Is it the Christian belief that being RIGHT- or LEFT-HANDED is a CHOICE? Why so or why not?

Question

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Would Christians advocate extensive psychotherapy to "cure" Left-Handedness? Why or why not?

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PERHAPS I LOVE YOU MORE:
You were not "cured" of being left handed. It seems you remain more comfortable using it, since you eat, throw, and when your right hand was incapacitated, easily wrote with your left hand. You were trained to simply use your right hand because it was considered unacceptable not to do so. Would you find it equally easy to eat right handed, throw right handed, shoot basketballs, golf, garden, etc. with your right hand? You certainly suggest not.

This is relevant in the discussion of sexual orientation. People's sexuality is discovered in the same way, when one is old enough to experience sexual stirrings, one discovers whether one is gay, bi, or straight. It has little to do with choice, although many gay people can be taught to perform sexually with the opposite gender. (The same is probably true of straight people, that they could be taught to perform sexually with members of their own sex.) But, their primary attractions will remain toward the same gender.

Answer 1

No, I doubt that many modern Christians consider left-handedness to be sinful. But they used to, you know. That's because of the Latin origin of the term "sinister" is "left." The nuns in Catholic schools used to force kids to be right-handed. They developed a variety of problems as a result.

Similarly, gender identity and sexual orientation can be forced to change, but not without damage to the psyche, and not with feeling good and natural about it. There was a campaign a few years ago to change Christian gays to straights. They got married, they did all the things closeted gays had always done in the past, but I doubt very much if it was ever comfortable, perhaps especially for those who had been put in the public eye as examples. There was much riding on their maintaining the charade.

You don't hear too much about this anymore; I suspect there were some pretty sad stories that made the rounds to convince the fundies they had better keep quiet on this issue. At least the conversion to the extent of getting married and having children. It's generally taken as adequate if they "merely" go celibate instead.

After all, Catholic priests who take a vow of celibacy never have sexual activities of any kind after that, right? Right? So celibacy is an easy alternative, right? (What ARE you laughing at, you wicked horny people, you!)

Answer 2

Here's the deal with that, I was born left handed, eat and throw left handed, but went to a Catholic school and the nuns made me write with my right hand and I do so now.
It isn't a choice, I am Christian and know this, but one can be changed from left to right handed with training and I was changed. Does it make a difference no, it just made me ambidextrous so I can use both equally now. Which helped out when I had surgery on my right hand, I could still write and do the things I needed ot do with the left.
God bless and what does this have to do with Christianity anyhow? Have a wonderful day.

Answer 3

They used to. I still get the occassional "you're left handed!!!" an it's always said with that same sense of shock and surprise one reserves for three-breasted women.

Edit: Lawrence, it is *exactly* the same. The only difference is the bible never said "if a child picks up a crayon with his left hand as a healthy child would with his right, you shall stone him". People don't know exactly precisely why people prefer one hand over the other but we do know that the lefties are the odd people and we tend to think they'll do fine if they just imitate whitey...I mean...the good people...I mean right handed people.

Answer 4

There's not a single thing wrong with being left-handed, some Christians think that the Bible advocates it by saying things like "...at the RIGHT hand of God..." It's not saying right-handed is right and lefty is wrong, it's just true that most people favor the right hand, and it's their most valuable hand, so at the right hand of God means more valuable!!!

I'm a Christian and I always thought it would be cool to be a southpaw.

Answer 5

The reason why left handed was considered evil is a very interesting and yet disgusting subject to research. If your unfamiliar with the real reasons I'll give you a hint to get you started. It had to do with the times before toilet paper was invented and used.

Answer 6

Well said.
When I started school (catholic school mind you) I was left handed. It took a LOT of punishment and ruler-smacks to get me to use my right hand. Now, I rarely use my left hand anymore.
Left handedness was no more a choice for me than being homosexual is for some of my friends...

Answer 7

As late as the 1960s, my future stepdad was being whacked with a ruler on his left hand by nuns to make him write right-handed. He still hates writing by hand to this day. So maybe *now* Christians get it, but it took a very long time.

Answer 8

They used to, at one time.... My Catholic school educated mother tried to turn me in to a righty..... out of 4 children, 3 of us were leftys, she had to give up on that...I am still very much a lefty..... I can write with my right hand if I have to, but it is very hard to, and I am very awkward and clumsy with my right hand, I don't regard my handedness as a choice on my part....I don't think it is regarded as a "choice" to Christians any more....

Answer 9

I'm a left-handed Atheist. The handedness I had no choice in, but the Atheism I definitely chose.

Answer 10

Haha; the Romans did that very thing. Their word for "left-handed" was the same one as "evil".

We laugh now, I'm sure in 2000 years people will do the same thing to today's Christians.