This is, what I guess and hope for, is a post you will re-direct pretty soon...

It just dawned on me we should be more awarrent of cultures that practise mutilation on humans... and I for one feel both male and female curcumsissions ( sorry for bad spelling, though you get the idea) should be very much a subject here.

I feel that there is never anything ever written ( you trust a book over your own blood ) that should make you cut your own child less of a human ( which, purely anthrpopoligacal (spelling?) is what you are doing... if God made you, why did he ( or as I prefer, It, or, then again, why not She) why make you imperfect? Spiritually, or maybe physically, sure, but, why mame? nah... don't make sense... not even if you read the thora in hebrew. Challenge me! So... quit it! And get with the program... which we encourage... which is... ; NO program! You ARE FREE!

Not so god damn hard is it...

I'm a lurker, but this just came to mind during a relative's experience...
Best of all to you, and for all that it means something, God bless!

Interesting topic...

My boyfriend and I have had rather heated discussion on this subject because he is uncircumcised and I have stated that if I had a child and it were a boy, I would NOT get him circumcised. My boyfriend, even though he is uncircumcised seems to be vehemently against this decision. His reasoning is that he was teased relentlessly as a kid for being "different" and doesn't want any future son to endure the same. Heck, even his current friends still poke fun at him (which I think is ridiculous).

But my reasoning is mostly like yours. Why do something like that to an little child that has just come into the world and almost it's first memory is one of pain? If they want to be circumcised later on in life, I will do it. But I don't want to be the one to make a decision like that for another human.

Circumcision is mostly a religious ritual, though there are a few minor health benefits that are associated with *male* circumcision. Male circumcision has little effect on the person's ability to enjoy sex. Female "circumcision" is actually removal of the clitoris, which severely damages the person's ability to enjoy sex - which is one of the reasons it is performed.

Although I don't approve of female circumcision, what right do I have to interfere with parents who want to inflict it on their child? I mean, yes, it's mutilation and has no health benefit. It is, in my opinion, abusive. But it's also religious. How do I have a right to interfere with someone's religion, at least in their own country?

Once you start to interfere with someone else's religion, where does it stop? I'm thinking this opens up a whole can of worms we/re not ready to face yet, even though I am convinced that female "circumcision" (more properly called "female mutilation") should not happen.

Because of the sebaceous secretions around the penis, smegma forms under the foreskin and causes urinary tract infections. G_D knew this and directed his people to circumcise their infant boys, just days after birth. There is no medical reason to circumcise females.

All I really care about male circumcision it that it happened to me when I was a tiny baby. So I have no memories of it at all. I also know women who say they would NEVER have sex with an uncircumcised man. I never asked them why. I don't care. I know NO woman who has said she would ONLY have sex with an UNCIRCUMCISED man. It seems like a win for me.

Circumcising women? Yikes ! That's, from what I have ever read or watched on a documentary, was just about control of men over women, There's nothing concerning health in circumcising women as far as I know.

We can also get into, why the hell would you cut your children's faces with slits and rub ashes into them? Who knows.

I enjoy the humor in that story in the Old Testament, though. Where one family wants to marry their son to a Hebrew woman. And the Hebrew family says, uh, okay. But first, your males must be circumcised. Wow, the Hebrew chick must have been really hot! Because all these guys go, Okay!!! And while they are recovering from their circumcisions, the Hebrew family slaughters all the recovering males. Now that's funny. I don't care who you are.

I love gestation of smegma.

maybe i've been listening to too much grindcore lately O_O

Interesting.

People usually have strong opinions on these topics and debates may go on for a long time, back and forth. My own belief system teaches not to harm the body, no male circumcision , no female circumcision, nothing should be taken away unless it is the cause of harm (Sore tonsils, wisdom teeth etc..). Boys who are uncircumcised are at no greater risk for any health problems as long as they are taught to wash properly. The forskin actually has a lot of health benifits and is there for a reason-I won't get into the benifits here I'm sure it's google-able.


Nunya, It may help your boyfriend to know that majority of parents in this time frame are choosing not to circumcize their little boys. This means that the majority will be like your son and teasing based on that issue will become a thing of the past. This is based on research and statistics on the topic that I found last year at my school. I find it interesting.---

The one problem I have with removing something from a healthy baby or child is that they do not have a choice. It is unlike that of choosing to raise a child a certain religion, or putting them on a certain diet, or piercing their ears even. The child can change their minds as they grow up, pick a different belief system, eat what they want, and let the holes in their ears grow over....But they can't get back something that doesn't regenerate-And there are-whether people want to acknowledge them or not-advantages to this skin.


I am not judging anyone who chooses another path, I have researched the topic and see the points of view the other side takes-I respect them for what they choose and believe.

[edit on 6-11-2009 by Zerra]

[edit on 6-11-2009 by Zerra]-typos

[edit on 6-11-2009 by Zerra]

Male circumcision has absolutely no health benefits.

Suggesting smegma may cause UTI's is a moot point. Nonetheless, surely most males can manage to retract their foreskin and know how to use soap and water?