The Danger Of The Dance
The Danger Of The Dance
Avon Malone
Waukegan, Ill.
America is tottering on the brink of moral decay. This fact
becomes evident to anyone who would carefully observe the unmistakable trend of
the times. One out of every four marriages in this country ends in divorce.
According to the F.B.I., one million illegitimate children are born annually.
Not long ago a doctor who lives near one of the largest universities in the
land said that he was convinced that at least 90 per cent of the young men and
women of that far-west university had had sex relations before marriage. All of
this points to an obvious conclusion; our generation is speeding toward the
abyss of moral debauchery.
TIME TO TAKE A STAND
Our great concern is that the worldliness so prevalent today
is even threatening to engulf that last citadel of virtue -the church of the
living God! The time has come for elders, preachers, teachers, all Christians
to cry out courageously against the sins of the day. As the clarion voices of
the prophets rang out in the long ago denouncing the sins of a hard-hearted people,
even so the elder, or the preacher, who would be true to his God and to his
charge must speak out plainly in condemnation of worldly, ungodly living, Not
only must we teach and preach against the sins that all too often leave an ugly
blemish on Christ's bride, but incorrigible offenders must be disciplined
according to God's word. (I Cor. 5:1-13). How we need shepherds in Israel who
love the Lord, the church, and the truth enough to courageously lead the people
of God to "purge out the old leaven."
DANCING AND BIBLE PRINCIPLES
The modern dance is a potent factor in the production of the
immorality that has already been mentioned. Because of this, we want to make it
the specific point of consideration in this article.
The Bible does not deal with the question in a specific
"thou shalt not." The Bible rather is a book of principles and,
therefore, it deals with this matter in principles. The following principles,
worded in the form of questions, will apply to the dance as well as to other forms
of recreation:
1. Does it (the dance) destroy your identity as a Christian?
Rom. 12:1, 2; James 1:27. The Christian is to be unspotted from the world - not
conformed to it. Whatever mars this transformed quality of a Christian is in
opposition to this principle.
2. Does it have a weakening influence on others? I Cor.
8:8-13.
3. Does it take you into a bad environment and into the
midst of bad associates? I Cor. 15:33. Remember Lot could get his girls out of
Sodom, but he couldn't get Sodom out of his girls.
4. Does it have even the appearance of evil? If so, don't
flirt with it- flee from it! I Thess. 5:22.
5. Does it come under the Bible condemnation of reveling?
Gal. 5:21.
6. Does it tend to produce lewd (base, illicit, sensual)
emotions? Gal. 5:19. Lasciviousness (anything that tends to produce lewd
emotions) is catalogued by Paul among those fleshly works that will keep that
one who persists in them outside of heaven.
If you must answer "yes" to any of the above
questions, then Christ through his word is earnestly pleading with you to cease
the dance or whatever recreation prompts such an answer.
To these questions we would add one more: "What would
Jesus do?" I Peter 2:21. Peter tells us that Christ died, "leaving us
an example, that ye should follow his steps . . ." Since I am to follow
his steps, many times each day I should confront myself with the question,
"What would Jesus do?" In regard to the dance, "What would Jesus
do?"
WHAT IS REVELING?
Let us consider two of the principles just presented at
greater length. First of all, let us notice the word "reveling".
Remember that Paul listed it among the works of the flesh of which he said,
"they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Gal. 5:21. What is reveling? Liddell and Scott's Greek English Lexicon
describes it in these words: "A jovial festivity with music and
dancing..." M. R. Vincent, the author of Word Studies and one of the
translators of our English New Testament says that reveling was festial
entertainment accompanied by carousing and dancing. The Century Dictionary uses
this sentence to illustrate its meaning: "We always have revels, which
indeed is dancing." In the light of the foregoing, the careful, objective
student will quickly admit that reveling clearly embraces the dance. Remember
Paul's inspired words, "they that do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God."
DOES IT PRODUCE LEWD EMOTIONS?
Lasciviousness, another work of the flesh (Gal. 5: 19), is
(defined as "tending to produce lewd (base, sensual) emotions." Does
the dance do this? Remember Jesus said, "By their fruits ye shall know
them." What are the fruits of the dance "tree" ? Does it bear
illicit, sensual desires as its fruit? Let's see:
1. Dr. Thomas C. Whitfield: "The modern dance is
condemned precisely at this point. It is not wrong solely because it might lead
one to the physical act of fornication, but it is sinful to the degree that it
arouses unrestrained desires that cannot be fulfilled under present relations
and conditions. When such desires are aroused, the dancing is within itself
sinful because it is then a lascivious act."
2. J. Edgar Hoover: "Most juvenile crime has its
inception in the dance hall, either public or private."
3. Prof. W. C. Wilkerson of Chicago University analyzed the
modern dance as "a system of means, contrived with more than human
ingenuity, to excite the instinct of sex action."
4. Dr. Lita Hollingsworth, Professor of Education at
Columbia University, in an article in defense of the modern dance:
"Dancing is an exciting and pleasurable recreation as it affords a partial
satisfaction to the sex impulse."
5. "The Source Book of Social Origins" by Thomas
affirms that without doubt "dancing came as an aid to sex stimulant. It
retains its original purpose today."
6. The Chicago Vice Commission asked three hundred
prostitute girls, "What led you to do wrong, what led you to become such a
sinner, what led you to become what you are today, a scarlet woman?"
Eighty-five per cent, of them said, "My first step wrong was caused by the
modern dance."
7. Speaking primarily to parents, Prof. Guyon, owner and
operator of Guyon Paradise Ballrooms said, "When you are told that youth
of both sexes can survive this experience (the dance) without moral, mental and
physical pollution you know the teller lies. If you can believe youth is the
same after this experience as before, then God help your child or your charge,
for you are not mentally fit for your responsibility."
The foregoing conclusive statements from objective sources
should convince us all that the dance is productive of lewd, illicit desires
and even overt immorality. It is thus lasciviousness - a work of flesh that
will keep one outside the eternal kingdom. This alone should awake us to the
danger of the dance. It should cause young people (and old alike) to flee from
it. Also this fact should motivate the teacher of the Word to boldly and
plainly condemn the dance.
Young person, remember that the Savior died for you,
"leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps." Ask the
question sincerely, "What would Jesus do?" Don't do anything that
would mar your relationship with your Savior. Don't do anything that would
tarnish your hope of heaven, weaken your influence or dull your spirituality.
Do not follow a course that will cause you to carry guilt scars to your grave.
Apply the words of Heaven given in the long ago: "Thou
shalt not follow a multitude to do evil."
Truth Magazine I:1, pp. 6, 16, 18
October 1956
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