The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1875-06-09
The Church and tho Question of
Dancing
From the New North.west

From the New North-westl
l. No church has right to attempt to
bind the conscience of an individual by
any rule not clearly expressed in the Scrip
lures. What the Bible teaches is obliga-
tory whether a church enjoins it or not
a church can not arbitrarily compel the
belief of any thing not in the revealed
will of God
2. As human society any church may
establish for the government of its men,
bers any rule it may choose Every soci-
ETY. does this. The Masons, the Odd Eel
lows, and, indeed, every organization has
its own rules. If any one does not like
them he can stay out of the society. So
a church may establish its rules. If any
one does not like them, he can and ought
to let them alone. No one will compel
him to join church if he does not like it.
3. No church has any right TO NEEDLE
with the amusements of those who do not
profess to be Christians. If the church is
attacked it has a right to defend ITSELF
The minister or the church that attempts
to hinder the amusements of the world is
guilty of breach of good manners. Min
listers and churches should attend to their
own business.
4. The same rule viii apply equally to
the world. 1t should let the churches
manage their own affairs. If they do
right, well: if they make mistakes, it is
not the business of the world to set them
right.
5. On the ground of erpediency a
Christian church has right to forbid its
members to dance. This rule is given in
the Sth and 10th chapters of 1st Corin-
thians. 1t was not wrong in Christian
to eat meat that had been sacrificed to
idols, providing he did not eat it as an act
of worship in honor of the idol. But if
by his eating of the meat some other
Christian might be led to worship in some
manner an idol, or, If by his eating the
meat, some heather might conclude that
a Christian was conforming to the practi-
ces of the heather, then as a matter Of
conscience, not of command, the Christian
should not eat of it. On the same ground
may the church, as an ordinance of God,
forbid dancing Dancing is not wrong in
itself, but to the Christian, on the ground
of eZpediencH not of command, it be-
comes matter of conscience. The world
will think that Christians are conforming
TO the practices of the world.
8. When a church finds it is about to
be injured by the conduct of any of It's
members, it has the right of all human
societies to defend itself by such laws as
it may see proper to enact Examples
need not be given to prove that church
loses influence in a community if its men,
bers make a practice of attending dances
Every Christian knows that spirituality is
not generally found among those Chris
tians who habitually dance.
Z. The church that forbids its members
to dance, by so doing, shows a respect for
the opinion of the world. When a Chris
tian unites with church the world ex-
poets him to make some sacrifices. By |
common consent dancing has been select
ed as the amusement Christians should
give up. When a protesting Christian
dances the world claims him. The world
does not expect an exemplary Christian
to dance.
8. The world must judge of Christian
ity by the lives of Christians. If Chris
tians live holy, godly and consistent lives,
the world values Christianity at high
price. If it see them with their hearts set
on things forbidden or doubtful, it judges
that religion is not a power in the heart
as strong as Christians say it is.
9. The rule, after all, that governs a
Christian in this matter is not found in
the laws of the church but in his con-
science. If a real Christian finds he dis
honors God by dancing he will not dance
" while the world stands" Every Chris
tan must conscientiously consider the cir
under which he is placed by
each new temptation. No church can lay
down rules to suit every case. That one
is the most useful church in the commune
ty which has fewest laws, for as rule the
of that church are more scrupu-
lous as to their conduct before God. The :
rules of Church have little terrors to them.
They fear God, not the church. They
love God and endeavor to honor Him, and
they will do nothing that will even have
the appearance of evil, because they would s
not have the cause of God "evilly spoken !
Of" MONT.