Hello hello hello. It’s all been rather quiet on this blog recently and I’m not going to apologise or make excuses but just say that I have been off work so have spent my time enjoying the outside world, gardening, jogging, sitting in the garden reading the paper, walking aimlessly around town whilst listening to podcasts and generally doing things that don’t involve sitting at my computer. It’s fair to say I’ve taken somewhat of a brief sabbatical from blogging but I’m here now.

I saw this story in the Guardian today about how golfers at Stornoway golf course on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland are forced to break the law if they want to play on a Sunday. It turns out that the Presbyterian islands of Lewis and Harris are the only places left in Britain where sports facilities remain closed on Sundays for religious reasons;

“Over the past few years, the sabbatarians have lost a series of crucial battles with privately-owned businesses: ferries and flights now land on Sundays, while pubs and a petrol station in Stornoway are routinely open. All are heavily used.

But critics claim the sabbatarians’ influence over publicly-owned leisure centres, swimming pools, golf courses and football pitches remains total:”

The locals have understandably had enough and are starting to fight against this ridiculous ban with a petition to get the local leisure centres open and have appealed to the council to stop this clear religious discrimination that allows one belief system to dictate policy.

I think they are going about this the wrong way. If the sabbatarians think that leisure facilities should be closed on Sundays then let them have their own way but make sure that the ban is total. If they are so keen to stop people enjoying themselves or relaxing on a Sunday then don’t let them stop at just the leisure facilities but suggest the council ban all leisure at all on Sunday. Firstly all churches and places of worship should be closed on Sundays since this is clearly a leisure activity. Supposedly God rested on a Sunday so presumably He won’t be listening to any religious ceremonies that day anyway. When Christmas falls on a Sunday (2011) it will have to be banned that year because that is also a leisure activity. Television should be banned on Sundays, as should radio and newspapers. Talking should almost totally be banned other than for purely functional purposes, like asking what the time is or what’s for dinner. Come to think of it actually eating is quite leisurely so let’s just ban that as well, as should laughing, smiling, reading, drawing, walking your dog, gardening… actually, you know what, the only thing people should be allowed to do is sit. Sit and think hard about how much they love God and make bloody well sure they aren’t enjoying it. Perhaps by proposing that the ban should be taken to ridiculous proportions it might highlight its stupidity.

So I propose this is what the people of Lewis and Harris should petition the council for, but be sure they don’t do it on a Sunday.