Worshiping at the shrines of commercialism

It was Sunday again and the worshipers were filling the malls in their weekly devotions at the New Age Church of Commercial Enterprise. The crowds begin showing up before the doors even open to avoid sitting on the back seats. The music plays incessantly, repeating the words of veneration emanating from the Cathedrals of Consumption (Kowinski, William Severini. The Malling of America: Travels in the United States of Shopping. [United States]: Xlibris Corp, 2002).

Shopping has become the major cultural activity in our "united states of shopping" and many people have substituted a trip to the mall for sabbath worship. Although the actual day of observance is sometimes disputed, there is little dispute among Christians as to the existence of a sabbath day. See Exodus 31: 16-17 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual ^acovenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in ^asix days the Lord ^bmade heaven and earth, and on the ^cseventh day he ^drested, and was ^erefreshed. See also Mosiah 18: 23 And he commanded them that they should observe the ^asabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God.

In an article entitled "The Sabbath--Holy Day or Holiday" Elder Charles Didier of the Presidency of the Seventy asked the questions "Now is the time to ask ourselves: Is the Sabbath a holy day or a holiday? Shall I worship the Lord or worship pleasures and recreation?"

We may ask ourselves the same questions.