A  third of euro-deputies have signed an appeal urging the European Commission to include work-free Sundays into an upcoming review of EU rules on working time, with the responsible commissioner pledging to 'take into account' these views in his proposals due this autumn.

"'Currently, it is up to member states to define Sunday as their weekly resting day, and in doing so, by taking into consideration cultural, ethnic and religious diversity,' EU employment commissioner Laszlo Andor told MEPs [members of the European Parliament] during a conference organized by the parliament's centre-right group in support of work-free Sundays" (Valentina Pop, "Commission Pressed to Protect Work-Free Sundays," EUObserver.com, March 26, 2010).

Andor also said that others argue against work-free Sundays, especially such a mandate being regulated by Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union (EU). Your Bible foretells a time when a powerful alliance between church and state will transform Europe and ruthlessly suppress those who refuse to follow its dictates (Revelation 13). We know from tragic episodes such as the Inquisition and the Crusades how dangerous church power backed by the state can be to those with different religious beliefs—including those who worship on the biblical seventh-day Sabbath rather than Sunday.

Could this be an early step in a process through which the state will impose its religious requirements on others? To learn more, download or request your free copies of Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Source: EUObserver.com)