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A blue law, in the , 2006 In the Cook Islands , blue laws were first written legislation, enacted by the London Missionary Society in 1827 , with the consent of '' Ariki '' (chiefs). In Tonga , the Vava'u Code ( 1839 ) was inspired by Methodist Missionary teachings, and was a form of blue law. In Niue , certain activities remain forbidden on Sunday, reflecting the country's Strong Christian Heritage . DERIVATION The term ''blue law'' may have been first used by the Reverend Samuel Peters (1735-1826) in his book ''General History of Connecticut,'' which was first published in 1781, to refer to various laws first enacted by Puritan colonies in the 17th century which prohibited the selling of certain types of merchandise and retail or business activity of any kind on certain days of the week, usually Sunday. In , November 20 , 2006 Many states still prohibit selling Alcohol on Sunday, or at least before noon on Sunday, under the rationale that people should be in church on Sunday morning, or at least not drinking. At least one unusual feature of American Culture — the ability to buy groceries, office supplies, and housewares from a Drug Store — can be traced to blue laws (under blue laws, drug stores are generally allowed to remain open on Sunday to accommodate emergency medical needs). Blue laws in the "Bible belt" section of the United States are sometimes viewed by conservative Christians as a necessary restraint against mindless consumerism and excess. However, since secular advocates have gained a foothold in the political system, there have been increasing calls to let the tradition go. The issues raised usually have to do with other religions having different holy days, as well as the complexity of the legal system and unnecessary government intervention into people's lives. (In South Carolina, for example, it is legal to buy certain kinds of lighting fixtures on Sunday, while others are contraband.) Advocates for repealing the laws bring up the point that the laws are too inconvenient to justify any positive moral action they promote. Blue laws may also prohibit retail activity on days other than Sunday. In , 2006 HISTORY Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence to support the assertion that the blue laws were originally printed on blue paper. Rather, the word ''blue'' was commonly used in the 18th century as a disparaging reference to rigid moral codes and those who observed them (e.g., "bluenoses", ) Southern and mid-western states also passed numerous laws to protect the Sabbath during the mid to late nineteenth century. Laws targeted numerous groups including saloon owners, Jews, Seventh-day Adventists , and non-religious peoples. These Sabbath laws enacted at the state and local levels would sometimes carry penalties for doing non-religious activities on Sunday as part of an effort to enforce religious observance and church attendance. Numerous people were arrested for playing cards, baseball, and even fixing wagon wheels on Sunday. Some of these laws still exist today. Many European countries still place strong restrictions on store opening hours on Sundays, an example being Germany 's Ladenschlussgesetz . In Henry Taber's ''Faith or Fact'', he writes: Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church has always taken a stance against blue laws. Churchmembers keep the Sabbath on Saturday, thus conflicting with Sunday laws. In the early days of the church in the mid 1800s, a number of Adventists in America were imprisoned for a short time for working in their fields on Sunday. Consequently, in traditional Adventist Eschatology (belief about the end-times), it is held that there will be an international Sunday law, with persecution enacted against Saturday-Sabbath keepers such as Adventists. This view is found in the writings of Ellen White and others. This view is still the mainstream church view worldwide. A substantial number of Adventists agree with this prediction. Bergen County, New Jersey One of the last remaining blue laws in the , 2005 has blue laws that are even more restrictive than those imposed in the rest of the County. Furthermore, Bergen County (with a '', August 19 , 2006 However, repeated attempts to lift the law have failed as voters either see keeping the law on the books as a protest against the growing trend toward increasing hours and days of commercial activity in American society or enjoy the sharply reduced traffic on major roads and highways on Sunday that is normally seen the other days of the week. In fact, a large part of the reason for maintaining the laws has been a desire for relative peace and quiet one day of the week by many Bergen County residents.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0D61339F937A35752C1A962948260 IN NEW JERSEY; PARAMUS BLUE LAWS CRIMP OFFICE LEASING], '' The New York Times '', November 4 , 1984 . "Officials tried to regulate the effects of the tremendous growth on the borough by insisting that at least one day a week, Paramus be allowed to enjoy some of its former peace and quiet. In 1957, an ordinance was passed banning all ''worldly employment'' on Sundays, forcing all the new stores and malls built in the celery fields to close for the day." This desire for relative peace is most apparent in '', October 31 , 2006 . "Both candidates said they would stand strong against any weakening of the blue laws, which keep most stores closed on Sunday, and would work to keep Paramus' laws the most restrictive in the state." banning all forms of "worldly employment" on Sundays, including white collar workers in office buildings. Local Blue laws in Paramus were first proposed in 1957, while the Bergen Mall and Garden State Plaza were under construction. The legislation was motivated by fears that the two new malls would aggravate the already severe highway congestion caused by local retail businesses along the borough's highways."SUNDAY SELLING PLAGUING JERSEY; Local Businesses Pushing Fight Against Activities of Stores on Highways - Other Group Active Local Option Opposed", '' The New York Times '', June 2 , 1957 . p. 165 Connecticut Since the founding of the puritanical theological colony of New Haven in 1638, Connecticut had some of the harshest blue laws in the country. Until the 1970s, no stores were allowed to open on Sundays, save Jewish-owned businesses, which had to be closed on Saturdays. To this day, liquor sales on Sundays are illegal. Court cases The Supreme Court Of Canada , in the case of '' R. V. Big M Drug Mart Ltd. '', (1 S.C.R. 295) ruled that the 1906 ''Lord's Day Act'' that required most places to be closed on Sunday did not have a legitimate Secular purpose, and was an unconstitutional attempt to establish a Religious -based closing law in violation of the Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms . However, the court later concluded, in R. V. Edwards Books And Art Ltd. , [1986 (2 S.C.R. 713) that Ontario's Retail Business Holiday Act, which required some Sunday closings, did not violate the Charter because it did not have a religious purpose. The Supreme Court Of The United States held in '' McGowan V. Maryland '' (1961) that Maryland 's blue laws violated neither the Free Exercise Clause nor the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment To The United States Constitution . While such laws originated to encourage attendance at Christian churches, the contemporary Maryland laws were intended to promote the secular values of "health, safety, recreation, and general well-being" through a common Day Of Rest . That this day coincides with the Christian Sabbath neither reduces its effectiveness for secular purposes nor prevents adherents of other religions from observing their own holy days. The status of blue laws vis-à-vis the Free Exercise Clause conceivably would have to be re-evaluated if challenged by an adherent of a religion which required the conduct of commerce on Sunday. According to KVIA-TV El Paso, as recently as March 2006, Texas judges were still ruling to uphold the state Blue Law that requires car dealerships to close one day each weekend. They must now choose to open either Saturday or Sunday. Hunting Until 2006, in Ontario it was illegal to hunt using a firearm on Sundays as part of the Lord's Day Act. The issue of whether or not to allow Sunday gun hunting has now been left up to each municipality to decide, many of them now allowing Sunday gun hunting. {Link without Title} SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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