I Still Live in a State Where Religious Laws Are Enforced

Anonymous
I Still Live in a State Where Religious Laws Are Enforced

I don't drink alcohol at all, and never have, so there had never been a personal need for me to buy alcohol before the fateful day on the eve of my Mother's birthday party. My dad and I were planning a big surprise party for her and all our family and friends, and on a last minute run for supplies, he asked me to go pick up a bottle of her favorite wine. So I got to the store bright and early that Sunday morning, flustered, trying to run and pick up all the supplies.

I get to the counter, and the cashier looks at me and says, "you cannot purchase this." I looked at her and said, "oh, sorry, yeah, I forgot to hand you my I.D., (I mean, I'd never done this, right) where is it, okay, here you go." She looks at me and says, "no, I'm sorry, you cannot purchase this right now...it's Sunday." Already being hurried, I was just plain confused as to what the hell she was talking about. Sunday? What had Sunday got to do with anything? But then after a few more confused seconds it occurred to me exactly where I lived, and why this was happening on a Sunday, and why I couldn't buy the bottle right now. Son of a...

I Still Live in a State Where Religious Laws Are Enforced

In the United States, there are still 12 States that continue to cling to Prohibition-era Blue Laws banning Sunday liquor sales. They include: Alabama, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. Although the article below references Canada's old Sunday Laws, the laws in the US in the past were almost identical. Now-a-days, the current laws mostly prohibit:

1. the sale of alcohol before noon on Sunday--almost universal in these states

2. car dealerships cannot sell cars on Sunday (they must be closed)

3. In some places your naughty bedroom toys cannot be sold on Sunday

4. Gun hunting may be prohibited in certain areas on Sunday

5. The selling of hardware/machinery

(Example of old Sunday laws in parts of Canada almost identical to old US laws that took effect on Sundays).

I Still Live in a State Where Religious Laws Are Enforced

Most of the modern laws, nay all of them, actually have no real effect on me unless of course my mother has another Sunday birthday, but it's just strange to me that these are still enforced BY LAW. We say we live in a country where there is freedom of religion, but these laws are meant to clearly enforce one religions idea of what being faithful means by not working on the Sabbath or drinking on the Sabbath yet everywhere else you look around, nothing is closed (unless it's Chik-fil-A or Hobby Lobby) on Sundays, sports events happen all the time, there are stores that run 24/7, people are clearly working on Sundays and no one takes issue with it, unless of course you are a die hard about your specific religion.

It's weird and actually a bit unsettling sometimes to think that some religious organizations and politicians still have such a deep hold on certain parts of this country and would like nothing better than to go back to an age where people worshiped the one way and laws like this could actually legally be enforced. Of course, in modern times, there have been several organizations and groups who rise up now and again, to fight back against these laws, stating the obvious in that it hurts business, the laws are not equally enforced by all, it doesn't allow for other people to practice religion or lack of their own way, etc. and as a result several of the laws have been scaled back, thrown out, or altered.

I Still Live in a State Where Religious Laws Are Enforced
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