Is it sinful to drink alcohol? Is it sinful to dance?

Question

The largest protestant denomination in the country, the Southern Baptists think so...being that out of touch...how can they be right on any other issues?

Jesus drank, Moses drank...of course Baptists say the wine wasn't fermented like it is today...isn't this a little hypocritical...

People danced in the Bible...again, not a big issue...to my knowledge the Bible does not say..do not drink or do not dance...I believe it just says do not drink in excess...

Answer 1

I'm not a Southern Baptist - I'm a member of a church body (and minister) that by and large says the same thing.

There is a Proverb that says "Stay away from the wine when it is red."

There are other things that would lead us to believe this, however, there are things in the Bible that also lead away from that.

I will deal with the drinking thing first. I do not drink, I never have. I used to believe that it was a sin to let the stuff touch my mouth. Thankfully I am not that legalistic any more. What you said about Jesus and Moses may or may not be true. I tend to agree with you, however. There are different levels of firmentation, most people who want to belabor this point are going to tell you that what Jesus made out of the water in John 2 was just grape juice. There are possibilities on both sides of the wine/grape juice argument. It seems to me that it was indeed wine that was fermented, and not just grape juice as per the mc's reaction "This is the best wine, why did you keep this until last, etc."

Paul also told Timothy to drink a little bit of wine for his stomach's sake. Though we do not know the condition that Timothy was suffering, grape juice was not the prescription. It would have been a drink that had alcohol. Granted, this is for medicinal purposes. But to use that as an argument would be hypocrtical because according to the folks in question, there is no such thing as gray, just black and white. Therefore, if this were true, then Paul would have told Timothy to commit a sin. That would have been uncharacteristic in our understanding of this man. I believe that you are right, it is not a big deal. Do not drink in excess. In other words, be sober, and don't get drunk at least in public, and preferrably in private, but that is up to you.

However, you must know yourself. If you are the kind of person that is going to become addicted after a little bit, then you may want to refrain. To allow alcohol to control you, rather than you controlling you would be wrong on all levels. That is the same with everything from food to relationships to sex, etc.

Now on to dancing. There is a word that may deal with this in the New Testament, maybe two. They are lasciviousness and licentiousness. This would deal with movements of the bodies that were reminiscient of sex, and that will either lead one to lust with his dance partner or lead to coppulation. However, if you follow the guidelines of the New Testament, then even this kind of dancing would be all right for a husband and wife. You are right, people danced in the Bible. Some of the dances were dances that were disturbing. David danced when bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to the Tabernacle - and it appears that he was very nearly nude. More than likely there would have been dancing at the wedding feast at Cana in John 2. To say that Jesus refrained from this would be to make Jesus into what we want him to be as a reflection of our fallible beliefs, rather than seeking Him as who He is. Again, most dancing cannot be wrong, but some can lead to things that we would consider to be sinful.

However, logically, just because you are wrong on some or most issues does not mean that you are wrong on all issues. Use a math test as an illustration. You may get some, or even a majority of the answers wrong, however the ones that you have right are absolutely right. I may not ask if I can cheat off of you - so in a way you are right about this. You have to spit out the bones and eat the meat.

I happen to believe that they are right and can be trusted about some things, and I happen to believe that they are wrong about somethings. I am a human being as well. Therefore, I happen to believe that I am right about some things and can be trusted about those. I also know that I am wrong about others, and still need to be taught. That does not mean that I'm out of touch about everything.

Good question. If you are interested, read Romans 14 and apply the lessons that you find there. Christianity is not nearly as constraining as Christians have made it out to be.

Answer 2

I'm not a Southern Baptist, but I see their point to a degree. This may not sound cool, but I believe the popular wine of the biblical days wasn't the 'new wine' we had today. I don't drink alchohol because I haven't seen the need. Being the only sober person around a bunch of drunks is enlightening to say the least. I wouldn't argue against someone having a drink or two, but inside I think their money would be better spent elsewere.

I think dancing is cool. Music lifts the soul beyond the troubles of the world, and moving the music gets you into it even more. But that's different than dancing for sex. If you have to grind it, you might be missing the good, clean fun.

Going out and getting loosened up after a lifetime of stress is awesome. Drinking isn't required to laugh, and copping a feel don't last long.

Following our deepest connection to the Spirit - that lasts a lifetime...of course, who would actually believe that.

God be with you - and us all.

