James Malm: If it is Wrong to Make a Prostitute Work on Saturdays is it Also Wrong to Use Electricity?

Now the conversation has moved on to electricity.  This is the favorite pick and choose topic for those advocating strict Saturday activities.

One of the major arguments against the points listed above is, “if you declare eating on a restaurant a sin because you exchanged payment for another person’s labor, then wouldn’t it be a sin to use electricity on the Sabbath?” 
“Someone had to work at the plant on the Sabbath to provide your electricity. Then you also shouldn’t run any water on the Sabbath either for the same reason. See what happens if you declare eating in restaurants a sin, some people will inevitably split hairs until we become Pharisaical in observing the Sabbath……..turning it into a burden.”

 Malm chimes in: 

This idea that men generate electricity is not true; the generation of electricity is mechanical and does not involve human intervention  [or could be entirely automatic if unions would allow it] except a standby for emergencies.  The company has direct control over the building of new plants, maintenance scheduling, paperwork, setting up new accounts, billing etc and could very easily choose not to do these things on Sabbath.  This is like saying, because some farmer planted potatoes on the Sabbath, we are responsible for his actions when we buy in market during the week.  It is nonsense!

Questions to ask:

Do you pay your electric or water bill on the Sabbath? Are you DIRECTLY involved in the labor of these plant workers, including handing over payment to them for the DIRECT labor they provided you? No. This is out of your direct control. Even though you can choose not to turn on your light switch (Pharisees), this will not stop the employees at the power plant. That is because you have no DIRECT influence over them and their day.

But, when you eat in a restaurant, are you not DIRECTLY influencing the restaurant employee’s day? What if the place is slow, and you were not come in, they will have no customers for that hour. But if you enter, you DIRECTLY change and influence the situation through your presence. The hostess must find you a table, the server must take your order and make sure drinks are filled, and the cooks now must labor in the kitchen to personally make YOUR food. Then you directly compensate these employees for their service and goods. One situation involves our DIRECT influence, the other does not. The electric company argument is truly splitting hairs, and therefore invalid.