Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-04
CITY METHOD|STS
ON DANCING BAN
Atlanta Ministers Opposed to
Worldly Amusements, But
Leave It to Conscience.

Methodist ministers in Atlanta de-
clared today that the action of bishops
of the Northern Methodist church at
Minneapolis did not constitute a lift
ing of the ban on dancing and other
amusements. They added that the
Southern church would never cease its
warfare on worldly amusements. but
that its attitude was in sympathy with
that advocated by the Northern bish
ops-to leave the matter to the in
dividual conscience.
THE Northern Methodist church has
not lifted the ban on dancing. card
playing, gambling and attendance at
horse races, theaters and circuses,
said Rev. W. P. Lovejoy, presiding ell
DER of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, the branch of the Methodist
church on this side of the Mason and
Dixon line
Left to Ones Conscience.
None of the Protestant churches
give their approval to such worldly d.
versions. and l don't believe ever will,
What l. believe the action of the bish
>ps in Minneapolis to mean is that they
nave left the matter to the individual
consciences of the members of their
church. guided by the light of the di-
vine teachings of Jesus Christ.
Now, the teachings of Christ are
for US to abstain from all amusements
and diversions upon which we can not
ask His blessing, and so long IS per
son stays within the church he can
not keep within the bounds of his con-
science and do these things upon which
he can not ask the blessing Of Christ.
That each individual follow the die
tates Of his own conscience is all right,
provided his conscience follows the
teachings of the Bible and he is not
really a member of the church when
he ceases to follow those teachings.
Dancing Not Specified.
1.-THE Southern Methodist church no
longer. specifies in forbidding the above
mentioned evils, but simply classes
them among those things upon which
Christians can not ask Gods blessing.
At the 1906 conference the bishops
address. which lays down the policy of
the church. left out the specific names
of card playing, dancing gambling and
the like, but that did not mean that
the church approved of those things or
even countenanced them The disci-
pline of 1910 contains the following
passage from the address Of the bish-
ops:
ITO go to no place of amusement
where we can not invite our Lord to
go with US, to engage in no recreation
on which we can not invoke His bless
ing, is a safe rule of conduct toward
God and man"
Other prominent Methodists among
the ministers of Atlanta expressed the
belief that the Northern branch of the
church had not in reality lifted the ban
against such amusements or agreed to
countenance them
Less War on Amusements.
The general tendency of the North
ern Methodist church has been within
past years to legislate less and less
against he various forms of amuse-
ment,'' explained Rev. A. NJ. Hughlett,
land While l don't think they have ever
lifted the ban against any form OF
vicious amusement and have fought it
on all occasions. they have left it more
and more to the conscience of the peo-
pie. guided by the laws and rules of
the church. which in the end amounts
TO practically the same thing as i'll
they forbade them specifically
The position Of our church is plain
the matter is left to the conscience Of
the individual. guided by rules of the
Bible. Some years ago that matter
came up when a member was expelled
from his church for dancing. He took
the matter before the college of bish-
ops, claiming that there was no spe-
cifc law against dancing. but they de-
cided that dancing was forbidden and |
upheld the decision of his church which |
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