The Left Hand of God

The Left Hand of God is a 1955 drama film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Buddy Adler, from a screenplay by Alfred Hayes, based on the novel The Left Hand of God, by William Edmund Barrett.

Set at a small American mission in China in 1947, at a time of civil war, it stars Humphrey Bogart masquerading as a Catholic priest and Gene Tierney in the role of a nurse, with a supporting cast including Lee J. Cobb, Agnes Moorehead, E. G. Marshall, and Carl Benton Reid.

Plot

In 1947, Catholic priest Father O'Shea (Humphrey Bogart) makes his way to a remote mission in China to replace a priest who was killed there. He meets Dr. David Sigman (E.G. Marshall), his wife Beryl (Agnes Moorehead), and nurse Anne Scott (Gene Tierney), the only other Western residents. They run a hospital for the surrounding villagers, at a time when competing warlords and Communists are engaged in civil war.

O'Shea delivers his debut Sunday sermon, in both English and Chinese for his appreciative parishioners. His work among them and his respect for local customs soon earn him their respect.

The Left Hand of God (book)

The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right is a 2006 book by Rabbi Michael Lerner. In it, Lerner argues that in order for progressive politics to survive in America, liberals must develop a respect for progressive forms of religion that can provide inspiration and a sense of "meaning" in people's lives. Lerner argues that the Religious right seduces many well-intentioned Americans who hunger for higher purpose into supporting political candidates whose policies ultimately exacerbate the spiritual and moral vacuum that creates the desperation that makes the Religious Right appealing in the first place.

The author summarizes:

The pivotal thesis of Part I is that American culture is dominated by a technocratic rationality and a bottom line of money and power that causes deep levels of depression in a large part of the population. This in turn makes much of the population vulnerable to being easily seduced by authoritarian forms of religion and tempts them to reject liberalism altogether, its strengths as well as its weaknesses. Lerner further argues that the cultural excesses of the Left in the 60s and 70s led to backlash in the 1980s. Rabbi Lerner believes that a solution is to develop a progressive form of religion which can speak to people's real spiritual and emotional needs without pulling its followers into the dark side of religion.

Left Hand of God

The Left Hand of God may refer to:

See also