Do You Think Its Wrong to Sell Alcohol on Sundays?

"Sacred Sundays" can be kept sacred for those who choose to do so, regardless of whether liquor is sold on that day.
I think not selling alcohol on Sundays for religious reasons is a lot like not selling donuts to certain people on days they might feel like overeating. Ridiculous.
FINALLY, in PA, the land of the PLCB, there are some liquor stores open on Sundays...some are not.

(p.s. I can remember when gas stations were all closed on Sundays!)

If I want a margarita for Sunday breakfast, and I'm out of tequila, I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to buy it. If someone else doesn't approve of drinking on a particular day of the week, they are free to abstain.

No, I do not think it is wrong to sell alcohol on Sundays.
I also do not think it is wrong to drink alcohol on Sundays.
I also do not think it is wrong to drink alcohol.
:-)
I've always found it a bit silly to put restrictions on when it is sold. I mean, really, come on, what does it matter. Also, even if it did matter, when you buy something doesn't even necessarily mean you are going to drink it then. I needed red wine for a chicken recipe and couldn't get it at the store when I was doing my grocery shopping in Tulsa. What a pain. They told me I had to go to a liquor store. Then I drove to a liquor store and there was a big sign on the door that no one under 21 was allowed inside the building. I had my kiddos with me. Sigh. I had to text my husband and tell him to pick up some red wine for a recipe on his way home from work. Ridiculous.
I don't think it is wrong to drink it on Sunday , period. But even if I did, just cause I'm shopping and grabbing it while I'm shopping doesn't even mean I want to drink it that day.

Thank GOD we finally passed Sunday alcohol sales! Georgia was one of the LAST states in the union to pass it. There are only about two others now that don't allow it. It's a STUPID law with a 3rd grade mentality along the lines of "Oooooh, you said a bad word now you're going to hell!" I like to drink, and it has completely sucked to have an impromptu get together or decide to go on a picnic or just to forget you were going to a party on a Sunday and not be able to buy wine or beer or anything. I'm an adult who should be able to buy booze whenever I want it, and I don't think God cares at all about trivial nonsense like alcohol sales.

Just another example of people upholding laws based on religous beliefs. If a person's religion forbids drinking (or purchasing) alcohol on Sunday they they do not have to buy it, why should that effect what I do?????

I think, like you said, since we don't all believe in God (or, for those of us who do, not necessarily the same God), & since every religion has different viewpoints, there's no reason why alcohol shouldn't be sold any day of the week. If, according to your religion, you aren't supposed to purchase &/or consume alcohol on a certain day, then, by all means, follow your rules, but they're not for everyone & therefore should not be all-encompassing.

I believe in God and am part of the leadership in our Bible based church (just to give you a point of referrence as far as beliefs), and I think banning alcohol sales on Sunday is legalism, pure and simple.

I agree with Julie B wholeheartedly!

Massachusetts did away with this restriction a few years ago. It's a really dumb law. My husband is Jewish and his Sabbath is Friday night to Saturday night with Sunday being just another day. Retail laws shouldn't reflect the moral code of one religion.

Oh absolutely heck no. Let's keep religion out of our freedoms, is my opinion. After all, religion is a personal choice. So is drinking alcohol on any day of the week.

I don't think it's wrong...but I grew up in a state where it is sold on Sunday. I also grew up less than three miles from the state line of a state where you cannot buy on Sundays. I can remember (since my dad lived in the non selling state) coming to the state line and him purchasing because he forgot to on Saturday.

I don't really care...a case of beer will last me forever...and I know well enough in advance to purchase if I want/need more.

ETA: Sunday is not "sacred" for everyone. So if society wants to go with "no selling on sacred days"...then when should it be sold? Other religions have sacred days other than Sunday!

i am also glad that they did it! I came from Texas where certain towns were completely dry, no alcohol at all except for restaurants. no i would never live in those towns, so i was overjoyed when they passed the law. we are adults. you may never buy alcohol on sunday but give adults the adult option.

really- I live in UTAH- not only can you not buy alcohol on Sunday in some towns but you cannot buy anything (I mean ANYTHING) but 3.2 beer in a grocery store- if you want anything even a wine cooler you have to go to a liquor store- owned by the state- strategically placed through out the state and they are not open on Sunday. All alcohol in restaurants has to be hidden behind the "zion curtain" All liquor licenses are reviewed and approved by the Mormon church (everybody knows this and denies this) and honestly only 2 or three handed out every year- So do I think it is wrong for Georgia to not sell on Sunday... yes but I would rather have one day they dont sell it than everyday of them telling me what I can and cant do yes.

