To Me,this is symbolism on Steroids; If the use of your left hand doesn't signify evil (left = sinister), what's the problem?
the 'problem' is that ChurchCo needs to keep the membership compliant with their silly rules, no matter how arcane, ancient, or founded in thoughts - 'reasoning' that have no practical application or significance today.
was this 'recently'? I'd like to know, did they ('Joe Authority') offer any explanation?
seems silly to me, but I'm a Rightie.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2020 06:15PM by GNPE.
I can see suggesting it as respectful protocol, sure. After all, one salutes and shakes with the right. But beyond that...
After all, what if one can't reach with the right, and spills or drops? Granted, this is water, not Baptist grape juice or Episcopal Sangiovese... I never gave it a thought: it all depends which way the tray is being passed.
A long-departed poster had a neat call sign, "Arm To The Triangle." Speaking of lefties, to radicals clench and raise their left fist, or their right? I googled "radical clenched fist" and they're all righties!
I'm a lefty, which means I'm ambidextrous. I think the "right hand only" edict was something that did not come from headquarters; it was taught sporadically by some members which I took to have been incorporated from other religious traditions.
The "left hand is evil" notion is indeed far older than Mormonism. Some etymologists think that meaning is relatively recent, meaning a few centuries ago, but the root that produces "sinister" has negative meanings as far afield in the Indo-European world as Iran and India, where kids have long been taught to wipe their derrieres with their left hand. So at some point the right hand seems to have been reserved for more positive things and the left for more negative.
Regarding the possibility that it was members of the LDS church who introduced the "right hand only" rule, my hunch is that there was no need to introduce it because it was already there. It would be interesting to know if Catholics and others who partake of the Eucharist have the same prejudice. My guess is they likely do, so when Mormons adopted the sacrament they simply continued the tradition that they understood.
I'm not a neurologist, but I believe we humans are wired to prefer the right--dexterity, strength, and all that. A minority--I think it/s 10%?--is wired left. Thus, most weapons, writing systems, tools, apparel, are designed for the right. For example, men's buttons are on the right, to be handled and fitted into the stationary left. Women's are opposite, going back to the days of aristocratic women being dressed by attendants, who held the left (lady's right) stationary with her (attendant's) left hand, maneuvering the button with her (attendant's) right (lady's left).
I'm left-eye-dominant, but was trained (forced actually) to be right. This was the 1950s, with a greater emphasis on conformity. Think tablet arm chairs in schools. I write right, an awkward chicken scrawl. I sight right on rifle, but left on pistol.
Rifle instruction begins with long sessions of "snapping in," when you wrap your arm through the sling to steady and control the weapon. * I just reverted to right-handed shoulder preference. I didn't fire pistols much until police training, and found with a two-handed grip I reverted to my left eye.
*That was with the M-14, which has a heavier kickback than the M-16, or its derivatives the AR-15, M4A1, and the M27. I'll have to ask a handsome young Marine lieutenant I know about current training.
Odd note: I wonder if my combat history would have been different had I shot left. Imagine an infantry column, mostly righties, with their rifles oriented to the left. Lefties (with rifles oriented right) are carefully scattered for a faster response in case of ambush from the right side, and often put on point.
It > would be interesting to know if Catholics and > others who partake of the Eucharist have the same > prejudice. My guess is they likely do, so when > Mormons adopted the sacrament they simply > continued the tradition that they understood.
For Catholics, the priest or Eucharistic minister places the host directly onto the communicant's tongue; the communicant has no direct hand involvement. Where Protestants are concerned, methodology varies widely. I've never heard of an issue with using one's left hand, but I haven't spent a great deal of time in Protestant churches. There's probably at least one group making an issue of right vs. left hand, since there's at least one group making an issue over almost everything under the sun or moon, though I wouldn't know who they might be.
Most left handers have a greater degree of ambidexterity than right handers. Some of it is out of necessity, like using scissors, but sometimes it just feels natural to do things right handed. For example, I throw a baseball with my left hand but bowl with my right. I tend to carry bags and suitcases in my right hand. And so on.
But back to the original question, once I was told to take (and distribute) the sacrament only with my right hand, it was no big deal.
I always wondered, if JS was to be a judge "on the right hand of God" who's going to be on the left hand of God?
It wasn't too many decades ago that left-handed elementary school kids were forced to have special therapy, to become right-handed. Sorta like the Mormons try to train gays to be straight.
A long-time friend of mine went through that business in school, where they tried to train him "out of" being left-handed. At lunch or recess, his left hand was actually secured behind him, forcing him to use his right hand. He hated it.
Hey, we lefties finally have an advantage. I can use the computer mouse with my right hand and use a calculator or write something with my left, without having to take my hand off the mouse first.
We also have a preferred leg. I tried to get on a bicycle from the right side one time and discovered it was extraordinarily difficult. [push off with one foot on pedal, throw leg over saddle while moving. It felt nearly impossibly awkward]
And why is the complicated work on guitars done by the non-dominant hand?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2020 10:01PM by Brother Of Jerry.
...who said he's a rightie above the waist, and leftie below.
He bats, throws, and catches (mitt on left hand) rightie, and shoots right but kicks (soccer) left, and favors his left ski. But gets this: he says on golf he's ambi, and owns both left and right clubs!
I should have asked him if he distinguishes between his irons and clubs in anyway.
I'm right handed but was taught to kick soccer balls with my left foot when young, and now am equally comfortable on either side. Definitely through practice though - I'm still technically right footed.
I’m lefty. I played most sports as a kid...all left handed. However, I’m right eye dominant so anything requiring sighting in a target...I did righty...ie, shooting a rifle, bow and arrow, or pool. They all felt natural sighting with my right eye. I play(played) guitar. I do(did) that righty ..mostly because the hand me down guitar was righty. It was easier to push the strings down with my left hand anyhow. I still don’t understand why lefties don’t play that way. Sorry, probably TMI... but just my 5 cents worth.
I guess I consider myself an Ambi. My right hand is more dominant, but I use my left hand a lot too. I have to use my left hand to talk on the phone or when I use a headset. When I had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder, it wasn't a problem for me to use my left hand. When we go target shooting at the gun range, I learned to shoot with my left hand because I didn't want the kickback hurting my right shoulder.
I'm right handed, but one time it was more comfortable to take with my left, someone chastised me for doing it, so I partook with my left hand all the time after that.
You see I'm not a trouble maker, but when people show their dominance over me and are rude to me, I immediately do the opposite. I have never been rude to anyone. I just don't like being talked down too. If it makes the rude person mad at me, Then I succeeded. If they are not my boss and are not paying me, then it is just.
Like many things, the LDS Church is standardized for the "normal" people. Sometimes you adapt your habits to the right handed world just because that's your environment--I probably still pop the communion wafer in my mouth with the right hand (although I suspect that I'm usually about to get up and turn right and want to use my left hand to balance myself on the altar rail as I get up)--but whatever! The rector is notorious for not giving a [insert your preferred naughty word here] about little things like what hand you use to partake. I can't imagine receiving words of chastisement for using my evil left hand--in fact I plan to do so this Sunday just for kicks against the pricks at LDS, Inc.