From New Age books to “Christian Marriage” seminars, Right Brain – Left Brain is a 1980’s fad that continues into the 1990’s. In 1988, two University of Washington neurological scientists were on a KING-1090 radio talk show. They spent a significant amount of time debunking the pop-psychology myths about the human brain that have become so popular in the New Age movement and even among some Evangelical Christian speakers and authors.
On September 19th, 1989, another neurological scientist from the University of Washington was interviewed by phone. She explained that the studies that have been done on brain function (that are often referenced by the human potential popularizers) were performed on damaged brains. She said that it is unscientific to draw general conclusions about the functioning of normal brains based on these studies of damaged brains. One of the popular myths that the scientist spoke to was the often repeated statement that we “only use ten percent of our brain.” She said, in actuality, our entire brain takes part in every day functioning.
Furthermore, the idea that the left hemisphere of the brain is rational, analytical, and logical while the right side is creative and intuitive has no basis in scientific fact. Brain functioning is not a matter of right brain – left brain, but of specific localized portions of the brain having specific functions. The neurological scientist went on to say that much that is said about human behavior in the name of “right brain – left brain” may be fine [but unbiblical] if it is spoken of in a metaphorical sense, but that to ascribe the popularized views literally to the physical functioning of the brain is simply not supported by scientific studies.
It should be made clear to Christians that the recent “right brain – left brain” doctrines being taught by some authors are not supported by God’s word, the Bible. And it should also be clear that these concepts have no basis in science. If “Right brain – Left brain” did not come from the Bible or science, then where did it come from? This current fad that has swept our society is simply a disguised form of that ancient Eastern Mysticism and Occult concept: the Yin and Yang. RB-LB turns the human brain into a Yin-Yang symbol. Male and Female; Positive and Negative; Opposites in conflict and synthesis.
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”
1 Corinthians 3:19
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