Scripture has it, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”. We are commanded to “Keep” the Sabbath with Church going.
Actually, this isn't the Church's historic teaching. The Church has historically taught that the Sabbath (Saturday) is /not/ to be observed by Christians as it is by Jews, but rather we are to observe the Lord's Day (Sunday) which is not the same thing. The Lord's Day is related to the Sabbath in much the same way that the Eucharist is related to the Old Testament sacrifices and Baptism is to circumcision. It has fulfilled and surpassed it. Its not the 7th Day of the Old Creation, its the 8th Day, the first day of the new. So your references to Old Testament shadows and types represent a category confusion. At least on the point of the Sabbath, you seem to be holding to the position of the Judaizers...see below...
It says in Scripture, “He who honors me, I will honor and he who dishonors me, I will dishonor.” <snip>
One time in a Greek Orthodox service while praying during the Our Father, I was interrupted so someone could be seated. I immediately left the church and excoriated anyone else arriving to the church in the parking lot and I never returned to that church.
In the spirit of our Lord's injunction that 'by the judgment by which ye judge others ye also shall be judged, and by the measure with which you measure, ye shall be measured'...and irony:
You were sitting in a Church during the Liturgy? Sitting? During prayer? You would dare sit in the presence of the Heavenly King?
Jesus said, “Your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees”. I guess the “righteousness” in the Churches is quite lax.
You seem to be interpreting Christ as telling you to out Pharisee the Pharisees. And to your credit, you're pursuing your interpretation of this command with all due zeal. But this is a gross misinterpretation of the passage. Here's what Christ had to say about the Sabbath:
Mark 2:23-28: 23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
St. Paul said on the subject, even more directly to the point:
Colossians 2:16 - Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Why this change from the Old Testament?
Galatians 4:4-7 - 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Far from being an innovation, Far from being scandalous, A man who goes to Sunday services religiously for 50 years, and fails to go to the next because of a football game and dies on the way, He shall be condemned to Hell. All his good deeds and faith are for nought.
Romans 2:3 - And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Romans 14:4 - Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:10 - But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
And lest you accuse me of being 'Protestant' in my outlook:
James 4:11-12 - Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
Today, We don’t know the Scriptures; We don’t read; We don’t quote; We don’t command; We don’t preach; We don’t honor; We don’t remember; We don’t fear God.
You speak only for yourself, sir.
In truth, I'm hoping your post was a joke, since I can't imagine anyone ever referencing Blue Laws positively, even the most wild-eyed Finney-following Pelagian, but it gives me a jumping off point to try to address this again. The idea that salvation is merited by law-keeping is a heresy condemned by the Church centuries ago. The idea that salvation does not require obedience is also a heresy condemned by the Church centuries ago.
Those reacting against the Catholic Answers statement are reacting against what they perceive is un-Christian judgmentalism. Those on the other side I don't perceive to so much be defending the statement itself, as the idea that Church attendance is critically important. Both are true, both are right, and they don't contradict each other. The fact is, it is sinful to not attend Liturgy without good reason. But it is also a fact that no person can judge the salvation of another, especially based on some individual sin such as this. Its really that simple.
To quote the Bard: 'If all men were treated according to their dessert, who should escape whipping?' Certainly I would not.
