![]() ![]() ![]() More than half of all Latter-day Saints live outside the United States and a good proportion are converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. None of these leaders attended years of professional ecclesiastical training (such as the four-year college degrees common in many faiths) to learn their responsibilities and procedures in particular callings. The Church’s handbook is a living document provided by living prophets that offers living guidance for more than 30,000 bishoprics, 3,500 stake presidencies, and 16 million members throughout the world. The Lord’s prophets seek to develop unity among God’s diverse people in changing and challenging times. For me, using the right hand to receive the emblems of Christ’s body and blood seemed natural and, well, right.īut I look at it a different way. It was explained to me that I should use my right hand when I partook of the sacrament bread and water, and I observed that it was clearly important in the temple as well. This included sustaining members in callings and raising the right hand to the square when performing a baptism. However, it was familiar that often the right hand was used for religious practices. In most ways, my new faith was quite different from the Episcopal faith of my youth and the Catholic faith of my closest friends. However, in 1977 at age 18, I experienced a sudden and profound conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I knew that persons in the military used their right hand to salute each other, and, like everyone else, I extended my right hand to greet others in a near-universal sign of fellowship.īetween the ages of 13 and 18, I began worshipping more at the altar of athletics and witnessing the unholy sacraments of California’s 1970s party scene. When I watched the Perry Mason television show, I saw that when a witness swore to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” they raised their right arms. In concert with those around me, I placed my right hand over my heart when I said the Pledge of Allegiance or sang the national anthem. Like Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, we Episcopalians made the sign of the cross with our right hands.Įven in important secular events, the right hand was used. Father Ewald always used his right hand to bestow the consecrated host (a small unleavened wafer) and those who received it always used their right hand to place the host in their mouths. One conscientious commentator expressed concern that this approach seems to privilege right-handed people or denigrate left-handed people.Įach Sunday morning, I also assisted Father Ewald as he served Holy Communion (the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper) to fellow congregants. Some think it is way too “nit-picky” while others like the symbolism. Essays and commentaries come from a wide range of perspectives, from those who state that this simply puts in writing a common understanding, to those who have been active members for decades but have never heard any such instruction. Unsurprisingly, online commentary has been all over the map. ![]() This new instruction has resulted in quite a bit of discussion online. Thus, this may be another example of the ongoing Restoration to which President Nelson has referred. However, it appears that the 2020 handbook revision is the first time since the 1930s that this counsel has appeared in an official handbook. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a long history of encouraging members to use the right hand in partaking the sacrament, with repeated mention by leaders in various publications between the late 1800s and the mid-1900s that it is “customary” or “advisable” (but not required) to use the right hand. ► You may also like: The Surprising and Meaningful History Behind the Word "Sacrament" He also mentioned that, for different reasons, not everyone is able to use their right hand but that whichever hand is used, he emphasized that it is most important to focus on remembering the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ. ![]()
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