Actually, it was really inconvenient for me that alcohol was not sold on Sunday. We don't drink a lot, so I don't keep alcohol in the house. Often, we would have impromptu BBQs on Sundays, and I wouldn't have any alcohol on hand. I would never know when one of these meals would take place, so apparently it would have been better to keep alcohol on hand at all times. I wonder if that was the message they were trying to send? Hmm.

Plus, I would prefer the churches keep their own hang-ups out of my life. I don't subscribe to those beliefs, and it really offends me that people think their religious beliefs should govern my life through state laws. I attend a church and I follow the tenants of that religion, and if other religions think you should take Sunday as a Sabbath or not drink - well, then members of those churches shouldn't do so.

Nope. It's not wrong at all... what difference does it make WHEN it is sold, people are going to be drinking it anyway. It has always annoyed me when stores aren't allowed to sell on Sunday, because it's a religious thing. Well, I'm agnostic. There is NO RULE that I have to follow saying Sunday is special... to me, it's just the end of the weekend. I feel that I should be allowed to buy alcohol on Sunday if I so choose. If your religion wants you to observe Sunday as sacred, it's pretty easy NOT to go to the liquor store. Why force it on the rest of us who have no such inhibitions?

The funny thing is that, according to the bible, Sunday isn't even supposed to be the sabbath... Didn't God rest on the 7th day? Wouldn't that make SATURDAY the sabbath? lol. (That's a joke people, please don't anyone take it as anything more than that...)

Of course, I live in a dry county now, so it's really a moot point to me. ;)

ETA: Although, I do want to point out that while the Bible doesn't necessarily care about drinking alcohol on the sabbath, it does want everyone to rest... so if you go out and buy alcohol (or anything else) on that day, then you are making whoever sells to you work... thus breaking the sabbath... right?

Exodus 20:8-10 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates…”

Just sayin'.... ;)

First, I am a christian. Second, I STRONGLY believe in the seperation of church and state. Thirdly, the seperation of church and state as presented in our constitution says that our government can't establish a manditory religion (and therefore is irrelevant to a drinking law).

We elect officials and they write/edit laws. Don't like the law, well tell your representative. These are OLD laws. Some old laws are silly (and I personally count this one among said silly laws). But there are also still rule of thumb laws on the books in some states/countys and other similarly outdated laws. This law, just like all the other outdated laws, is not modern day christians or any other religious group trying to oppress the masses or force people to follow their religious beliefs. It is simply an out dated law.

It is time to stop pointing fingers and start writing logical legislation. EVERYONE views the laws through their personal ethical filter (including liberals and athiests). So we need to stop asking people to finance decisions they feel are unethical and start encouraging free trade. The more the government mucks about with the economy the more of these silly religious debates arise. Stores should choose what they sell and when, employers should choose what kind of health care they want to provide, and consumers can choose who they buy from and employees can choose who they interview/hire on with. Allowing a FREE market would solve so many of the issues our country is currently divided on. Which means - this is a government induced problem, not a religious faction induced problem.

Absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's just an antiquated law still on the books. I'd rather someone go to the liquor store and drink at home that drink at a restaurant and drive home. If it's wrong for you then don't head out to the liquor store on Sundays!

I am not sure why it would be wrong to buy alcohol on Sundays, first off. Does God say you do not get into heaven if you buy that beer on Sunday?!!!!! Lol.........

I think we live in a very different world. I don't mean "times have changed" so morality needs to also. I just mean that people's lives are different. There are so many more jobs where people work odd hours or weekends. The number of people working the traditional 9 to 5 job is less than it once was. My point being that for many people Sunday is there only day off. If they'd like to unwind, why not.

Sorry, I'm a Catholic, so they idea that alcohol is in any way related to religion (other than at communion) is somewhat new to me. Actually, the first time I heard that there were laws about purchasing alcohol on Sundays was after the morning Mass in college when our campus minister was concerned that we did not have enough wine for the evening Mass. He and another campus minister were discussing who they knew that might have a bottle of wine at home that they could use for Mass that night!

Nope, I don't think its wrong. People will get some no matter what, so they may as well let the revenue come in to their own home town.
The bible says "don't get drunk" it doesnt say "dont drink".

Nope, but venders reserve the right to not be open. But I don't think it's right to make it illegal to sell it on Sunday. Telling someone they can't sell a legal substance on a holy day is infringing on their rights just as making someone sell the substance on the same day would be.

That same question is going on the ballot in the county we live in in FL. I personally don't care because it doesn't affect me. My husband and I aren't drinkers and we don't order alcoholic beverages when we dine out either. I feel that if it is against your morals, values or for religious reasons, then don't buy it. If you want to party it up on a Sunday, then so be it but just do it responsibly.

S.

I think it was a ridiculous law. I am a Christian, and we consume alcohol in moderation. There is nothing wrong with that. Why the government should say you can sell this everyday BUT this one, is beyond me...

We voted on it locally a while back. The county did not pass it but the city did. So now, after church, we can pick up beer for the afternoon's BarBQ at one grocery, but not at another right down the street--b/c one is in the city limits and one is in the "county". smh

WOOWEE We'd be in trouble here in Cali if we had such a law, Sundays are for BBQs, margaritas and oldies! Didnt God also say Sundays were a day of rest, well this is our way of resting up for the week ahead. Seriously though, I think it is an dinosaur law, if a devoutly religious person doesnt drink, they dont drink so whether alcohol is sold on Sundays or not has no affect on them because they arent going to buy it anyways. That being said I think it is wrong.

I liked the "good old days" when only medicine could be bought on Sundays. It gave people a chance to go to church or at least have a day to rest and relax.

Of course, there was a time when men respected women and their role as wives and mothers.

Sadly, times have changed for the worse.

Good luck to you and yours.

No I don't think that it's wrong. What I do think is wrong is that here in Texas you can't buy hard liquor on Sunday's, but you can buy beer and wine. You can get just as intoxicated on beer and wine as you can with hard liquor. It just doesn't make sense to me. If you are able to buy beer and wine on Sunday's, then you should be able to buy all of it.

I don't care. I am not religious. I think if you are religious no one forces you to buy anything on a Sunday....
If we started observing all the rules of the different major faiths our stores would have to be closed from Friday - Saturday.

No. I don't think it is wrong at all.

You can buy alcohol in Texas (at least in dallas area)on Sunday at noon. I don't think it is wrong to sell it on Sunday's. I'm not religious and I don't think it is anyone business what you buy on a Sunday or any other day of the week .

Honey, over here, this why all the good Baptists buy their Coronas on Saturday so noone will have to see them buying beer after church on Sunday. I think its pretty polite myself, you know, by sparing the general public of having to see a good Baptist walking out of the store with the demon liquor.

Nothing wrong with it at all. Biblical people still drunk wine and beer on sundays-mostly because that was the safest thing to drink.

i dont drink so I dont care either way. It would have to be a very good non religious reason. But I do think it is wrong to sell alcohol at my kids sports games. Especially at the 8am ones. yup it happens. the league plays at a private park (big league dreams) and there is a bar there. It opens when the park does.

I kinda miss yesterday. I hate all of this progress in our country. Family values are gone. I would love to see malls close on Sundays like they used to.

i think its wrong that the liquor stores close so damn early on sundays lol .. around here if its even a minute past 5:00pm youre not gna find any beer/liquor anywhere (stores open at noon on sunday).. before i got pregnant one of my cousins had a bbq on a sunday, my fiance had work so i got beer for us earlier in the day.. well my family are all big beer drinkers .. by like 7 there was no beer left and let me tell u it was a project to find more .. when we lived in vermont gas stations n convienent stores sold beer and wine so it was never a big deal
.. im catholic by the way baptism/communion/confirmation- the whole nine yards

I don't think it is wrong.

I am in Texas and at noon on Sunday you can buy wine/beer but no liquer unless you are being served liquer in a restaurant.

No, I don't think it is wrong.

This is a free country founded on the idea of freedom of religion, freedom from religion, and the separation of church and state.

