Can Christian families take dance classes for their children?

Question:

I study the Bible, and I understand that as a child of God I have to leave all worldly things behind. I have a 8-year-old daughter and she takes dance classes. She doesn’t want to give up on them. When I told her that she cannot take them any longer, she got really nervous. To me, the folk dances and the gypsy dances that she takes are shameful. My husband and I are disabled people and I know we will not be able to pay for her University, so I also think maybe dance classes will somehow help her in the future? What do you think about that?

From your question I understand that you’ve come to the Lord recently and you understood from the Bible that it would be good for your daughter to stop taking dance classes because they have something shameful. I’ve written on this subject in the article “What does the Bible say about dancing?”

If your daughter loves folk dances, I would advise you not to forbid dancing right away. Continue to teach her the Scriptures and one day she will understand the Good News, will become a child of God herself and will want to live her life for Christ, being holy with her body and her soul.

If you notice any shameful moves or things in the dances she learns, help her see them and understand them as well. You could read the article I referred to together. Don’t even suggest her that she could make money with something shameful. If now her dancing is of no good to her, nor for other people who watch her, why would it become useful in the future? God teaches us to work with our own hands at something good so that we have enough for ourselves and for others. Don’t worry about your daughter’s studies. Put your trust in the Lord who has taken care of your family until now and who can provide for you further.