Q: In Matthew 14:6, when Herod was having a birthday-part with some important guests, "the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod." This begins a chain of events that ends with the death of John the Baptist. Yet elsewhere in the Bible ~ in some psalms, for example ~ dancing is approved. Is dancing a sin, or not?
A: Thats kinda like asking if speaking is a sin or not. There are different ways of speaking, and there are different ways of dancing. When a dance is performed and observed as a form of art, and is performed in a way that is not likely to elicit lust in a normal observer, I dont see any Biblical prohibition of such a dance. For instance, a man may dance with his daughter at her wedding-reception. The same goes for dances which are a form of aerobic exercise, usually done in all-women groups. However, when a dance by unmarried dancers is basically a form of public foreplay, intended to tempt observers or fellow participants into lust, it is obviously lascivious, and such dances should not be done.
This text here is Matthew 14 does not go into detail, except by the choice of vocabulary, about what kind of dance Salome (the name Josephus gives to Herodias daughter) danced.
Btw, the link to Is Dancing a sin by Robert R. Stephenson doesnt seem to be working.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: Thats kinda like asking if speaking is a sin or not. There are different ways of speaking, and there are different ways of dancing. When a dance is performed and observed as a form of art, and is performed in a way that is not likely to elicit lust in a normal observer, I dont see any Biblical prohibition of such a dance. For instance, a man may dance with his daughter at her wedding-reception. The same goes for dances which are a form of aerobic exercise, usually done in all-women groups. However, when a dance by unmarried dancers is basically a form of public foreplay, intended to tempt observers or fellow participants into lust, it is obviously lascivious, and such dances should not be done.
This text here is Matthew 14 does not go into detail, except by the choice of vocabulary, about what kind of dance Salome (the name Josephus gives to Herodias daughter) danced.
Btw, the link to Is Dancing a sin by Robert R. Stephenson doesnt seem to be working.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
