen to us. That is more effective than trying as an initial effort to try to get them to tune into our frequency. I would suppose that many people unfamiliar with our Sabbath keeping that are driving by one of our churches on Sabbath seeing the parking lot full and activity would not give it a second thought, but would assume a wedding or funeral in progress. That said, my personal opinion is that I don't know that in this modern era, very many of our neighbors would be offended by us doing yard work on Sunday, or in my neighborhood that my Muslim neighbors would be offended by me working on Friday. We have to understand that with so many of our neighbors being secular, or at best marginally religious, they are likely far more tolerant of what others do in their own yards and houses than we are. As Naomi said it is more likely an early morning noise disturbance issue for most folks anyway. Sleeping in, even an extra hour or so, on the weekend is a more "sacred" luxury to most people, religious or otherwise. Maybe if we are uncertain about what our neighbors may think, maybe we should get to know them better to try to find out how they feel about such things. We may find out what is really important to them is very different from what we think is important. Quote "Absurdity reigns and confusion makes it look good." "Sinless perfection is such a shallow goal." "I love God only as much as the person I love the least." *Forgiveness is always good news. And that is the gospel truth. (And finally, the ideas expressed above are solely my person views and not that of any organization with which I am associated.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gregory Matthews Posted April 26, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 26, 2014 Quote: That said, my personal opinion is that I don't know that in this modern era, very many of our neighbors would be offended by us doing yard work on Sunday, or in my neighborhood that my Muslim neighbors would be offended by me working on Friday. We have to understand that with so many of our neighbors being secular, or at best marginally religious, they are likely far more tolerant of what others do in their own yards and houses than we are. As Naomi said it is more likely an early morning noise disturbance issue for most folks anyway. Sleeping in, even an extra hour or so, on the weekend is a more "sacred" luxury to most people, religious or otherwise. I agree that this is true for many places where we might live. But, it is not true for every place. I have lived in very small areas. I once lived in such an area where the local SDA evangelistic series was "dead in the water" before it began due to the heavy labor that was involved in erecting the tent on a Sunday morning. How do I know? Because after I lived there and became friends with the people they told me. Quote Gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Tom Wetmore Posted April 27, 2014 Administrators Share Posted April 27, 2014 That is why my last two sentences are all the more important. We need to first get to know those we seek to witness to. We like to go tell others about us and what we believe, but seldom take the time first to just get acquainted to know them, to listen and understand them first. Quote "Absurdity reigns and confusion makes it look good." "Sinless perfection is such a shallow goal." "I love God only as much as the person I love the least." *Forgiveness is always good news. And that is the gospel truth. (And finally, the ideas expressed above are solely my person views and not that of any organization with which I am associated.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Naomi Posted April 27, 2014 Administrators Share Posted April 27, 2014 Quote If your dreams are not big enough to scare you, they are not big enough for God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeHiscost Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Quote: seeing the parking lot full and activity would not give it a second thought, but would assume a wedding or funeral in progress. And spiritually speaking, that is probably true on any given Sabbath. I would like to suggest, especially in recent SDA church culture, there are more weddings going on than funerals. God cares! Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoAspen Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Quote: We like to go tell others about us and what we believe, but seldom take the time first to just get acquainted to know them, to listen and understand them first. That is what we see from Christ in the NT, always getting to know others. Hmmmmm....maybe you are on to something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 My wife says I shouldn't be doing very conspicuous work outside (like the loud engine noise of the lawnmower) on Sundays for fear of offending our Sunday-keeping neighbors. What do you think? It seems to me like you are a very intelligent and wise man. That's what it takes to chose the right woman to be your wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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