How do religious people rationalize routine infant circumcision?

Question

If the human body is better without the foreskin (as routine infant circumcision implies), isn't that saying that the body that God provided us with is defective in some way? That God made a mistake when he included the foreskin?

Answer 1

Yeah. Did goD make another mistake?

Answer 2

Obviously the circumcision fanatic claiming you would benefit from circumcision is promoting genital mutilation for no proven cause other than he thinks a mutilated penis looks better,...I guess I will leave that one there. I have four sons, and in each case, we took the whole baby home. It was a fight against some of he in-laws to 'save' them but my sons won. I must have changed a million diapers over the years and never once was there a problem (other than with the in-laws). Just a wipe with the baby wipe during diaper change, and never ever try to retract the foreskin. Now, my sons are teenagers (AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!) and still no problems. I think we surprised the in-laws because none of my sons died from some horrible, debilitating disease from not being mutilated as a baby. I agree and have used the same logic as you when discussing circumcision. If you want a cleaner, healthier baby, why not have his finger nails ripped off as well,...they collect more dirt,...and he will put his fingers in his mouth. In our twisted society, it would be criminal to take your child into the doctor to have his ears trimmed because you feel it would look better to have elf ears,....or take him as an infant to the tattoo parlor to have him covered in tattoos,...the childrens rights groups would be at your door in an instant,....but to take him to a doctor and have a useful part of his body removed is culturally acceptable. No, it is not,....there is a growing number of people who are better educated that our circumcision fanatic who question the need for this procedure, and realize it is male genital muilation, hiding behind a more culturally acceptable clinical name like circumcision. I have been restoring my foreskin for three years and I love the results. The foreskin I restore will not be a good as the one that was hacked off my protesting body all those years ago,...but it will be far better than living out my life circumcised. Mithras

Answer 3

It's a common misconception.
However, according to Judaism, G-d gave humans the capacity to perfect themselves and their surroundings. He didn't create wine, He created the grape. He gave US the capacity to take that grape and turn it into something different. He didn't create bread, He created wheat and again gave US the task of perfecting that wheat into bread. That's the simplest explanation for the brit milah.

Furthermore, according to the Torah, the original man ("Adam") was created without a foreskin. However, after the original sin the foreskin ("orlah") grew as the physical manifestation of the spiritual barrier that was created after the sin. So it's not "G-d's mistake", it's our own.

And to correct another mistake in your statement and in the more deeper, kabbalistic sense, it's not the body that is better without the foreskin, it's the soul. Judaism believes that the physical and spiritual worlds aren't separated, they're intertwined and affect each other. Each physical thing has a spiritual counterpart. The foreskin, as I said before, has the spiritual counterpart of a "barrier" that prevents a person from reaching his true spiritual potential. We cannot influence the spiritual world without physical actions, therefore we have to remove that "barrier" in the physical- where we live and develop- in order to remove it from the spiritual.

As for the eighth day, it's not a coincidence and although there are studies that show that levels of protombine are higher at this time, G-d had other things in mind when he "chose" the 8th day. This is also kabbalistic.
Numbers in Judaism are very important and very significant. 6, for example, is a number that represents the physical world: six days of Creation, six days of the work week, for example. All relating to the physical aspect of creation.
Seven is the number that adds the element of spirituality to the physical. Shabbath is on the 7th day, a day to devote to spirituality.
Eight, is above spirituality, it's in the realm of the "supernatural". The miracle of Hannukah, for example, happened for 8 days. 8 represents the unexplained, the realm only G-d knows because it's above and beyond our limited view. The Covenant of Abraham stated that as long as we kept our part (brit milah), He'll keep his part, which was to ensure that there would always be Jews in the world. History has proven several times that civilizations rise and fall, that even the most powerful nations end up disappearing into history books. However, Jews continue to exist against all odds and without a single viable scientific and social explanation. Due to the fact that they've been without a land, scattered around the world without common language and assimilating into their respective cultures, and persecuted for a good chunk of their history, there's no logical explanation for their continuos survival, it's "supernatural" in a way.
Circumcision is a reminder that Jewish survival isn't a natural phenomena, but an obvious act of G-d whose keeping his part of the bargain as long as Jews are keeping theirs.

