WHAT IS THE DANCE’S REPUTATION?

The apostle Paul told Christians to hold to “whatever things are well spoken of.” (Phil. 4:8) So in determining whether any dance is proper or improper for Christians, find out what its reputation is. Worldly society or beatniks may approve a dance, but we cannot be guided by those who throw off restraint and who give first place to so-called “sexual freedom.” So what is the community feeling? More particularly, what is the feeling of your religious congregation? How would you be looked upon if you danced it? If one wanted the reputation of the twist as popularized by a New York nightclub, he might read an article similar to one written by Geoffrey Holder, a Trinidad-born dancer, who said:

“The Twist? I’m sitting this one out. It’s dishonest. . . . It’s synthetic sex turned into a sick spectator sport. . . . Social dancing was never meant to supply vicarious kicks for spectators. When it does, watch it! . . . When Antony Tudor wanted to establish his hero as a sexpot and phallic symbol in ‘Pillar of Fire,’ he came out and did the Twist—for a few seconds, to establish character. . . . From the dawn of time, the classic way of showing male potency, sexual vigor, has been the same pelvic movement. In African fertility dances, you always find it naked. Honest.”⁴

You do not need special articles, however, to give you an idea of a dance’s reputation. Some very short news items say a great deal. For example: “The City of Tampa has opened 1962 by banning the Twist, a new dance step, in its community centers.”⁵ “Moralists debated the propriety of the dance. In her column, Elsa Maxwell confided that Princess Olga of Yugoslavia had agreed with her at the Polish Ball that the twist shouldn’t be danced in public places.”⁶ “The White House firmly denied today that President Kennedy or anyone else danced ‘the Twist’ at a party there.”⁷ “The new dance, the Twist, has been banned at Roseland Dance City [New York]. ‘It is not, in our opinion, a ballroom dance,’ according to Lou Brecker, who founded the theater district ballroom in 1919. ‘It is lacking in true grace.’”⁸

Your local news media may also contain letters to editors that often reveal much as to what people are thinking, such as this example; “Let’s hope that the young (and not so young) bodies of our Twisters are lying, that their minds do not behave inside the way their pelvises and pectorals do outside.”⁹

So even if a Christian can participate in a dance with a good conscience before God, because of having no wrong motive, that is not enough. He must consider the effect upon the onlooker. The onlooker knows what goes on in his own mind when he sees a sensual dance, and he assumes that such thoughts are going on in the mind of the dancer. One’s saying: “My mind and conscience is clear” is not enough, because the Scriptures are emphatic about keeping “from becoming causes for stumbling.”—1 Cor. 10:32.

SELF-DENIAL TO AVOID CAUSES FOR STUMBLING

No Christian wants to turn people away from God’s truth because of his conduct, even when that conduct may not in itself be wrong. But circumstances may make that conduct wrong. What may be acceptable in one place may cause you to be looked down on in another. Even where a dance is accepted, if people recognize it as evidence of abandon, they consider all the participants to be alike. So every Christian will want to heed Paul’s counsel: “In no way are we giving any cause for stumbling, that our ministry might not be found fault with.”—2 Cor. 6:3.

So the divine counsel is: “Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.” (1 Cor. 10:24) What is this advantage Christians should seek for others? It is their spiritual advantage. Being encouraging and kind is proper, of course, but such may not cost us anything; and Paul is talking about what costs us something so that the other person gets the advantage. It is a matter of conscience. Not all persons see things the same way. The Christian with an enlightened conscience may be able to do things with a good conscience but which might stumble others. The Christian must consider the all-vital objective: The salvation of others. We do not want to stumble others because of their conscience. This puts a brake upon our liberty and calls for self-restraint even in things that may be proper in themselves. We should act in such a way that nothing we do will hinder others from accepting God’s truth. This makes it a matter, not only of avoiding what is Scripturally wrong, but also of denying ourselves what we may have a right to, so as not to prejudice one against God’s truth.

If, then, we are willing to deny ourselves something that may be proper in itself, for the sake of not stumbling others, how much more so would we refrain from doing what is Scripturally improper!

Showing that the matter of stumbling others is not to be taken lightly are Jesus’ warning words: “Whoever stumbles one of these little ones who put faith in me, it is more beneficial for him to have hung around his neck a millstone such as is turned by an ass and to be sunk in the wide, open sea.”—Matt. 18:6.

