Was Watchtower Elder Correct To Say This Dance Style was Unchristian?.
by Scott77 25 Replies latest social humour
-
-
undercover
From my childhood up to soon before I left, I saw a gradual change on the views of dancing in the JW religion. I also know that some areas are much more conservative than others so what one person experiences in the Bible Belt, another person from NY or LA may find it laughable, the restrictions we were under.
When I was a kid in the rural South, dancing was pretty much frowned on. It wasn't just JWs, it was many conservative, fundie type religions. At the same time though some married couples learned to dance and enjoyed it, but the single folk were discouraged from it. I knew one elder and his wife that learned ballroom dancing and enjoyed it every chance they got, which wasn't often in JW circles.
I remember as a kid, none of the JW weddings had dancing at the receptions. It was too undignified for a such a spiritual event. Remember, it wasn't just a man and woman getting married...this was a three fold cord with Jehovah, so the entire event had a ring of holiness to it and dancing didn't figure into that (though no one ever seemed to remember the Israelites dancing and singing in their worship but I digress...)
I remember my first dance...I was about 17 and at a get-together (not a party, mind you). This wasn't an entire congregation event, it was more of a private thing but it included elders and their families so it wasn't an orgy party or anything... But a single pioneer sister asked me to dance with her...a pretty girl that I was kind of smitten by but too shy to ever talk to her. I was on cloud 9 for days afterwards.
I also remember all the counsel against the 'modern' dances that the kids were into. That amped up the attitude against dancing for a while.
But as time passed, I noticed that dancing became a routine part of wedding receptions. Single people were dancing, both classic in frame style dancing and more modern free style dancing. Married people usually stuck to their spouse but you would see some switching around. Over time, it became less and less scandalous.
By the time I was fading out, the last few JW weddings I had been to weren't much different than worldy weddings I had been to. Too much drinking...wild dancing...sexy moves...congo lines...show off dancing...
In addition the music had become more and more modern and more and more, um, 'debasing', for lack of a better word. Occasionally a JW DJ would get in trouble for playing something objectionable. I know...used to do some DJing and I got in trouble more than once...and I wasn't trying to get one by, it was just that tightly controlled. By the time I was fading I had given up DJing because I hadn't kept up with the dance music and didn't much care for it anyway. But all those years of trying to find good dance music that wasn't objectionable was hard...and then things started to change. JWs started hiring professional DJs with the mixes and strobe lights. JW receptions started resemble discos. Some even had live 'worldly' bands.
While some of these changes mirror the rest of society and how dancing and music is now percieved/accepted, it shows how much control the WT bosses have lost over the flock over the years. The world's view may have changed but the WTS' has not. They'd much prefer that the stigma of dancing from the earlier days was still in place.
-
Scott77
I'm sure that some jws would say:"Would Jesus dance like that?" or "Would you dance like that if Jesus was there?"
XPeterX If that is the case, then we would likewise as ask them; Would Jesus promotes the year false of 1914 if it was known its false? I think a lot of rhetorical questions can be raised up to challenge JWs incorrect perceptions.
-
OnTheWayOut
Just a quick look at your question:
Was Watchtower Elder Correct To Say XXXX ?
Anything he says for Christians that goes beyond the Bible concerning personal choices is incorrect.
He was answering in a way to say that Christians should not do this dance.
Nobody has the right to tell Christians what to do or not to do.I will grant that most Christians submit to the things Jesus said, so fine and dandy.
Jesus didn't say "no shaking" anymore than he said "no beards." -
peaches
no....
-
ziddina
"I'm thinking the elder may have soiled his boxers and that pissed him off because now he had to explain to his wife what happened or get rid of the boxers which were his favorite pair. ..." ldrnomore, page 1
The elder's favorite pair of boxers....
