As Paul was building the basis for the Christian religion, what was the religious importance of circumcision?

Question

It wems tat among the Jews at that time, circumcision was crucial to obeying the Jewish laws.

Question 1 -why was it so important that in order to recruit followers to his Christian cult, Paul had to say that it was not ?

Question 2- How could Jewish women be important in the religion when it would be impossible to circumcise them?

typo! it wems...s/b it seems that

sorry

Answer 1

many, many laws in that time frame were based completely on the prevention of disease. This was, supposedly, one of thewe laws.

There were no antibotics and not knowledge of bacteria so there were laws that people did not understand; just that they were laws. We now do most of these things as second nature.

Answer 2

First off, Paul wasn't "building" the church, Jesus established the gospel and Paul was directed by the Holy Spirit to teach and preach the gospel.
Secondly, circumcision was important before Christ to the Jews as an act of obedience to God and symbolized their devotion to Him, when Jesus came that act became a stumbling block for Christian Jews, they were still trying to lay down the old law on new converts, including gentiles, as if their conversion wasn't complete unless they had undergone circumcision.
Paul was trying to help people understand that they were no longer under the law but under grace.

Answer 3

First it was not a cult. The Hebrews are God's chosen people. It was their custom or tradition to circumcise the men as a way to identify men of God and for health purposes. It was performed as a religious rite at one time.

Now you are misinformed about the impossibility of circumcision regarding women. In Islamic countries, women are circumcised as a part of their tradition. It is a cruel and usual procedure which is performed on women to limit their enjoyment of sex. When the foreskin of the clitoris is exposed to material(for example underwear) being rubbed up against it is very painful. The foreskin is removed from around the clitoris with this barbaric procedure. It is cruel to do this to women. Once it is done they will forever be subjected to irritation of the area and the clitoris is too sensitive to be touched with enjoyment. Sex becomes very uncomfortable, but girls and women are expected to endure the cruel and unusual process for loyalty to their faith. It is inhumane and disgusting that this is still being done today!

Answer 4

At one time, even today, religion has been a way to express a value or opinion shared by a sect. Many of the issues are sexual and hygenic in nature. The framers of these religions, or god?? felt these were important topics. Many of the things we do now would seem odd to religious manics of two thousand years ago.

And perhaps Paul founded Christianity because he had a bad circumcision himself and felt it was a way to express his values on a number of people and provent them from happening to those in the future...

Answer 5

For Jewish people of that time, circumcision (like many things stated in Mosaic Law) was part of keeping the body pure. Jews of that time did not have a seperate "body/soul" mentality - for them, the expression "you are what you eat" would have been taken literally. Given the dry, dusty environment and the (comparitively) primative state of medicine, removing a man's foreskin was thought to prevent a host of diseases. (Women, by the way, had a long list of laws regarding menstration.)

Jesus and his followers were primarily Jews and followed Mosaic Law. Jesus even said (according to scripture) that he did not come to break the law but to fulfill it. The earliest Christians (the first years after Jesus' death, resurrection, ascension) still considered themselves Jews - they just believed that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. When they brought in converts, they treated them as they would converts to Judaism - Mosaic Law and all.

Paul's ministry brought him in contact with a ton of Gentiles. There were, I'm sure, men who wanted to follow Jesus and his message with their entire hearts but were not up to "mutiliation." Paul, not being a Jew himself, agreed that it wasn't an absolute requirement to be a Christian. This caused some tension in the early church, but was eventually resolved.

Answer 6

1) For a person to be circumcised would mean that the person was pledging to fulfill all the requirements of the Mosaic Law so as to earn his salvation -- something that it is impossible for any of us to do. Thus, a person who chose to be circumcised was essentially cutting himself off from any hope of salvation.

2) Circumcision was a sign whereby men submitted themselves to the Mosaic Law. Apparently no such sign was required of women, though they obviously were expected to be obedient to the Law, too.

Answer 7

Does anyone out there believe that the creator of the Universe cares if the end of your penis is cut off or not? Maybe you’re going to Hell if you eat Cheerios for breakfast. I hear he doesn't like Cheerios, or Cheerio eaters. Grow up and get a life.

Answer 8

circumcision is a rite of purification. it is not impossible to circumcise women. tribes in africa circumcise their women until today.

Answer 9

It has always amazed me how many religions depend on circumcised penises.

Answer 10

That's easy...what adult male gentile would mutilate his penis to convert? There wouldn't be very many Christians!