So, I just ordered something off of Amazon, and just as we were getting ready to head off to church this morning, the postman stopped by to deliver the package ... on a Sunday! Since when did the USPS start doing this?
Evidently, it started back near the end of 2013 when the USPS signed a special deal with Amazon during the Christmas rush. Then it seems to have expanded from there. Now it seems to be available during non-rush times as well.
While Sunday deliveries sounds like the greatest idea since apple pie to many people, this presents a dilemma for us Mormons who believe in keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Not only do we try not to do work ourselves, we try to make sure not to cause anyone else to do work on our behalf.
(Exodus 20:10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.Thus in a sense, I broke this particular commandment because I caused the postman to work on Sunday.
The Bible does grant some leeway in emergency situations (ox in the mire). For example, we always need cops, doctors, and transportation services. If I were to break my neck and be rushed to the hospital on a Sunday, I wouldn't be sinning. Rather, the doctors, nurses, and ambulance drivers would be providing a necessary emergency service.
Do postal workers provide similar emergency services? Most of the packages they deliver are cool gadgets, earrings, clothes -- things we would want to have, but not things that we would need in a timely manner. I definitely didn't need my package delivered on a Sunday.
Sunday work is often required during Christmas rushes. Those presents have to arrive by December 25, and there are so many of them to deliver. So, yeah ... it would be okay to hire a whole bunch of seasonal workers who are willing to work on Sundays. That way, career workers wouldn't be forced to work Sundays, and they could be home with their families.
However, according to this article, postal workers are getting the raw end of the deal. While we're getting our packages on Sunday, these carriers are working several weeks in a row with no breaks. Even the career workers are working Sundays with the threat of losing their jobs.
Is this the price we're willing to pay -- to pull these people away from their families and their worship in order to get our goods one day earlier?
Sure ... in this world that's becoming more and more agnostic, there are plenty of people who are willing to work on Sunday. Let them work if they so desire. But I will strive to minimize my contribution to demand that could indirectly cause bosses to make unwilling people work on Sunday.
However, the conundrum with Amazon still exists. When I order a package, how can I help to ensure it does NOT get delivered on Sunday? I think the best I can do now is to look at the shipping options and choose one that doesn't land on a Sunday.
If only I could set up my account to opt out of Sunday deliveries altogether. But alas, Amazon doesn't offer such an option. I searched (even though reading rumors that such a switch exists), but Amazon seems to provide no such help.
Could this be a sign that eventually down the road, the Sabbath will cease to exist altogether? All in the name of added convenience? Then when would we spend time resting with our families?
