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[Gregory]

Friday, 30 December, 2011 - 01:12 Samoa's shift to the west to align with days in New Zealand and Australia next week will also see a change in the sequence of days of the week according to the new calendar being adopted by the Seventh-day Adventist church in Samoa, with Monday becoming the first day of the week to Sunday starting in 2012.

The new version by the SDA church in Samoa will differ from the normal weekly sequence starting with Sunday to Saturday. Saturday being the seventh day of the week is fundamental to the reason why Seventh-day Adventists worship on Saturday as their Sabbath.

Earlier this week, the Samatau SDA church rejected the direction of the Samoa church administration to keep Sunday as the new Sabbath; whereby confirming a division in beliefs and convictions of Seventh-day Adventists not only in Samoa but also overseas regarding the new Sabbath day in Samoa.

According to Pa'u Fereti Puni, a member of the Samatau parish, "We remain Seventh-day Adventists. But the Samatau church worships on Saturdays of the new reckoning and not Sundays in 2012 as per decision of the Samoa church adminsitration".

A huge number of Samoans who worship on Sabbath, the seventh day of the weekly cycle or Saturday belong to the Samoa Independent Seventh-day Adventist Church or SISDAC as they are better known. It has been confirmed that SISDAC will be keeping the Sabbath on Saturday in the new reckoning and not Sunday according to the position of the main church.

The change in Samoa's position according to the International Dateline will not result in a change in the sequence of days in a week. This differs from the position of the Samoa SDA church with its new sequence of days, making Sunday their new Sabbath in 2012 and into the future; the reason why the Samatau SDA church have rejected the new calendar.

[Gregory]

SAMOA’S DATELINE SHIFT CAUSES DIVIDE AMONG S.D.A CHURCHES
Sabbath day falls on Sunday, but some will keep Saturday worship

APIA, Samoa (Talamua, Dec. 28, 2011) - As Samoa prepares to mark the change of Samoa’s position in relation to the International Dateline, where on the stroke of midnight Thursday night, the date will shift from Thursday 29th of December 2011 to Saturday 31st of December 2011; it will also mark the division in conviction of Seventh Day Adventists in Samoa.

Those that will continue to keep Saturday as their Sabbath and others that will now worship on Sunday as the new Sabbath.

At the end of year gathering of the Samatau SDA church, Puni Raea informed the church minister Pastor Kereta Milo that Samatau will continue to worship on Saturday.

Puni announced, "There are no two Sabbaths for Seventh Day Adventists in Samatau". Puni is one of the paramount chiefs of the village and head of the Sa Puni family where the SDA church stands.

Samatau’s position to continue to worship on Saturday is supported by many as confirmed by Mano’o Lutena Mulitalo and Pa’u Fereti Puni, both are members of the SDA church at Samatau and prominent community leaders in New Zealand and with the Samoa government.

According to Pa’u, "There is no intention for us to change religion or to set up a new church. The only difference is that, church members at Samatau SDA church will continue to worship on Saturday while others in Samoa will now worship on Sundays."

This situation has arisen following the decision by the church in Samoa to keep the unbroken cycle of days with the seventh day being Sabbath. The position of the Samoa administration is a result of this week having just six days, making the coming Sunday as the seventh day and so becomes the new Sabbath for the church going into the future.

On Thursday 17th November this year a special meeting was held in Samoa attended by Samoa SDA church ministers from America, Australia, New Zealand and the two Samoans by invitation of the President of the Samoa and Tokelau Mission, Pastor Uili Solofa, to deliberate on the matter.

However, according to the invitation by Pastor Solofa, the decision by the Samoa administration is final.

The meeting in Samoa though involved a presentation by the visiting ministers advising the Samoa administration against their decision to change the worship day to Sunday for Seventh Day Adventists in Samoa. Ironically, when travelling to New Zealand, Australia, America or any other part of the world, they will worship on Saturday.

The coming Saturday in Samoa, 31 December 2011 will also go down in the history of the Seventh Day Adventist church as the beginning for Seventh Day Adventists in Samoa to have two Sabbaths as the next Sabbath for the Samoa Mission will now be Sunday 1st January 2012, while the Samatau SDA church and others that have maintain their conviction will worship on Saturday 31st December 2011 instead.

