David's Daily Diversions

The Western Isles on the Edge of Perdition

Isolated at the far reaches of northwestern Britain, and separated from it by a distance greater than from southeastern Britain to France (and a journey of more than twice the duration), the Western Isles have lived up the the biblical maxim to be in the world but not of the world. They are, after all, barely in the world to begin with.

However, things are beginning to change in Lewis, Harris, and North Uist. It started slowly. First, people were allowed to leave the Isles on a Sunday. Caledonian-MacBrayne faced great opposition, but they actually transported heathens on the Sabbath. One local minister nearly became a martyr by lying on the jetty when the first Sunday ferry to the Isle of Skye tried to leave.

As of this weekend things have deteriorated much further. For the first time, a shop was open on a Sunday. It was a service station. I know it seems small to most people, but you have to think about it. Who needs a service station? Motorists. Why would motorists need a service station? To travel on the Sabbath. So we have one sin facilitating another.

Something even more sinister is afoot. The son of the man who opened his service station applied to the local council for a license to operate his paintball enterprise on Sunday. The decline in morals is evident in that someone had the audacity to even apply. I would certainly think that the whole family has been excommunicated from the Wee Free Church of Scotland! It has happened over a lot less.

The Western Isles have also been reached by European human rights legislation. Apparently under Euro-law, you can't outlaw something on purely religious grounds like Sabbath breaking. The council received legal advice that they now have to phrase their decisions on such matters in terms of "local amenity".

In a decision that was no doubt published before the matter came up on the council agenda, the entertainment license for the paintball company was found to have adverse effect on local amenity.