Generally speaking, the Ten Commandments are a pretty big deal to most Christians.

They memorize them in Sunday School, aspire to live by them, and lobby to have them displayed in courtrooms.

Considering that, it’s surprising that there is one specific commandment Christians and non-Christians alike are guilty of breaking … all … the … time. In fact, their disregard for this commandment is so blatant, they not only fail to recognize how frequently they break it, they don’t even try to adhere to it.

And the most ironic part of this Biblical malfeasance is the commandment is most frequently broken right after they leave church. They break it at Pizza Ranch. And at Taco Bell. And at Hy-Vee. And of course, at home.

The commandment to which I’m referring is the fourth one, which if you don’t have them memorized from your time in Sunday School, is the one dealing with keeping the Sabbath. The New International Version of the Bible states “six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”

Arguably, there’s some grey area involved in that commandment, especially in regards to what constitutes “work.” Orthodox Jews, who interpret the commandment (and the rest of the Old Testament for that matter) quite literally believe even turning on a light switch or walking too much violates the commandment. However, most traditional Christians don’t interpret and adhere to much of the Old Testament quite so literally.

However, there really isn’t much grey area regarding going out to eat after church and the obvious work involved by others to meet your dining needs, be it a hostess seating you, a waitress/waiter serving you, or the cook preparing your food.

And then there’s the whole conducting business on the Sabbath.

I’m old enough to remember a time when the Wal-Marts, Hy-Vees, and any business for that matter, weren’t open on Sunday and not by choice.

The old “blue laws,” which could trace their roots to our Puritanical founders, were upheld several times when challenged in court, including four times in 1961 in the U.S. Supreme Court. Following one of the cases, Chief Justice Earl Warren stated “the State seeks to set one day apart from all others as a day of rest, repose, recreation and tranquility–a day which all members of the family and community have the opportunity to spend and enjoy together, a day on which there exists relative quiet and disassociation from the everyday intensity of commercial activities, a day on which people may visit friends and relative who are not available during working days.”

Obviously though, the vestiges of the “blue laws” are few and far between. Here in Minnesota, the last remaining remnants of them were legislated out last year with the repeal of the ban on liquor sales.

As such, it’s difficult to imagine a world anymore where all stores and restaurants are closed for business on the Sabbath. Clearly, as a society, our values and expectations have changed even though the commandments that are supposed to guide them haven’t.

For the record … yes, I’m as guilty as anyone for breaking this commandment on a regular basis and I don’t see that changing any time soon, unless the NFL moves its games up, or back a day. And the chances of that happening are about as good as Wal-Mart closing nationwide every Sunday of the year.

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Gregory Orear is the publisher of The Journal. His award-winning weekly column, “What’s Going On,” has been published in four newspapers in three states for more than 20 years. He can be contacted at gorear@nujournal.com.