Following the stand taken by the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum(NJCF) against conducting any examinations on Sunday, the Angami Baptist Church Council(ABCC) and also Dimapur Christian Forum(DCF) have also decided to object.
In a statement ABCC executive director Rev. Dr. V. Atsi Dolie informed all that from 2019 facility under ABCC, particularly Baptist High “should not be approached” for conducting recruitment exams and the like on Sundays.
ABCC said this was in compliance with the concern raised by NJCF to keep Sundays “holy,sacred and free from entertaining activities” which could be done on weekdays. It expressed concern that sanctity of Sundays was being defiled in many forms and therefore, ABCC would support any move to reclaim Sunday a “God-honouring Day”.
In another statement, DCF through its chairman Rev. Moses Murry, has appealed to all not to conduct public exams on Sundays. This appeal was made after the Social Welfare department and Taxes department notified their respective recruitment examinations on December 9, 2018 (Sunday).
DCF said Sunday was a day of rest and worship and so as Nagaland was also a Christian (dominated) state, believers need to keep this precept in order to live as Christians so as to inspire others.
Rev. Murry explained the significance of keeping Sunday as a day of rest and to follow the tenets of Jesus Christ. On this day, he said faithful are obliged to attend church service unless there was “a grave impediment” while pastors are responsible to offer everybody the possibility of fulfilling the precept as a need arising from the depths of Christian life.
DCF therefore, requested all government departments not to hold their exams on Sundays but other weekdays.