Prophetic Intelligence Briefings
Sunday Family Time Advocated in EU · March 10, 2010
A new website dedicated to citizen participation in EU affairs has placed the following statement on its website to advocate for a free Sunday so that families can spend time together.
“‘Mom and dad belong to us on Sunday’: Nowadays, this slightly changed former German labour union slogan is more up to date than ever before. Many times, especially children suffer from the so-called ‘flexibilization’ of the labour market. Children have a right to their parents and vice versa. We can only protect children, if their parents have time for them. With a free Sunday, there is at least one fixed spare day a week. This is, why we demand a Free Sunday in Europe.”
The website is sponsored by The European Citizens´ Initiative, which is a consortium of a large number of various Roman Catholic organizations, the Evangelical Alliance, Alliance for a free Sunday, and other religious organizations. They plan to make proposals to the EU Commission. A free Sunday, which is essentially a proposal to require Sunday rest by law, is the Initiative’s first proposal. But they cannot make a proposal without enough signatures of support.
The articles of the Lisbon Treaty allow citizens to have very limited input into EU affairs. If at least a million citizens sign a petition to support an initiative, the EU Commission will consider its proposals. Article 11.4, the Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union states: “Not less than one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may take the initiative of inviting the European Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties.”
Perhaps it is obvious that the EU Commission is not subject to the people, but wants to pretend that it is. Note that the wording of the article is very open-ended and vague. In order for there to be any consideration at all, the treaty has to include a million supporters of a “significant number of Member States” and must also be “appropriate.” These terms are vague and would give the Commission an easy way to reject any proposals that might be presented. Moreover, any proposal is an “invitation” to the Commission, not a requirement for them to consider it, or act upon it.
Not only will it be difficult to make direct proposals to the Commission, it will be easy for the proposals to be subject to the Commission’s internal politics. This is likely to cause the religiously motivated free Sunday proposal to have difficulty, should it ever get a million signatures, and actually be brought to the Commission. While in this case it is good that the people cannot force the Commission to consider such proposals as Sunday rest, the overall dictatorship that has arisen in Europe is troubling for many of its citizens for other reasons. Citizens cannot prevent the Commission from taking actions of its own that are unpopular. In this case, a secular Europe is a useful tool for the angels holding back the winds of strife.
The European Citizens’ Initiative presents arguments in favor of an EU-wide free Sunday, or Sunday rest law.
“We need a work-free Sunday in all of Europe,
• because children need a family day, which is protected as a day off-work,
• because this brings European forward on it’s way to become the most child-friendly region in the world,
• because according to EU legislation, Sunday is the weekly rest day for children and adolescents,
• because schools and public institutions never used to work on Sundays and do not intend to do so in the future – despite of various religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds,
• because studies prove the positive health effects of the work-free free Sunday,
• because every person needs spare time – to relax, to be active in civil society, for hobbies and for religion,
• because the work-free Sunday is an essential pillar of the European Social Model and a part of the European cultural heritage.”
Note that the arguments in favor of a Sunday law involve rest, relaxation, children, family, health, culture and religion. Europe’s “cultural heritage,” is referred to because of the historical role of the Roman Catholic Church in the old Holy Roman Empire which dominated Europe in the medieval era. In essence, The European Citizens’ Initiative is appealing to the people of Europe to resurrect the Vatican’s patrimony as the religious leader of a new Europe, a Europe with the same old laws that oppressed Europe in the dark ages and persecuted those that upheld the law of God.
In spite of the difficulties, the Catholic Church, Evangelical churches and other religious groups are going to do what they can to get a law passed to require Sunday rest. The European Citizens’ Initiative sponsors view a free Sunday as of such importance that they hope to propose a law that will become a Europe-wide requirement for Sunday rest. They have placed the following message on their website.
“Since the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, all European citizens have received a new tool to directly take part in European decision-making. We as European citizens have a say in Europe – also in other ways than only through the EU elections. Due to the European Citizens’ Initiative, we can call the EU-Commission for new policy proposals. Let us take this unique chance and make a step forward towards more democracy beyond all partisan politics.”
Note that a free Sunday law, or a Sunday rest law, is intended to go beyond partisan politics and be accepted by all, regardless of their political views and positions.
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May we SDA’s serve & love God now and always by keeping all His 10 commandments, reglardless of severe persecution a’men!
— Andrea · Tue Mar 16, 01:38 AM · #