We may not necessarily stumble others by a dance itself, but we could by the circumstances surrounding the dancing. For instance, what if the location where the dancing takes place has a bad reputation? A Christian would not frequent a restaurant that had a bad reputation, even if his interest there was merely for good food. He might stumble others. So location is also a determining factor. (1 Cor. 8:9, 10) Association is likewise a vital aspect, since “bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Cor. 15:33) A dance may in itself be proper but the whole entertainment improper if it is done in wrong association. Our entertainment should be in association with those who love God and have respect for his commandments.

It is well for Christians to remember that not every dance can be classified as either proper or improper. Many dances can be done either properly or improperly, depending upon the persons doing them. One’s motive could be wrong in a proper dance, so that it is turned into craving for sensual pleasure. A Christian, moreover, does not need a specific ruling for every new dance fad or style, because in most instances he can learn the facts and apply Bible principles. If the Christian wants to pursue an unmarried life, he may find it well for him not to dance with the opposite sex unrelated to him.

So find out what a dance basically is. What are its movements? What is its origin and development? What are people saying about it? What are the news media saying about it? What is its reputation in the community? If you danced it, what would be the effect upon onlookers? How happy we will be if, when there are reasons for doubt about the propriety of pursuing a certain course, we do the things that upbuild our brothers and do not stumble new ones! “Love builds up.”—1 Cor. 8:1.

While one’s choice of entertainment is a personal matter, a mature Christian will never insist on his “rights” in this respect when it disturbs the conscience of a fellow Christian or when it may be a cause for stumbling new ones. “Let us not be judging one another any longer, but rather make this your decision, not to put before a brother a stumbling block or a cause for tripping.” Let each one use the spirit of a sound mind. Let each one seek the spiritual advantage of others. Let each one conduct himself as he would in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and the holy God, Jehovah. Then “whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else,” you will “do all things for God’s glory.”—Rom. 14:13; 1 Cor. 10:31.

REFERENCES

¹ New York Times, October 19, 1961.

² Life, November 24, 1961.

³ Time, October 20, 1961.

⁴ New York Times Magazine, December 3, 1961.

⁵ New York Times, January 4, 1962.

⁶ Newsweek, December 4, 1961.

⁷ New York Times, November 15, 1961.

⁸ Ibid., issue of October 21, 1961.

⁹ New York Times Magazine, December 17, 1961.

Appreciation for “New World Translation”

AT A MOTEL

A pioneer minister in Colorado writes: “I went on a call with a sister where people have a motel. While I was using my New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, the man noticed it and asked why it was plainer than his Bible. So I explained. He said: ‘I want one, and, by the way, I want one for every room at the motel. How much are they?’ I told him one dollar. He said: ‘Bring me a case.’”

WAITING FOR THE BUS

A pioneer sister in Louisiana entered into a discussion with a woman while waiting for a bus. “I told her I visited the homes of the people daily encouraging them to read the Bible more, because the Bible is our Guide. She said she did not read it much because the words were too hard to understand. I told her I had a modern-English translation. We got on the bus and sat together and I discussed the sermon with her. Then I read a few verses where the word charity is used, such as at 1 Corinthians 13:1, in the King James Version. I asked her what she understood that word to mean. She spoke of donations. I showed her from the New World Translation that the word really meant love. She asked how much the Bible cost. I said $1. She gave her name and address so I could deliver it to her house. To a different person I showed the ‘Table of the Books of the Bible,’ where one can learn who wrote each book, when and where. He took a copy. So by using the various suggestions of the Society, I placed 17 Bibles.”

IN OFTEN-COVERED TERRITORY

A report from a congregation in Texas tells about their ministerial work on December 25, last year: “Eighteen assembled at the Kingdom Hall, some of whom were able to spend a full day in service. Thirty-one Bibles were placed! What kind of territory? Territory that has been covered at least once each month and often once every three weeks! One householder commented: ‘Several in my Sunday-school class have a copy of that Bible, and I have been looking in all the stores for one. I’m glad you came.’”

TO THOSE GOING TO CHURCH

A congregation report from east Texas tells how the people were amazed at the low price of $1 for the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. What about those householders getting ready for church? A short presentation of the Bible was made, which “sent many to church with the New World Translation. In one small town four persons went to one church possessing their green Bibles.”

AT HIS PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT

From South Carolina comes this experience: “I work for a large automobile company and I usually keep a copy of the New World Translation in my desk drawer. One day a salesman, looking in my drawer, saw the Bible and began to thumb through it. It interested him very much, so he came to me and asked if he could get a copy. In turn, he put the Bible in his desk drawer. Another salesman came along and looked in his desk drawer and was greatly interested in the Bible. He came to me and wanted to know if he could get a copy also. This circle continued, and I was able to place seven Bibles in the office. Also, I offered the Bible to my manager. He said that he liked the King James Version and that he was afraid to try