wfn.org | Dutch Adventists Support Fight for Religious Freedom

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

February 12, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Dutch Adventists Support Fight for Religious Freedom 
in the Netherlands

Huis ter Heide, The Netherlands. [APD/ANR]  In the 
Netherlands governmental planning threatens the right 
of Dutch citizens to have a fixed day off during the 
working period of one week.

The Dutch economy is developing in the direction of a 
working week of seven days and in each day 24 hours 
working time.  

"An employee has to negotiate with his employer 
regarding working hours and free time.  Employers can 
no longer guarantee that a labourer will always have a 
fixed day free during the week", reports Rob de Raad, 
Communication director of the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church in the Netherlands.

The Christian churches in the Netherlands including 
the Seventh-day Adventist Church have been trying to 
stop this development and started in 1998 an action to 
convince the Dutch government that for certain 
religious groups their fixed day of rest and worship 
is not negotiable.  For orthodox Calvinistic churches 
this is Sunday, for religious Jews and Sabbath-keeping 
Christian churches this is the seventh-day Sabbath and 
Muslims want the right to spend time to visit the 
mosque on Friday.

All churches and religious groups in the Netherlands 
have been asked to take a stand against the issue of 
the 24-hour economy policy in Holland and to join 
hands in the struggle for the right of every Dutch 
citizen to keep their day of worship holy.  While the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Netherlands is 
strongly committed to the Sabbath (Saturday), it 
decided to support this action against the 24-hour 
economy because it firmly believes in religious 
freedom for all. [99/03/04]