All that the Book of Genesis says is that after six days of creative work, Jehovah rested. "The Good Book", as called Tevye it in Fiddler on the Roof, does not specify which day of the week it was. The naming of the days of the week are human creations. Thus, the idea that Jehovah rested on Sunday is a Christian belief, as is the idea that Sunday is Sabbath and a day of rest. It is significant and relevant to the point being made that Jews going back to the same book observe Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening. The essential idea is a weekly day of rest; which day that will be is of no major consequence and could be a matter of convenience. The notion of Sunday as the day of rest has acquired a certain religious overlay even though it has no textual backing. In many countries where Christians form the majority of the population, Sunday as the day of rest and closure has ceased to be of relevance and observance.

The erosion of this practice is a product of convenience and competition. In most European countries, especially in Great Britain, non-European shop owners began to keep their establishments open on Sundays. It began with the corner news agent owned by an Indian or a Pakistani, but other non-Christian communities followed suit. Very soon other shops discovered that they were losing customers and business. Now, across Europe, most important shops and restaurants are open. Cities no longer look deserted on Sundays. The point about convenience is equally important. The growth in the number of families in which both husband and wife work means that they have very little time on working days to do their daily/weekly shopping. Sunday, for them, is the day most convenient to do the purchasing for the week. It is also the best day to take the family out for a meal. Shopping and eating establishments recognized this demand and quickly changed their timings. There are many places now that do not have a weekly closure. The economics of demand and competition thus eroded what was propagated as a religious practice. What might have facilitated the erosion is the growing knowledge that Sunday as a day of rest actually has no basis in "the Good Book".

In this context, the news that some key church bodies in the north east of India have opposed the observance of World Yoga Day on June 21 appears a bit odd. The reason for the opposition is that it falls on Sabbath. The notion of a World Yoga Day, like many similar ideas, is quite absurd, but to oppose it because it falls on a Sunday is also a trifle bizarre in this day and age. The idea of Sabbath no longer has popular support. A day of rest does not need any religious justification and, arguably, a spot of yoga might even result in a more enriched period of calm and repose. Rest need not be restricted to Sunday, nor be divorced from yoga.