"There is no need for people to shop and desecrate
the Sabbath day by buying things on Sunday. That is not the time to
buy groceries. You have six days of the week, and you all have a refrigerator.
You do not have to shop on Sunday. Do not buy furniture on Sunday;
buy it the other days of the week. You will not lose anything if you
do your shopping the other days and do not do it on Sunday. Let this
be a day of meditation, of reading the scriptures, of talking with
your families, and of dwelling on the things of God. If you do so,
you will be blessed." Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley
First Presidency Statement on the Sabbath
Ensign, January 1993
Since the creation of the earth, the Sabbath day has been established
by God for the spiritual well-being of His children. Throughout generations
of time, the sacred law of the Sabbath has been upheld by the prophets
of God as a holy observance to help sanctify and bring joy to those who
would keep the commandments of the Lord. So important is this matter that
the observance of the Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments written
by the finger of the Lord on Mount Sinai.
Shortly after the restoration of the gospel, the Lord reaffirmed the
importance of Sabbath day observance when He declared to the Prophet
Joseph Smith:
"And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world,
thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon
my holy day; "For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from
your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
"Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all
days and at all times; "But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou
shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing
thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.
"And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food
be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect,
or, in other words, that thy joy may be full." (D&C 59:9-13.)
We sense that many Latter-day Saints have become lax in their observance
of the Sabbath day. We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and
participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly
desecrate the Sabbath.
We urge all Latter-day Saints to set this holy day apart from activities
of the world and consecrate themselves by entering into a spirit of
worship, thanksgiving, service, and family-centered activities appropriate
to the Sabbath. As Church members endeavor to make their Sabbath activities
compatible with the intent and Spirit of the Lord, their lives will
be filled with joy and peace.
(Signed:)
Ezra Taft Benson
Gordon B. Hinckley
Thomas S. Monson