Sunday alcohol sales in Fayetteville? Give it a rest

Dr. David L. Chancey's picture

My mom grew up on the farm in Upson County with farm chores galore: fields to work, animals to feed, eggs to gather. They worked hard, but when Sunday came, they ceased work. Sunday was a day of worship and rest. Of course, chickens were fed and cows were milked, but Sunday was God’s day.

My mom passed this principle down to us boys. When Sunday came, there was no wondering where we’d be on Sunday morning. We were in church as a family. And there was no wondering what we’d do after lunch. Everyone lay down for a rest, if not a nap.

This practice is based on the fourth of the Ten Commandments and is found in Exodus 20:8-11. Interestingly, this is the longest commandment, meaning God really wanted to emphasize something important. So we need to pay attention.

My emphasis is not on the when of the Sabbath as much as on the what. In order to understand the what, we need to understand two words in Exodus 20:8-10, which reads, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”

The word Sabbath means rest. The root literally means to catch one’s breath. God says to set apart one day each week to rest and catch our breath, both physically and spiritually. That was God’s pattern. God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested.

God didn’t need the rest, but was trying to make a point by introducing a simple strategy to help us battle the stress of life. When He gave the Ten Commandments, He took this point one step further by declaring that His day was holy.

The word holy means to set apart, to separate. God ordained this day to be set apart and different from the other days of the week. The reason we cease work is so that we can gather with God’s people on God’s day in corporate worship. We rest as we cease from labor and reenergize as we rejoice in the Lord. We refuel our spirits as we rest our bodies.

So what does the Sabbath principle have to do with the proposal to vote to offer Sunday alcohol sales in Fayetteville? We don’t need to offer alcoholic beverages in our restaurants on Sundays. Why not? Other cities do. And our citizens are driving to nearby cities to eat in their restaurants and to order their drinks.

Does that make it right for Fayetteville? My mom used to respond to my everybody else is doing it rationale with, “If everybody else is jumping off a cliff, should you also jump off a cliff?” Why can’t we have a different standard and expectation for our community?

But our local restaurant owners are losing money, money that could stay in our town. This whole Sunday alcohol sales issue is driven by pure greed. The liquor industry is not satisfied with having six days. They want the entire week. Our restaurant owners think they can make additional profit if they can sell drinks on Sunday. Do we have to be driven by greed?

Someone once asked a millionaire, “How much is enough?” He answered, “Just a little bit more.” I say, give it a rest. Apply the Sabbath principle. Make Sunday different. Set it apart from the other six days. We can live with one day without. It would be great if we didn’t sell it at all.

I strongly encourage Fayetteville citizens to vote no to Sunday alcohol sales. Sunday is a holy day, and we simply don’t need Sunday alcohol sales in Fayetteville.

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muddle's picture
Submitted by muddle on Thu, 10/30/2008 - 8:40am.

This whole Sunday alcohol sales issue is driven by pure greed.

I should think rather that the real issue has to do with the legitimate basis for law in a pluralistic and democratic society. I cannot think of an argument in agreement with your essay that does not, in principle, involve an endorsement of something like what Mill called "legal moralism," if not theocracy.

____________________

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Jeeves to the Rescue


Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 5:50am.

Staying in business by working harder and keeping up with your competition is not greed you sanctimonious fool!

If you don't want to have a drink on Sunday - don't order one. If you can't stand to see anyone else having a drink on Sunday - stay home or go somewhere other than Hooter''s for your Sunday dinner.

If you have to take it a step further and preach to the rest of us how to vote on what is essentially an economic development issue - don't bother. You are out of your area of expertise.

Vote yes on Sunday alcohol sales. It will keep your tax bill at a reasonable level if you live in Fayetteville.


Main Stream's picture
Submitted by Main Stream on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 7:20pm.

"The word Sabbath means rest."

I choose to "rest" on Sunday, with a martini.

Why is it that conservatives are gungho about less government in our lives, unless the issue at hand is about drinkin', sex, wombs, or gays?? Then they want to stick their nose in everybody's business. Leave us the hell alone and focus on your own life.

Y'all are a bunch of whiney navel-pickers. Just leave people alone and let them have their Sunday drinks for goodness sake!


Submitted by USArmybrat on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 10:13pm.

But you can still do both with your martini, IMHO. When I can, I like to do mine in my hot tub with a Jack and Coke, myself. Looking up at the stars, it is easier to commune with God than in any church I have ever been in and alot more comfortable. By the way, I am a non-navel picking Conservative that has no interest in your womb, drinking habits, or sexual preference.

Main Stream's picture
Submitted by Main Stream on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 1:21pm.

"I like to do mine in my hot tub with a Jack and Coke...Looking up at the stars, it is easier to commune with God than in any church I have ever been in..."

There you go again, finding common ground for us to agree on. Eye-wink

When we lived out west, we had a hot tub in our yard that had a great view of the mountains, and when the snowstorms would blow in, dumping snow in the yard, we'd kick back in the tub and commune with god and nature. Sunday school was held there too with our kids and we'd challenge them to jump out of the tub in freezing temperatures, run across the yard and throw themselves in the snow, then jump back in to thaw out. Hearty little souls!

That was the perfect "church."


Cyclist's picture
Submitted by Cyclist on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 8:10pm.

Now you know better. Blue laws are a legacy left over from that era when Democrats ruled the south. Smiling
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Main Stream's picture
Submitted by Main Stream on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 8:48pm.

I'm not very well versed in southern political history, but are you referring to those old Dem's who became Repub's, after the Civil Rights act, because they were opposed to desegregation? You know, the George Wallace crowd?


Cyclist's picture
Submitted by Cyclist on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 5:47am.

Yep, the ones that could not ever be associated with the same party as President Lincoln - Republican.
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Caution - The Surgeon General has determined that constant blogging is an addiction that can cause a sedentary life style.


gratefuldoc's picture
Submitted by gratefuldoc on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 3:53pm.

Sorry Dr. C.- Sabbath is sundown Friday - sundown Saturday. Couldn't stop the drinkin' then though....what would all the "Sunday go to meetin'" folks do on Friday night after work?!
Let 'em serve on Sunday- if you want a drink have one....if you don't-don't! Stop mixing politics and religion....

"and the politicians throwing stones..."
"once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right"
"listen to the thunder shouting, "I AM, I AM, I AM"

;>} Have a grateful day ;>}


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