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| Buying Beer Photo Credit |
Apparently, the liquor laws that are still currently in place are holdovers from the old "Blue Laws," many of which have been repealed, but some of which are still on the books. According to Wikipedia:
"A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping. Most have been repealed, have been declared unconstitutional, or are simply unenforced; though prohibitions on the sale of alcoholic beverages or prohibitions of almost all commerce on Sundays are still enforced in many areas. Blue laws often prohibit an activity only during certain hours and there are usually exceptions to the prohibition of commerce, like grocery and drug stores. In some places blue laws may be enforced due to religious principles, but others are retained as a matter of tradition or out of convenience.[1]
Laws of this type are also found in religious cultures such as Israel, where the day concerned is Saturday rather than Sunday, and most countries with Muslim majority, where the month of Ramadan is involved.[2]"
So at this point in time, there isn't necessarily any group out there responsible for the laws we currently have, unless of course some activists decide they need to still try to keep them in place. However, I do stand by my initial assertions that at the time they were originally created, the Biblical support for those laws was negligible at best, and that they do negatively impact the way non-Christians view Christianity, even today.
Changes
Despite the fact that some of these laws have managed to survive all the way to 2011, the winds of change are still at work in many places in the South in efforts to get the remaining laws appealed. Here is just one article on the topic, although surprisingly many liquor store owners don't want the laws to change. Their reasoning is pretty interesting, and makes sense on many levels.
Cut-Off Hours
While I see no logical reason for there to be a ban on Sunday alcohol sales, I do understand why bars would have a mandated "last call" time, in the interest of safety on the roads. Those sorts of laws at least have some decent reasoning behind them... that I can deal with, and even support. The others, though, still seem pretty pointless to me.
Your Turn:
Do you have any more thoughts on alcohol sales on Sundays? If so, please leave a comment below!
I am not against it at all. However the owners of liquor stores will not gain sales if they are opened one more day but will have an additional day of operating expanses. I have seen this in the part of MA that allowed to open on Sundays because they were so many miles of the NH border.
The only places that it will not effect in operating costs and may prohibit some are places that are open on Sundays but cannot sell wine/beer like grocery stores.
I personally try not to do any shopping on Sunday, as it is that day to worship our awesome God and to spend it with family.
-brianW
Another selection of voters that are against changing the laws is restaurant owners! Most are already open & have an increased revenue through alcohol sales on Sunday.
They sort of have a monopoly on Sunday alcohol sales.
I enjoy a martini now and again. I buy my booze during the week. After fighting these "laws" for decades, I have given up. I love the Lord, but this is not a rule of His.
@brianw, good points!
@Stephen, hadn't thought of that! I guess there are quite a few people that are happy with the status quo.
@Clint, Sounds like a plan! And I definitely agree with that last sentence.... well put.