“WHAT ABOUT DANCING?”
By Dr. Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.
Often a person will
ask the question,
“Is dancing
healthful and
harmless
entertainment?” To
make a blanket
statement and answer
this in the negative
really would not be
honest, thus I will
attempt to elaborate
briefly.
Since the invention
of modern dance -
people of various
faiths have opposed
such. Jesus said
that one would be
known by his/her
fruits (Matthew
7:16). In searching
the history of
dancing one will
trace it to the
pagans. They put the
sexes together in
lewd (Off-color,
suggestive, obscene,
unclean, foul, etc.)
dances. However,
this was not always
the situation.
Sometimes, dancing
is mentioned in
secular and Bible
history with good
content. Satan
seemingly always
gets his way and
corrupts anything
and everything.
In today’s world -
much “to do” has
been made of sex.
Therefore, many
would agree that
when two people of
the opposite sex get
together and touch
for any length of
time - harm can come
from such.
I recall an elderly
Christian man once
told me that while
he served as a
military Chaplain he
counseled many
couples who were
encountering a
divorce. He said
that as he inquired
as to what had
caused them to forgo
their love for each
other and pursue the
companionship of
another the answer
he received nearly
90% of the time was
- “It started on the
dance floor”. Being
in the arms of
another person,
other than one’s
spouse, the smell of
another kind of
perfume or after
shave, the rubbing
of the body or
suggestive
movements, created a
lust that went “on
and on” until
adultery was
performed in the
mind and then
physically. Jesus
had something to say
about this in
Matthew 5:28, “I
tell you that anyone
who looks at a woman
lustfully has
already committed
adultery with her in
his heart”.
Many have avoided
dancing due to
Scriptures such as
“Avoid every
appearance of evil”
(I Thessalonians
5:22). Dancing is
often associated
with drink, drugs,
and immorality.
However, seemingly
the Lawrence Welk
type dancing has not
proven to be
offensive to many.
The dancing of
married couples in
the privacy of their
own home is
seemingly not
questioned by
anyone. The
“bottomline” of the
question is - one
must make up his/her
own mind as to
whether this
recreation is going
to elevate Christ or
demean him.
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