Depending on what City Council decides at tomorrow’s meeting, citizens may get a chance to vote in November whether or not to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages in stores on Sundays. As an American and a strong believer in freedom and democracy, I support this vote. I wonder why some protest even having a vote.I cannot think of a single good legal argument for banning the sale of alcohol on Sundays. If you consider alcohol sinful, you are free not to purchase or consume any no matter the day of the week. If it is not against your own morals, why should
you be bound by the morals of another regarding what is, on any other day of the week, legal?Most people who oppose Sunday sales of alcohol are opposed for religious reasons. However, alcohol is not condemned in the Bible. It is celebrated, venerated and even a pivotal part of Holy Communion. Some point out that alcohol can lead to drunkenness, which is condemned in Scripture. While this is true, we already have laws to deal with drunkenness and they work well.
We have banned the sale of alcohol on Sundays for decades, yet alcohol abuse continues. It is clear that the ban on Sunday sales neither prevents these unfortunate choices, nor decreases destructive drunkenness.
If we outlawed everything that constitutes a sin according to the Bible, where would the temptation be? What is moral behavior worth if enforced via threat of incarceration? Is it not better for the religious man to be tempted and to resist because of his faith, rather than to resist out of fear of legal penalty? And what of the morals of those of other faiths in our community, or those who have none? We should no more be legally subject to a Christian minister’s idea of moral behavior than we should to a Jewish rabbi’s or a Muslim imam’s.
I created a petition yesterday and already have close to 100 signatures. I plan to present these signatures tomorrow at the City Counsel meeting. I invite anyone interested in the issue to attend.
To read more about what I’m trying to do and to sign my petition, click here.
Alexander Abell
http://www.abellmultimedia.com/
(229) 630-1043
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Just for clarification purposes – this will be the “first reading” on this issue. No vote will take place tonight. It will be placed on our next council meeting agenda later this month for the second reading. That is when it will come to a vote.
Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Carroll. At the reading today, I hope to present to you and all of the other fine leaders of our city the signatures gathered thus far.