Answer 3

You know, it says right there in the Bible "and ye shalldance and make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Or something like that. I'm paraphrasing. anyway, though, if dancing and wine both appear in the Bible, which they do, I don't think Baptist ministers have the right to deem it sinful. They do, though, and if you find yourself in Baptist country, I think you should at least honor their culture and refrain from dancing and alcohol once you're there, whether you agree or not. It is disrespectful to enter a culture and try to change it because you think it's stupid or archaic. Unless you're the guy from Footloose. Then it's OK because it makes for excellent entertainment.

Answer 4

I believe it is between you and your God what you believe is sinful.

There were people in the early church which had issues with eating meat (mostly because the meat that was being eaten was the remains of sacrifices to idols) so the Apostle Paul told them that if eating meat causes them to sin or be tempted to sin then they shouldn't eat it. He wasn't saying it was sinful to eat meat so we all have to be vegetarians. The eating of meat at that time, in that place towards those people caused a problem.

If drinking or dancing causes a problem for certain people and they feel that they'd be better off not doing it, then that's fine. I don't drink much, mostly because I don't like the taste of most alcoholic beverages. I love dancing, however. Religion is a personal thing as well as a social thing and no one should judge how someone acts with regards to their religion.

Answer 5

Any dancing that stirs up sinful desires in yourself OR OTHERS PARTICIPATING is sinful. Matthew 18:6--Doing something that might cause someone else to stumble into sin is considered absolutely inexcusable. Dancing in a way that would cause someone else to lust would fall under this guideline. 1 Thessalonians 5:22--This is a great rule of thumb if you're not sure if a dancing situation is o.k. It says, "Avoid every kind of evil." If it even looks like it could be sinful, don't do it.
There is a lot of dancing that is inappropriate for believers who should be trying to glorify God with their lives, and especially their bodies. Yet the Bible acknowledges that you can dance in a way that does not tempt others, does not tempt yourself, and brings glory to God.

Alcohol, consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful or addictive. In fact, some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol is a matter of Christian freedom. Drunkenness and addiction are sin. However, due to the Biblical concerns regarding alcohol and its effects, due to the easy temptation to over-consumption of alcohol, and due to the possibility of causing offense and/or stumbling of others – it is usually best for a Christian to abstain entirely from drinking alcohol.

Answer 6

Everything is a sin if not done in moderation. Jesus drank wine, yes, but he did so in moderation. Some people do not know how to do anything without being excessive. I think the Baptists are scared that they couldn't control themselves with some things so they said that it was a sin. Yet, removing themselves from it doesn't make them sinless. It makes them more prone to sinning.

Answer 7

an interesting question but you also have to look at dietary concerns in that era. water could or could not be good for you. just like dont drink the water when you travel its the microbes in water from a different place can wreck your system until you get ued to them so the may drink of the time was wine. the fermentation kills all bacteria makeing wine good to drink no matter what. but now we have good water and alcohol is pretty much only to feel good or get drunk. the getting drunk is bad thats in the bible.
the dancing well honestly not sure where that came from. most likely its a strict version of dont do what the pagans do.

Answer 8

We don't say those things are sins, we just say that we personally will refrain from drinking or anything else that might lead us into sinning or that might cause others to sin if they saw us doing it. That position is explicitly Scriptural, and not the least bit hypocritical. Things that are not sins but which are undesirable for a Christian to engage in can change over time, depending on where he lives and the culture he has to deal with. In a culture which is saturated with alcohol abuse and sexual promiscuity, I don't think it's unreasonable to conclude that certain things (like alcohol) shouldn't be indulged in. But we have also always said that decisions like that are left up to the individual.

Answer 9

I'm a southern baptist and don't think that way at all. Be careful about generalizing any group. Drinking is sinful when you become a slave to alcohol, dancing is sinful when it is meant to demonstrate lust. My southern baptist church has elected women as deacons and held dances with our youth. We don't exactly have keggers, but I know a few church members who drink wine or the occasional beer, they are not sinning because it doesn't control their lives.

Answer 10

I'm a southern baptist and i don't think it's a sin to drink. it's not necessarily good for you most of the time but not a sin. getting drunk is a sin. says so in the bible. i also don't think it's a sin to dance. david danced in the bible. also i guess it kinda depends on the kinda dancing you are doing. even then it's not the dancing itself that is the sin but certain kinds of dancing elicit sexual thoughts and that's a sin.