Pat Boone of Anderson was one of them. “I think it would cause more problems anytime alcohol is accessible on every street corner,” Boone said.

Brittany Myer, 20, of Anderson, not yet old enough to drink, said Ricker’s stores should carry beer.

“Sure, they sell it at BP,” she said. “Why not sell it here.”

Selling on the Sabbath?

Those with the HBC are challenging so-called blue laws, often calling them archaic and puritanical.

Ricker said that, in his mind, times had changed. “In many states, you can buy alcohol on Sundays. We live in a different world than we did 100 years ago.”

Josh Crockett of Grace Baptist Church in Anderson said the laws were rooted in early American history.

“I think historically the reason Americans have had laws protecting Sunday is because of the Christian heritage that we have and much of New England was settled by different religious denominations all claiming to be Christian,” Crockett said. “The setting aside of Sunday as a special day has its roots in the New Testament”

This, he said, was because Sunday marks the resurrection of Christ.

The Old Testament also supports a Sunday rest, Crockett said. “In the Old Testament, God mandated that humans would have one day off. After six days of God working, he took the seventh day off. He said this is the day we need to rest.”

“We have such a high-paced, fast-paced culture, sometimes we don’t take that day to rest,” Crockett said.

Christians have evolved this belief to include the consumption of alcohol, not because of biblical references, but necessity, he said. “I think a lot of American Christians have been leery of alcohol just because of the effect on society.”

Whatever the history or logic of the laws, Ricker maintains, today’s laws are inconsistent and unfair.

“It’s kind of how our country evolved from the Puritan ethic to today,” Ricker said. “Depending on what state you’re in, the rules are totally different.”