THE BIBLE VS. DANCING

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 3, 1880

THE BIBLE VS. DANCING.

Rev. Dr. Patton, in an able article in an exchange on the subject of dancing, thus sums up his conclusions:—

Having carefully examined every text in the Old and New Testaments in which the word occurs, we are led to the following conclusions:—

1. That dancing was a religious act among idolaters as well as worshipers of the true God.

2. That it was practiced as the demonstration of joy for victories and other mercies.

3. That the dances were in the daytime.

4. That the women danced by themselves; that the dancing was done mostly by them.

5. No instance is reported in which promiscuous dancing by the two sexes took place.

6. That when the dance was perverted from a religious service to mere amusement, it was regarded disreputable, and was performed by the "vain fellows."

7. The only instances of dancing for amusement mentioned are of the worldly families described by Job, the daughter of Herodias, and the "vain fellows." Neither of these had any tendency to promote piety.

8. That the Bible furnishes not the slightest sanction for promiscuous dancing as an amusement, as practiced at the present time. The dancing professor of religion must not deceive himself with the impression that he is justified by the word of God.