Dancing A Sin?

[tinytherese]

A student on my campus is a former Baptist who is now Catholic but he still believes that dancing is a sin. Where does this idea come from?

[PhuturePriest]

A heretic.

Edited March 16, 2012 by FuturePriest387

[Nihil Obstat]

Saying dancing is sinful is like saying movies are sinful because some movies are pornographic.

[sixpence]

i like dancing; ergo, it's not a sin

Edited March 16, 2012 by sixpence

[RandomProddy]

2 Samuel 6:16 - 21?

Edited March 16, 2012 by RandomProddy

[cmotherofpirl]

[i]Ecclesiastes 3:4 [/i]"A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance."

[i]Luke 15:25 [/i] Now his elder son was in the field, and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing, the parable of the Prodigal Son.

[Adrestia]

[quote name='tinytherese' timestamp='1331867666' post='2401668']
A student on my campus is a former Baptist who is now Catholic but he still believes that dancing is a sin. Where does this idea come from?
[/quote]Have you asked him?

[Hubertus]

If he thinks dancing is a sin, then I'm guessing he thinks drinking is a sin. Poor guy!

[Ice_nine]

when i place my legs in a cage of spandex
I dance like hell to release the madness

[cappie]

The Bible doesn't give specific instructions on dancing. It may be helpful to point out some examples of good and bad dancing, and then mention some biblical principles to build dancing standards on. Exodus 32:6; 19-25 —This is a disappointing part of Israel's history. While Moses was up on the mountain talking to God, the Israelites built an idol. In the process of the idol worship, they began to dance. This ended up in "revelry" (v. 6) and being "out of control" (v.25 says "naked" in some translations). In this case, dancing led to very sinful activity. In Exodus 15:20 (mentioned above), Miriam was dancing to celebrate the victory God's power had brought at the Red Sea. Second Samuel 6:12-16—David "danced before the Lord" to celebrate the Ark of the Covenant being brought back to Jerusalem.

Every instance of dancing that is not considered sinful was done in worship or praise to God. Here are some more principles to keep in mind in considering dancing: Ecclesiastes 3:4—There is an appropriate time to dance (and by implication an inappropriate time to dance). Psalm 149:3; 150:4—Both passages mention that we can praise or worship God through dance. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20—Our bodies belong to God, and they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So everything we do must be honoring to Him.

Dancing to bring attention to yourself or your body therefore would be sinful. St Paul acknowledes that men have a very strong sex drive that is easy to set off. Because of this, many styles of pair dancing outside of marriage can be very tempting, especially to the man. "Flee (as in "run away from") the evil desires of youth" (2 Timothy 2:22). Any dancing that stirs up sinful desires in ourselves or in others is sinful. Matthew 18:6—Doing something that might cause someone else to stumble into sin is considered absolutely inexcusable. Dancing in a way that would cause someone else to lust would fall under this guideline. 1 Thessalonians 5:22—This is a great rule of thumb if we're not sure if a dancing situation is acceptable. "Avoid every kind of evil." If it even looks like it could be sinful, don't do it.

In the end, there is a lot of dancing that is inappropriate for believers who should be seeking to glorify God with their lives and especially with their bodies. Yet the Bible acknowledges that we can dance in a way that does not tempt others, does not tempt ourselves, and brings glory to God.

[SaintOlaf]

I grew up in a Baptist church. While it wasn't preached from the pulpit that drinking and dancing were sinful, it certainly wasn't encouraged or even talked about! There were several times I remember hearing grumblings about So-And-So's wedding and how it was a little too "racy" for some people, what with the cash bar and dance floor. At the same time I remember hearing from others about how a different couple's wedding may have been a lot more entertaining (may have? HAH! Definitely would have!) had there at the very least been some dancing.

I did a little googling just now and was unable to find anything concrete on why some sects of Baptists condemn dancing (and usually drinking along with it). The general thought, I believe, is that dancing, even ballroom style, leads to an unnecessary closeness between two people. This sort of action is only going to lead to arousal and eventually sex. Rather than attempting to enjoy something that is morally indifferent (normal non-sexual dancing) the instinct for them is to do a complete about-face and just forbid it all together. "A lot of something or an extreme of something is bad, so we should just not do it at all." Now dancing for a married couple may be ok, since obviously sex between a married couple is not a bad thing, but it would be frowned on in public because it sets a bad example for the younguns.

As I said, a lot of this is purely speculation, I haven't been part of a Baptist community in almost 10 years and I may have some of this wrong. Hope this helps!



edited to clarify a few things

Edited March 16, 2012 by SaintOlaf

[Vincent Vega]

He's a Calvinist Catholic. What's the problem, Brother Therese?

[Groo the Wanderer]

all day long i'm shufflin'

[Archaeology cat]

We joked about the condemnation of dancing growing up Bptist. We weren't good Baptists, since we also drank (alcohol was definitely frowned upon at our congregation)

[i<3LSOP]

No, I do not see how dancing could be a sin. As cmotherofpirl showed, the Bible mentions it positively. I dance ballet, and I do it for the glory of God!