Something better for the weekend?

Abstract

“…and He rested on the seventh day from all His work, which He had made” Genesis 2:2 (King James’ Bible) The idea of pausing for a day from the normal tasks of life has a long history, possibly began in Babylon where the 28th day of each lunar month was a rest day. Subsequently, this was taken up by the Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which have done much to shape the pattern of the week for billions of people globally. Even Buddhists believe that every seventh or eighth day should be a day of rest, with only the Hindu’s not specifying a specific rest day. For centuries, the need to celebrate the Sabbath determined the ebb and flow of life but in the late 19th century, with growing industrialisation in Western Europe and North America, it became possible to take more time away from work. This led to the rise of organised sports on Saturday afternoons in non-Jewish communities and the idea of the weekend, when people who were no longer engaged in “productive” work had time to meet together and pursue other interests. Of course, these social trends did not affect everyone. For instance, there is no evidence that illnesses are any less serious when they present at the weekend and for those patients who required hospital treatment, care givers were still needed. …