# Any priests been busted for violating liquor laws on Sunday? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741 "2003-07-29T20:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/1 "2003-07-29T20:46:08Z")
Some states have remarkably Draconian liquor laws, with absolute, 100%, no minimum dose, no exceptions for any circumstances at all, whatsoever, prohibitions on any consumption of any amount of alcohol by any minor, at all, no matter what, no exceptions at all in the statute. Likewise, same states make it a crime, no exceptions under any circumstances, at all, whatsoever, no matter what, regardless of situation, to provide any amount of alcoholic beverage, at all, no exceptions being made at all, to a minor. Thus, how often do priests at Orthodox Churches get arrested and tried in states like Pennsylvania and New York, which have such draconian laws? Has anyone ever tried this? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/2 "2003-07-29T21:07:34Z")
Are you sure there are no exceptions? Even during Prohibition, wine was permitted for religious observances. I’d need to see all the pertinent statutes before I believed churches were not exempt. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/3 "2003-07-29T21:21:08Z")
I’ve never heard of a US law that restricts when you can drink alcohol, only when you can sell or buy it. Please show me even one. I could certainly be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/4 "2003-07-29T21:27:02Z")
I’m in Montgomery Alabama (where we are STILL trying to get draft beer) and we have no Sunday liquor sales, but there is no restriction on when it’s used. So if Sunday use is OK here, I’m scared to find out where it’s not! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/5 "2003-07-29T21:39:52Z")
Would you care to provide a cite to the draconian law you’re discussing? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/6 "2003-07-29T21:43:55Z")
Religious observance is specifically exempted in Pennsylvania, and probably in most other states: [http://members.aol.com/StatutesP7/18PA6310.1.html](http://members.aol.com/StatutesP7/18PA6310.1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/7 "2003-07-30T04:27:55Z")
Check out the Indiana Code in regards to giving alcoholic beverages to minors. It’s in black and white, no exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/8 "2003-07-30T05:13:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dogface \* > \*\*Check out the Indiana Code in regards to giving alcoholic beverages to minors. It’s in black and white, no exceptions. \*\* While growing-up I got grape juice in church during communion. However I remember visiting other churches where I got wine and was much happier (at that age I preferred grape juice to wine anyway but I felt all growed-up getting the wine). I have no idea if this was in response to local laws being different or just one church being overly PC regardinh communion. Legal or illegal I’d like you to show me one single DA anywhere willing to prosecute a church for giving kids a sip of wine once a week. That DA would be done for REAL fast. Even if one did I suspect the state where it happened would get an instant law passed allowing wine in religious ceremonies and make it retroactive and the DA would still be done for. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/9 "2003-07-30T05:26:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\*I’ve never heard of a US law that restricts when you can drink alcohol, only when you can sell or buy it. Please show me even one. I could certainly be wrong. \*\* Do you not have laws that prohibit the consumption of liquor in a public place unless the proprieters have a liquor licence? For example, are you saying that if you legally buy beer in a liquor store, you can then just go outside and drink it all on the sidewalk? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/10 "2003-07-30T05:47:29Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Dogface_ > **Check out the Indiana Code in regards to giving alcoholic beverages to minors. It’s in black and white, no exceptions.** Attention, **Dogface** : Title 7.1 of the Indiana Code makes it a misdemeanor for a minor to knowingly possess an alcoholic beverage or to consume it (IC 7.1-5-7-7); or for a person to knowingly provide or furnish an alcoholic beverage to a minor (IC 7.1-5-7-8). _However_, there are exceptions listed in that same title: **IC 7.1-1-2-3 Exceptions** Sec. 3. (a) **The provisions of this title shall not prohibit the following. . .:** (2) The sale or transportation of sacramental wine to a minister, priest, or rabbi for a religious purpose. (3) The manufacture, purchase, possession, transportation, or **distribution of sacramental wine for a religious purpose by a minister, priest, or rabbi.** ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/11 "2003-07-30T16:33:39Z")
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Mark Twain (The official sig of the SDMB.) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-priests-been-busted-for-violating-liquor-laws-on-sunday/191741/12 "2003-07-30T20:09:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Northern Piper \* > \*\*Do you not have laws that prohibit the consumption of liquor in a public place unless the proprieters have a liquor licence? For example, are you saying that if you legally buy beer in a liquor store, you can then just go outside and drink it all on the sidewalk? \*\* I said _when_ you could drink it, not _where._