Websites that close on Sundays

other local particularities?

[RonPK]

Here in the Netherlands certain religious groupings do not allow their members to do anything on Sundays, except visit church and read in their holy book (off line editions only). These groupings run websites that simply close down on Sundays, displaying messages like 'Sorry, no information today'.

This of course conflicts with one of the internet's major advantages: the 24/7 availability. Just out of curiousity I was wondering whether there are similar phenomena in other countries. Israel on the sabbath, Saudi Arabia on Fridays?

[HelenDev]

These groupings run websites that simply close down on Sundays

What?!

I don't work on Sundays (if I can avoid it) but people can still access and browse my websites, they just won't get any queries answered 'til monday. Isn't 24/7 the whole point of the internet?

[choster]

Convenience is not necessarily the highest virtue in an audience; be wary of cultural chauvinism :). Customs may adapt to technology, but they are not necessarily supplanted by it. For instance, in some countries, a man may divorce his wife by sending her text messages on a mobile phone-- an update of a Koranic practice that a husband need only tell his wife "I divorce you" three times. On the flip side, some orthodox Jews with comfortable careers in high technology will not turn on light switches on the Sabbath because it is deemed to be doing work. I wouldn't consider it any stranger than, say, veganism (refusing a cookie because the chocolate chips are made with milk) or conforming to a homeowners' covenant (isn't one of the points of owning your own property the right to decorate it however you wish?).

[vkaryl]

Well, so far this hasn't actually occurred here locally, though once the thought is out in the ether....

The "local religion" here is pretty tight about what its "devout" may do on Sundays. VERY limited: church and various meetings associated with, taking up the larger portion of the day; meals with family; meeting with the missionaries; playing music and singing; reading scriptural texts and other "improving" tracts; visiting the ill. That's about it. And THEN there's the REALLY stringent sect, made up mostly of those to whom "polygamy" is NOT simply a detached definition in a dictionary.

*shrug* Each to hisser own. Better "them" than me....

[Llama]

Geez, I'm glad I'm not religious. It allows me to look at all religions objectively (you'll almost always have the same religion as your parents, as you believe gravity exists, the earth is round, and people eat and drink to survive) and allows me to take what meanings I wish of each and every holiday. Also, I don't need to spend any time worshiping anything.

I find it logical that these websites would shut down. It simply supports their beleifs.

If it was a business owner that was religious, then they'd probably be bad businessmen to put the site down.

[grandpa]

I think it's a great idea, if you're truly following your convictions. But, this thread has me wondering about my SQL queries... perhaps:

mysql_select_db("mydatabase") or die("Closed for prayer and meditation");

[ogletree]

They close their site because they don't want people surfing the net because that is against their religion. Keeping the site up would encourage people to sin in their eyes.

[lasko]

Now would a site close on local time only?

What about those visiting on a sunday in the far east and yet it's still Saturday here?

If you have a web site that works for you and makes you money without having to answer enquiries etc I suppose you could stay open?

As the computer is the worker and not a human? so you wouldn't be working on any day :)

[HarleyGuy]

however-- if i wanted to share my beliefs with others so as they can see the benifits, and maybe join my beliefs. i would be doing so with people who are currently not sharing my commitment to not surf on certain days. So i guess that the site that offers no information on their holy day is not interested in having others share their beliefs.
Does this make sence?

[HelenDev]

I suppose it's like making a statement. I'm assuming that any such site wouldn't have an international target audience anyway.

[victor]

Does ebay still close for a couple of hours every Friday morning (approx 10:00 - 12:00 UTC) for "maintenance"?

That's a whole busy prime-time morning over in Europe while they are rewiring their servers or whatever.

That may be due to some sort of ancient design decision (way back in the 20th Century) but it makes far less sense than closing to honor an older religious tradition.

[dwilson]

Ron, I'm not aware of other groups who extend observation of their Sabbath to closing websites.

As a conservative Lord's-Day-observing Christian, those in my circles have no problem leaving websites up on Sunday. Working on that website -- updating content, swapping hard drives, etc. -- would be viewed differently. As we see it, human work is to be curtailed, but machines' need not be.

In the United States, I don't think many are more strict on observing the Sabbath than my own Bible Methodist brethren. I have friends of several other strict denominations and have not encountered the view you have found in the Netherlands, so I doubt many others will find it with Christian groups. I know only general information on Jewish and Muslim practices, however.

[Leosghost]

Evolution resulted in 2 types of humans ..those who climbed down out of their trees ..and those who fell out ...on their heads!

[Rusty]

I know of a site selling 'pleasure products' where the online store is inaccessible until after 9pm in the evening. Think it uses the browser clock, not too hard to circumvent but is quite amusing.

[RonPK]

Please note that I don't want to cast any judgement. Merely curiuos whether anyone knows similar examples in other countries.

I know of two sites that close on Sunday for religious reasons: one belongs to a political party, the other to a new religious denomination created a few weeks ago after the latest schism.

Now would a site close on local time only?

One of the sites uses client side javascript, which can easily be tricked. The other uses a server side solution that probably only looks at the server time; I haven't tested it, but I don't think there is any IP related geotargeting involved ;).

vkaryl, where is 'here' for you?