Current Legislation of the Independent State of Samoa protects the rights of religion. Furthermore the change of Samoa’s position in relation to the International Dateline does not enforce a change in the day Seventh Day Adventists worship in Samoa. Samoa’s position according to the IDL was first changed in 1892 to align with countries on the eastern side like America. Which means, Samoa is going back to its original position.

Talamua: http://talamua.com/index.php

Copyright © 2011 Talamua. All rights reserved

NOTE  the following in the above:

APIA, Samoa (Talamua, Dec. 28, 2011) - As Samoa prepares to mark the change of Samoa’s position in relation to the International Dateline, where on the stroke of midnight Thursday night, the date will shift from Thursday 29th of December 2011 to Saturday 31st of December 2011; it will also mark the division in conviction of Seventh Day Adventists in Samoa.

[Gregory]

Self explanatory, I beleive.

Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Labour
Matagaluega o Pisinisi, Alamanuia ma Leipa

[Please address all correspondences to the Chief Executive Officer]
P.O. Box 862
Apia
SAMOA
Telephone: (685) 20441/ 20442/ 20882
Facsimile: (685) 20443
Email: mpal@mcil.gov.ws.
Website: www.mcil.gov.ws
Level 4, ACB House, Apia
Samoa

[inclusive of Registries of Companies and Intellectual Property]

NOTICE

International Date Line Act 2011

The International Date Line Act 2011 (‘the Act’) commences at 12 o’clock midnight, on
Thursday 29th December 2011, except for section 5(3) of the Act which commenced on 28 June 2011 (being the date of assent by the Head of State). In effect, we will be waking up on Saturday 31st December 2011, and lose one day in our lives as there will be no Friday, 30th December 2011 in the history of Samoa.

Time:
1. Samoa Standard Time will be 13 hours in advance of Co-ordinated Universal Time for the
whole of Samoa.

Calculation of Interest:
2. Where under any instrument of loan it is required to calculate the interest on a daily basis,
there is no interest calculated for the day lost, as a result of the Act.

Effect on Pay and Allowances:
3. The employee must be paid for the normal or usual hours on the day lost, as if that
employee would normally have worked on that day.

Offence and Penalty:
4. An employer commits an offence if he or she does not pay an employee for the normal or
usual hours that the employee would have earned or been paid on the day lost. This
includes contributions paid under the National Provident Fund Act 1972 and the Accident
Compensation Act 1989 and other like benefits or contributions.

5. Any employer who fails to pay an employee for the normal or usual hours that the
employee would have earned or been paid on the day lost (including contributions paid
under the National Provident Fund Act 1972, the Accident Compensation Act 1989 and
other like benefits or contribution, is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding 50
penalty units or a term of imprisonment not exceeding three (3) months.

6. In addition, with or without conviction, any employer must pay an employee for the
normal or usual hours that the employee would have earned or been paid on the day lost
(including contributions paid under the National Provident Fund Act 1972, the Accident
Compensation Act 1989 and other like benefits or contribution.

Maps, charts and atlases:
7. The Act applies to all maps, charts and atlases which reflect the International Date Line
and any document referring to a point of time in connection with the International Date
Line.
“Our vision is to lead and excel in the provision of quality service to foster economic growth for all”

8. After the commencement of this Act (that is, on 29 December 2011), all maps, charts and
atlases prepared in Samoa or for the Government of Samoa must accurately depict the
International Date Line at 171o degrees longitude west of Greenwich.

The Fair Trading & Codex Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour can be
contacted for more information, on this Change in Day, on telephone 20441 or 4th Floor ACC
House.

Auelua Taito Samuelu Enari
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND LABOUR

[Daryl Fawcett]

The fact that the change of the date-line on that particular midnight resulted in  the day after Thursday (5th Bible day) being referred to as Saturday (6th Bible day) instead of what would normally had been referred to as Friday, makes the next day Sunday into the 7th Bible day, or the true Sabbath day of the Bible.

It, therefore, makes sense for SDAs there to stick to the true 7th Bible day (Sabbath) and worship on that day, even though it is now being referred to as Sunday.

[Gregory]

Exactly.

That is the reason that I and other SDAs beleive that the correct response is to worship in Samoa on the 7th day that is now called Sunday.

However, as I have stated, the IDL is of human origon.  It, in my opinon, is not established by the Bible.

There are some honest SDAs who believe that they can establishe a date line by the Bible and they differ with the view above.

Other minority SDAs  have other views.

One can read of these in the book THE LORDS DAY ON A ROUND WORLD.  I recommend it.

My perspective:  There are honest people on both sides of this question.  These people want to follow God's leading.  We are told that on some issues we will not find it plain and we will have to search the Bible and for the leading of God.

Let us lead this issue to God and individuals.

[Daryl Fawcett]

I also see a deeper issue beyond what is going on in Samoa.

Exactly.

That is the reason that I and other SDAs beleive that the correct response is to worship in Samoa on the 7th day that is now called Sunday.

However, as I have stated, the IDL is of human origon.  It, in my opinon, is not established by the Bible.

There are some honest SDAs who believe that they can establishe a date line by the Bible and they differ with the view above.

Other minority SDAs  have other views.

One can read of these in the book THE LORDS DAY ON A ROUND WORLD.  I recommend it.

My perspective:  There are honest people on both sides of this question.  These people want to follow God's leading.  We are told that on some issues we will not find it plain and we will have to search the Bible and for the leading of God.

Let us lead this issue to God and individuals.

[AVoiceInTheWilderness]

The fact that the change of the date-line on that particular midnight resulted in  the day after Thursday (5th Bible day) being referred to as Saturday (6th Bible day) instead of what would normally had been referred to as Friday, makes the next day Sunday into the 7th Bible day, or the true Sabbath day of the Bible.

It, therefore, makes sense for SDAs there to stick to the true 7th Bible day (Sabbath) and worship on that day, even though it is now being referred to as Sunday.

I see what you're doing here...

But Bible believing SDAs in Samoa are to, and will, keep Sabbath holy during what the region now regards as the seventh day of the week. Our brothers will keep to the seven day cycle given to us in Genesis, from sundown to sundown. There is a hidden undercurrent which is swaying many towards the treacherous waters where the whore sitteth... the end of which is acceptance of the mark of the beast.

[Dedication]

In 2011 the International Date Line was shifted West, as it related to American Samoa.  This occured by skipping Friday.  So, the weekly cycle that week was:  Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and ended with Saturday.  IOW, the secular week only had 6 days, and the 7th day was the day now names Sunday.

They returned to their original position in regards to the dateline.
In 1892 they had an EIGHT day week in which they had TWO 4th of July's.

July 1892
 Their week was 8 DAYS!
Sunday, Monday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

December 2011
The week was
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday.

That extra day was now subtracted, and they are back on the original schedule.

Any insistance that Sunday is the creation Sabbath is NOT based on scripture or fact.

[Daryl Fawcett]

Then what day was the actual Sabbath day they should have been observing between July 1892 and December 2011?  Also, they must have been observing the wrong day between July 1892 and December 2011.

In 2011 the International Date Line was shifted West, as it related to American Samoa.  This occured by skipping Friday.  So, the weekly cycle that week was:  Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and ended with Saturday.  IOW, the secular week only had 6 days, and the 7th day was the day now names Sunday.

They returned to their original position in regards to the dateline.
In 1892 they had an EIGHT day week in which they had TWO 4th of July's.

July 1892
 Their week was 8 DAYS!
Sunday, Monday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

December 2011
The week was
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday.

That extra day was now subtracted, and they are back on the original schedule.

Any insistance that Sunday is the creation Sabbath is NOT based on scripture or fact.

[Murcielago]

Perhaps they should consider keeping both days. That way they can have at least some assurance that they on God's side of the international date line. It's hard to know for sure which side of that line is God-ordained, and which one is man's time.

[SDAminister]

They should keep whatever day is the seventh-day as reckoned by a point referenced to a line directly south of the middle of the Bering Strait.

[Bob Pickle]

Bob, I did not say that the Pope had changed the Sabbath to Sunday, I stated that the RC Church claimed to have done that.

Bob, I did not say that the Pope had changed the Sabbath from Sunday to another day.

Read what I actually said.

Likewise, read what I actually said.

Daryl,

It all depends on how you determine what day of the week it is in the Pacific. We can't simply go by what we think is the weekly cycle, since two people going opposite directions around the globe will end up meeting on the other side, one thinking that the Sabbath is on one day, and the other thinking the Sabbath is on the next day. And if they go around and around the globe, for each complete revolution they will find themselves another two days out of sync with each other.

Just think, by going around the globe in one direction or the other, you could shorten the solar year down to 180 days, or lengthen it to 540 days.

