Give Us This Day: A (Secular) Case for Observing the Sabbath

Author

Thomas (T.J.) Karis

Date of Completion

5-31-2024

Document Type

Campus Access Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

First Advisor

Robert Ricketts

Second Advisor

Jeremy Szteiter

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that embracing a secular version of the Judeo-Christian practice of Sabbath-keeping, regardless of religious affiliation (or lack thereof), offers a viable and vital pathway toward improved individual and collective well-being in the contemporary United States. Secular sabbath-keeping, I suggest, should reorient our focus away from ‘having’ and toward ‘being’, as described by Erich Fromm in To Have or to Be?. After exploring the underlying philosophy of the religious Sabbath and providing a new framework of understanding for the secular sabbath, I offer some examples of appropriate secular sabbath activities. Ultimately, the secular sabbath is intended as a preview of, and first step toward, human flourishing.

Comments

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Recommended Citation

Karis, Thomas (T.J.), "Give Us This Day: A (Secular) Case for Observing the Sabbath" (2024). Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection. 416.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cct_capstone/416