Ugh, I live in Utah, and the liquor laws here are so tight! You cannot buy alcohol on Sunday and the liquor stores generally close at 7 pm. Wine is NOT sold in grocery stores, ever- only at the state liquor stores. Restaurants with liquor licenses may only serve alcohol between 11:30 AM to midnight, so forget getting a morning mimosa or Bloody Mary! What that means for me is that if I ever want to buy alcohol, I have to take my kids with me into the liquor store, since my husband will not be home before it closes, or I can brave the insane rush on Saturday (11 am -7 pm, when every other person in the world is out running their errands- and honestly, most of the time I won't brave the crowd; last time I went, there were 3 accidents on that road, it is a horrible time of day to be driving around!). I drink maybe 1-2 times a month. My understanding is that Utah liquor laws are so strict simply because the predominant religion here holds drinking alcohol of any kind to be immoral.
My answer to your question is, no, I do not believe it is wrong to sell alcohol on Sundays. I am agnostic, so I do not hold Sunday as sacred. I believe the limits put on when alcohol may be sold are simply to put up so many hoops people must jump through that they "give up"- I know that has been the case for me at least; it is such a pain to go buy a bottle of alcohol that mostly I just choose to do without. I also believe that when things are so restricted that people can tend to rebel and go overboard (the whole forbidden fruit thing). Heck, when we go out of state and there is a grocery store with a freaking wine aisle, I have a hard time restraining myself! :0)

I don't think it's wrong to sell alcohol on Sundays. People who want to keep Sunday sacred can simply not buy it on that day. For me, the best time to grocery shop is early Sunday morning and it is so annoying to see that little cage across the liquor aisle. I have to make a special trip back another day of the week if we're out of beer or wine.

But... if it was up to me, almost all stores would be closed on Sundays (or Saturdays - at least one day per weekend). I just don't think that we need everything to be available 24/7. Why not have a day or two per week when things slow down and people can relax?

You can not buy alcohol on Sunday in Texas. It's been that way forever, remnants of the Blue Law. Some may remember when you couldn't buy toys, or pots and pans on Sunday.... anybody? That was until 1985, not that long ago really.
Also in Texas car dealerships can't sell cars on consecutive weekend days. Just a lot of old random laws still on the books.
To answer your question, no I don't think its wrong to sell alcohol on Sunday.

ETA: Beer can be bought on Sunday, I'm considering alcohol as liqour.

I don't think it matters all that much. If a person is going to drink whether they go to church on Sunday or not, they're going to drink, they'll just buy it Saturday.

I don't drink (expect once in a rare occassion, maybe once every few years or so and then it's a sweet drink) so personally it doesn't matter to me. As for the ones that drink all the time they just get themselves prepared for their drinkin' on Sundays. I agree Sunday should be a day of rest and reflection or Saturday, many people have Saturday as their holy day, so should we restrict buying alcohol on Saturday too.

Interesting set of answers--a few of them reminded me that when I was growing up in Massachusetts in the 1970s, ALL stores followed the 'blue laws' (not selling alcohol on Sunday is one of them). NO stores were open on Sundays to observe the Sabbath laws that other posters mentioned. Then, the laws were changed to allow stores to open on Sunday afternoons, and now, I think the laws are gone altogether. Since my faith (Judaism) does not forbid drinking alcohol, especially on the Sabbath (our Sabbath is Friday sundown to Saturday sundown and starts by blessing a cup of wine and drinking it), I have no personal objections to people being able to buy alcohol on Sundays, or any other day of the week. We don't buy alcohol often, however it has occasionally been inconvenient when my husband wanted to replenish his beer in the fridge and it was Sunday. In terms of the principle, I don't see a reason for preventing everyone in a state from purchasing alcohol on Sunday; people whose faith forbids using alcohol (Islam and certain sects of Christianity) are free not to buy it or drink it.

Then again, I do agree that some laws reflect the norms and values of a specific community, so if the vast majority of a community don't support people using alcohol, they can pass laws against selling it or limiting when it can be sold (I'm thinking of towns in Utah, GA, etc). It goes with the territory of being a minority--others don't do things the same way you do, and you have to live with that. Here in the rural South, most kids' sports or other extracurricular activities occur on Saturdays because the assumption is that most people go to church on Sundays. The small rural Jewish communities have adapted to that schedule, and even though Saturday is our Sabbath and 'holy day,' our religious school meets on Sunday mornings so our kids can do sports, band, etc. I don't expect the rest of society to change their schedule for me; if I were very observant and didn't want my kids doing non-religious activities on Saturday, it would be unfortunate that we had to choose between sports and faith, however it goes with the territory. However, I also think it's fair that if a person in a minority religion needs to take a day off or to have a school exam rescheduled due to a religious holiday, that request should be accommodated graciously, which doesn't always happen... Anyway, this question brought up other thoughts for me. Thanks for it, and for the thoughtful responses.