THE strictest adherents of the Fourth Commandment insist that working on the Lord's day of rest undermines key values of traditional Scottish island life.
However, there have been gradual changes in the way the Sabbath is observed on Harris and the Isle of Lewis where there has also been the introduction of seven-day ferries and flights while a number of pubs and a couple of shops are now open on the island on Sunday.
Gallery: Photography competition takes a walk on the wild side with exhibition
Many islanders who are not churchgoers nor particularly religious back Sunday observance where shops, public services and facilities are closed.
Although amid fierce protests, the first Sabbath-busting ferry to Lewis came seven years ago.
It has proved so popular that there will be two services on a Sunday for seven months next year.
An inter-island ferry between Harris and Berneray operates on Sundays after being introduced in 2006.
Gallery: Photography competition takes a walk on the wild side with exhibition
Sunday flights to and from Stornoway have operated since 2002.
However, supermarkets in Stornoway remain closed on Sundays.
Hotels, some restaurants and pubs and a filling station are open.
Pro-opening campaigners point to alcohol and food being served at the licensed café within the council-owned Lews Castle.
The Western Isles Council leased the premises to a hospitality firm, after using £19 million of public funds to renovate the building.
Campaigners also call for more Sunday services like the Stornoway Sports Centre and the golf club to operate, which is the current driving force behind Sabbath opening.
Gallery: Photography competition takes a walk on the wild side with exhibition
A businesswoman on the Isle of Lewis is also continuing to defy Sabbatarians and open her shop and said Christians have come into her premises and protested loudly about it being open, and she has also been threatened with a boycott of her business.
Leona Rawlinson, who runs Tweed Tastic in Stornoway, was sent a bible and a letter from the Lord's Day Observance Society's branch on the isle asking her to not open on Sundays.
Mark Roberts, managing director of Day One/Lord's Day Observance Society, said that "the letter was kind and showed appreciation for the new venture, but explained the reservations that others in the communities have over the Lord's day and this shop trading".
Why are you making commenting on HeraldScotland only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel