Folk dance
 

What do you, folks, think of folk dancing? Is it okay for Christians? Should it be taught in the Christian school? Are all dances bad for Christians? If not, which ones are good and which ones are bad?

The Bible says that King David danced:

2Sa*6:14 - And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

There is nothing wrong with a Christian dancing. As for the type of dance, that is not the issue. The real issue is the PURPOSE of the dance.

I think both would be important. David wasn't doing the Watusi nor boogeying down at the local bar. He was leaping and jumping for joy (which is what the word signifies). It was by himself - he wasn't dancing in a quartet, nor dancing cheek-to-cheek and up close with a woman in public (what a husband and wife do in private is their business) - nor was he wildly flailing around "in the Spirit" looking like he was demon-possessed (yes, I have seen some people supposedly "dancing in the Spirit" and that is exactly what it looked like - it gave me the chills).

Too often, a lot of baptist churches stick to their traditions, rather than the Bible.

Dancing, for enjoyment, is now an action that has been claimed by the world for it's own devices. The worldly dancing we see today is ungodly and sick, appealing only to the flesh. However, I think you would be hard pressed to find a pastor (especially a pastor's wife) that would condemn the kind of dancing we read about in a Jane Austin novel (or watch in one of the movies based off her books).

*P.S. I am a man, I don't read Austin novels :P But my wife does, and my pastors wife, and his daughters :P

Curious - what's wrong with guys reading Jane Austen's books? They used to be read by both sexes in schools, as they were considered classics. I have not read any of her writings, but flipped through one and she clearly presented the Gospel near the end of the book.

I was just joking :P (generally guys don't read them because they are all about women talking about Mr Darcy and Mr Nicholby and Mr Ericcson and Mr Dumpling, and then getting married in the end - not typical bloke literature).

Although, I must admit, my wife rented the movie "Nicholas Nicholby" from the video store the other day, and I loved it. It's not based on an Austen novel, but it is another classic (Dickens I think), where everyone gets married in the end after some major turmoil.

I am probably one of the FEW women I know who has NOT read any of them. I would rather read my husband's gun magazines. :) Nor do I really care for the "chick flicks" they turn them into... but that is just me...

I know Hollywood has probably ruined any of her books - We can see the previews with all the immorality portrayed - yet I seriously doubt a woman who clearly presents the Gospel in at least one of her books would have been immoral herself (at least after salvation) or write junk in her books. They came out with a movie about Jane Austin last year that portrayed her as a woman that fooled around WHILE she was writing her books.

If her books are just sappy romance novels, I am sure I wouldn't like any of them. The majority of novels out there - even by Louis Lamour, the Western writer - have elements of romance in them (I do not have any stomach for a book which has romance as the main focus of it though).

WOW! This is one of those subjects I hate. There was a time I wished I could dance, but do chance, I would fall and get hurt, and look real stupid, I never could dance, and I have no plans to dance, so when a fellow brother preaches against it, I take no offense, and when a Sister I have pays tithes from her ernings from her Square Dancing School I take no offense.

But Unholywood and all within are offensive to me.

Someone once told me that dancing is "like singing with your body"

meaning that some have talent singing, some have talent dancing....as gifts from God.

I read a few of Austen's books years ago and have enjoyed the movies made from them, quite a few versions of some of them actually. Austen was the daughter of an English clergyman who never married and died in her forties, and it's highly unlikely there was any immorality in her life. But immorality wasn't unknown in her circle and in Pride and Prejudice the youngest daughter runs off with an army man and lives with him for a while before family come to force him to marry her.

I'm surprised to hear the gospel was given in one of her books. My impression was that religion is a part of the scenery in Austen's books and apparently in her own life, but not a living reality. It was a source of moral perspective, and she explores moral questions in great detail, at least in relation to social issues, but as far as I can tell religion is taken for granted in a way that leaves true salvation out of it. Clergymen were appointed to their positions for social and financial reasons, not Christian reasons, and in at least two of her books they are silly vain men, hardly Christians.

