County Will End Ban On Sunday Sales Despite Some Religious Objections

The Aiken (SC) Standard reports that Aiken County Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday to suspend the county's blue laws that prohibit sale of various items before 1:30 p.m. on Sundays. Final passage is expected on the proposal's third reading next month. Proponents said that schools are losing sales tax dollars as residents shop in neighboring counties in Georgia on Sundays. However some speakers opposed the measure on religious grounds. One urged: "Vote not on the spirit of the age, but on principle. Surely you don't want to go down as the Voltaire who thought during the French Revolution that if the Sabbath was destroyed, it would destroy Christianity. Place your allegiance with the Lord on this one."