It is this kind of reasoning that makes me think that the Samoans that are keeping the Sabbath on Saturday have the sounder position.

[Dedication]

Perhaps they should consider keeping both days. That way they can have at least some assurance that they on God's side of the international date line. It's hard to know for sure which side of that line is God-ordained, and which one is man's time.

That's what the Jewish Rabbi suggested, and then said "That's probably why Jews stay clear of Samoa".

Actually the simply thing to do is just follow the week as it is recognized in the country where you are.
August 18 Saturday will be  observed the world over by Seventh-day Adventists.  Why should Adventists in Samoa keep August 19 Sunday? 


To me the issue isn't about datelines and longitudes etc. etc. though a rudimentary understanding of them is good and generally gives the correct order the world over, it's only in the Pacific where this issue arises.   
But the bottom line is that the Sabbath is on Saturday (the day recognized as the day Christ rested in the tomb)  no matter which side of the dateline the country is in.
Sunday is recognized by all the Christians (even the Adventists in Samoa who celebrated Easter on Sunday) as the day Christ rose from the grave.

Adventists in Samoa and Tonga have manufactured their own unique calendar that looks like this:
1Monday, 2Tuesday, 3Wednesday, 4Thursday 5Friday, 6Preparation Day (Saturday),  7Sabbath
Basically they now have two Fridays every week and no Sunday at all in their self made calendar.

The whole thing makes about as much sense as someone going to New Zealand and just because they "lost" a day traveling in from America, they insist on keeping Sunday in Australia and ridicule Adventists for going to church on Saturday.

When EGW traveled from America to Australia she experienced a six day week.
Yet, while in Australia she kept Saturday, not Sunday as the Sabbath.

Sunday is the Papal Sabbath, observed by them, and will be enforced by them.
With all the prophecies we have concerning this, how can anyone justify  that Sunday is the true Sabbath.

  Now, my sister, . . . I write . . . to tell you that we are not to give the least credence to the day line theory. It is a snare of Satan brought in by his own agents to confuse minds. You see how utterly impossible for this thing to be, that the world is all right observing Sunday, and God's remnant people  are all wrong. This theory of the day line would make all our history for the past fifty-five years a complete fallacy. But we know where we stand. . . .  {3SM 318.4}

In other words - when the day line, or dateline is used to justify Sunday keeping as the right day it is a snare of Satan to confuse minds and make the Seventh-day Adventist message sound like a complete fallacy.

[SDAminister]

Perhaps they should consider keeping both days. That way they can have at least some assurance that they on God's side of the international date line. It's hard to know for sure which side of that line is God-ordained, and which one is man's time.

That's what the Jewish Rabbi suggested, and then said "That's probably why Jews stay clear of Samoa".

Actually the simply thing to do is just follow the week as it is recognized in the country where you are.
August 18 Saturday will be  observed the world over by Seventh-day Adventists.  Why should Adventists in Samoa keep August 19 Sunday? 


To me the issue isn't about datelines and longitudes etc. etc. though a rudimentary understanding of them is good and generally gives the correct order the world over, it's only in the Pacific where this issue arises.   
But the bottom line is that the Sabbath is on Saturday (the day recognized as the day Christ rested in the tomb)  no matter which side of the dateline the country is in.  ....

I'd prefer we say that Sabbath is on the 7th day of the week instead of saying it's on Saturday. That way, we're fixing it to the weekly cycle and not just to the name somebody gave to a day in the week.

[Dedication]

They should keep whatever day is the seventh-day as reckoned by a point referenced to a line directly south of the middle of the Bering Strait.

That would be following J.N.Andrews suggestion. 
He wrote quite extensively on the dateline issue.

I'd prefer we say that Sabbath is on the 7th day of the week instead of saying it's on Saturday. That way, we're fixing it to the weekly cycle and not just to the name somebody gave to a day in the week.

The names SUNDAY and SATURDAY define which day is the first and the seventh.
Though the actual name is not Biblical, the day they designate is BIBLICAL.
Sunday corresponds with the Biblical first day of the week.  Known as the day of the venerable Sun by pagans -- yet still the first day of the week.
Saturday corresponds with the Biblical seventh day of the week.
Simply saying "seventh-day"  and detaching that from names designating which day is the seventh, can refer to ANY recurring seventh-day.   It is the classic argument of Sunday keepers saying they are keeping a seventh-day-- including Adventists who are keeping Sunday.