I would have to check to see which book of hers I have at home. Perhaps the Gospel was presented enough in her time that she was able to repeat it without necessarily believing it herself. It is like the popular author John Grisham - he is quite ecumenical and pretty watered down on some Bible issues - YET even he presented the Gospel in one of his books clearly (The Chamber - which was a shocker to me). He had a preacher or pastor in his novel present the need for repentance and belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for salvation to a death row inmate. Was it enough for a reader to get saved through reading that book? I can't remember that - but I do remember the way the story was related, the character in the story was given the Gospel and trusted in Christ alone for salvation.

I love folk dance and folk singing, and often look it up at You Tube so I thought I'd contribute to this thread. Here are a few links I collected.

I think it's noteworthy that the costumes worn in all the cultures for these dances are very modest. Colorful and modest, for both sexes. No spandex here, no cleavage, in fact very little skin. And the dances are modest too, mostly foot work, little body contact, often an exhibition of physical strength -- and interestingly, many of them are all men. These are mostly done by official dance troupes now but they come out of genuine local traditions.

A short snippet of Greek dance to the theme from “Zorba the Greek”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjcsE...eature=related

Folk dance from Thessalia (which I'm assuming is the location of the original Thessalonian church, but I'm not sure)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zs33...eature=related

Thracian dance (between Greece and Bulgaria)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJAoM...eature=related

Armenian dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEeD...eature=related

Bulgarian dance is quite similar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXFj7...eature=related

Romanian dance sometimes partners men and women:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGiFbGwRfY0

Ukrainian Cossack dance – seems to be completely a masculine thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmskm...eature=related

Mongolian – getting into some Chinese feeling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4uhS...eature=related

There are also Norwegian, English, Italian, French, Polish, German, Irish and no doubt other folk dances, but the pictures aren’t very good on some.

European dances at least come out of a Christianized culture. I wonder what kind of dancing they did before Christianity took over in Europe. I did check out a few nonChristian cultures -- African, American Indian, Polynesian, Arabian, Hindu -- and it seems many of the dances are shamanistic, with the intent of contacting demon spirits, or seductive, fertility type dances or something along those lines. Dances to the local gods at least. I didn't watch a lot so I may be misjudging, but my quick impression is that overall the movements are more sensuous, the skin is more bare (not always), and there's a lot of drumming.

Anyway, dance seems to be a very natural human expression, and I don't see any reason it can't be God-honoring. Unfortunately most of it isn't any more. Dancing with the Stars? The fewer clothes and the more suggestive movements the "better" it is it seems. Even ballet shows way too much body. I don't understand why either, since it's obviously not necessary to even the most strenuous acrobatic movements, as many of the folk dances show, where very loose clothing is worn.

Yes, I'd like to know which of her books gives the gospel. You could be right, I'm very curious now. I'd heard Grisham's books may give the gospel. Sure, it's great if somebody can get the gospel from a popular novel. God can reach down to anybody in a million different ways.

It was just the one Grisham novel. He is getting more and more corrupt in his material - so I doubt if he would ever include the Gospel in any later ones. I have received a recent news article where he stated he does not accept/believe in a literal view of the Bible.

Too bad about Grisham, I don't read his books but it was nice to think there is someone out there including the gospel in his novels.

I'm busy now, but I'd like to say thanks to your post, Connie! These are some reasons why I think some Christian schools do not promote such activity.

Hi Biblestudent,
When you do get back, please explain what they do teach at Bible school, ANY kind of dancing? Music? What do you think of the European dances I think are done decently, modestly etc.? Certainly most other folk dancing around the world has too much baggage from the fallen nature and the prince of this world for Christians to venture into. I would think American square dancing should be OK. The minuet dancing seen in Jane Austen movies is nice, too, as someone here suggested, except we could do with less skin showing above the dress I suppose.

Hi, Connie! Just a short reply to one of your questions: no dancing taught in our Bible school. just folk dancing introduced in a Christian high school. Also only hymns & church music (conservative) in the Bible school. thanks!