ThnksGiving-BlackFriday Shopping VS Keeping the Sabbath Holy

[Grammercy]

Fwd message:Comparative Study:ThanksGiving-Black Friday Shopping VS Keeping the Sabbath Holy

============= ADVENTIST YOUTH CAMP? ================

Oh yes, our church members, especially some Adventist Youth-in

United States-seems to be very exiting, happy and full of joy

whenever the Black Friday comes. "Black Friday" is another name

given for annual 'after ThanksGiving Sales' in which the major big stores-especially the electronics and appliances stores such as Best Buys, Circuit City, Etc. have a big discounts [at least in theory] for most of the products in limited quantities. The discounts may be up to half price or more.

Now guess what. Since this is a special one-day only annual event with big discount prices [in theory], it leads to a real hard competition-not among sellers, but buyers-for them to be able to buy certain "big discount" products.

Well, some customers including our Adventist Youth waiting in line for hours, spending night before the Black Friday in a deep pre-winter night...not for getting food, not for an Emergency or

medical, not for helping others, and not because of any natural

disasters.

The only one reason, unfortunately, for our Adventist youth gather together-with their tents-and stay overnight is only because they don't wanna miss in spending their money, believe it or not. By the way, studies show that 92% of Black Friday shoppers spend the money for something they don't really need, but it's only because they want the products and following the stream.

So why our young people still want to wait in lines and spend all night long just for shopping? Waiting for 8, 12, 15, or probably 20 hours are very very long time and way too much, of course. In facts, physiology and phycosocial in their natural laws basically state that that usually long-waiting is destructive and not healthy since it can easily produce stress and lowering our immune system, right?

Not so, and not for us...our Adventist youth might say so. Why?

Simply because our youth testify that "Black Friday shopping is fun. So spending night in line is certainly fun, sensational,,,crazy but fun! That's why stay overnight is not a hard thing for us. Just wait. We know that's a very long waiting time. Yet, the time must come anyway. So, just wait faithfully...and no need to complaint about. Just wait...!!!"

What a big difference when we see another picture about keeping the Sabbath holy. More than 75% of Adventist Youth in North America now don't really care or at least they complaint--not about the Sabbath--but about to KEEP THE SABBATH HOLY-as a burden, too much,and not fun.

Especially whenever the Summer time comes. Sunset seems to be very long, huh? Yes, it is. But again, that what they say. Now they try to compromise their faith and start doing the same things what Sunday Churces do: Go to churh in the morning and after that go to shopping centers, malls, restaurant, movies, washing their cars, laundry, watching secular TVs...but in doing those kind of habbit comfortly, our Adventist Youth's attitude always says that "we are not doing bad things or criminals, and we know our Jesus is a God of Love and Mercy. Jesus that gives us freedom-not burdensome."

Sadly, this attitude fueled by the majority of Adventist Pastors in North America in their attitude that is so happy and proud to become allergic about "Doctrines".

Oh...But wait a minute, Pastors. Doctrine is not a dirty word. I

know that we MUST love and care one another. But this shoud not

politically misused as a "license" to eliminate and kick out all

about Adventist Doctrines, because those are our Fundamental Beliefs!

By not rebuking your young people and choose to keep silent in the name of "do not judge"....you, as official SDA Pastors, are not only downgrading the importance of Sabbath, but also don't care, ignoring and finally agree for God's people to do secular activities like sunday churches' people do after their morning worship. Then, as if so, That's your responsibility to preach and explaining why it is not unbiblical to do secular activities during the Sabbath.

Well, anyway, dear friends...if you can easily afford overnight

waiting just for the Black Friday Shopping with your joy and

exciting fun without any complaint, how much simpler and easier for all of us to be able to keep the Sabbaths holy from sunset to sunset...

....but only if you want. And if you love Jesus, keeping the Sabbath holy is not a burden, but a real joy and happiness as if you've been doing every year in Black Friday shopping.

Shopping is not a sing. DOn't get me wrong here. Sometimes I love shopping too.

Yet, eternity is much more important than shopping.

-cut-

=====================

Thank you for several Adventist Churches in Arkansas, Colorado,

Florida, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Oregon, etc...etc...that make this kind of ANNUAL Bible study or Seminars always available every year in your own churches or local community centers in early novembers.

[Amelia]

No black Friday shopping for me. I was working!

[Nan]

The way the article reads, would suggest it was written by a person whose first language is not English - maybe from a different culture.- Not sure if that observation is of any relevance of course.