Answer 4

Since the fall in Eden, the human body has been defective. Only Adam and Eve were created perfectly, so this isn't a problem for the creationist. The spiritual significance of circumcision is that it is a sign of the old covenant that God made with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:12, 14). Spiritual circumcision, of the heart, meaning repentance from sinful tendencies is more important (Colossians 2:11; 3:5, 8, 9; Galatians 5:24). This law, physical circumcision, is no longer required, but if I have boys, I will get them circumcised for the health benefits that come with it.

"In today’s world of science and technology, the laws of the Almighty are often ridiculed and maligned. Dr. S. I. McMillen, in his book, None of These Diseases, pages 85-96, demonstrates the wisdom of the Almighty in His laws of health, particularly circumcision. Circumcision among Israel did not derive from tribal taboos of a primitive and ignorant culture. Circumcision is a divinely revealed law of health. Dr. McMillen cites exhaustive scientific studies proving that God knew what He was talking about by requiring eight day old boys to be circumcised. Squamous-cell carcinoma (cancer of the penis) is almost unknown among males who have been circumcised. Female uterine cervix cancer has been linked to sexual relations with uncircumcised males. "Most experts," McMillen states, "feel that these cancers are caused by smegma, a filthy and foul-smelling paste of bacteria and dead cells trapped under the foreskin," (page 89).

But why the eighth day? Did God know what He was doing? He sure did! After years of research, scientists have finally discovered that the age of eight days is the safest and best time to circumcise a male.

At birth a baby’s intestines contain no bacteria. Between the fifth to seventh day of life, these bacteria begin to proliferate and produce the important vitamin K. This vitamin goes to the liver where it plays an important part in forming four different clotting proteins. If any one of these proteins is missing, serious bleeding may result . . . . One of the proteins dependent on vitamin K is called pro-thrombin . . . An average eight-day-old baby has more available prothrombin than on any other day of his life (McMillen, page 92)

This is not a coincidence. It is proof of the validity of the Almighty’s laws. Even the manner of circumcision prescribed by God, flint knives (Joshua 5:2, margin), demonstrates the physical concern of our loving Creator for cleanliness. Such newly sharpened knives are practically sterile."

Answer 5

It is a traditional old testament law of spiritual cleanliness. The law no longer applies since Christ has full filled all the ceremonial laws by becoming the perfect sacrifice for our sins. It doesn't matter either way whether circumcision is done to infants. Neither is wrong in the eyes of the Lord and one should not judge the other because of it.

Answer 6

Religious people "rationalize" routine infant circumcision by recognizing it as a ceremony signifying Israel's covenant with God. It is an act symbolic of cleansing.

I don't think God made a mistake by including the foreskin. I think he has a sense of humor. Why do men have nipples?

Answer 7

Given the subjectivity which surrounds the various religious takes on circumcision, - I feel it would be hard (pardon the pun) to pinpoint an exact origin of this quite ancient, even prehistoric, practice...

The most plausible reason as to why circumcision became 'holy' likely rests, oddly enough, - in biology:

The foreskin increases the erogenous sensations of males.
Given this, - it stands to reason that the removal of the prepuce would eliminate any contributions it would have to these same sensations.
This would be a desirable effect for a society whose view on certain sexual activities were considered to be harmful to their existence (read 'harmful' as 'immoral');...
... mitigating the compulsion to engage in activities which haver been deemed 'immoral' by removing a source of those sensations.

That said,... I can't say that I've ever missed mine...

In fact, given that I find my 'sensations' are quite exquisite as it is,... I believe that, for me, circumcision may have been the best thing for me as,...
... were I to still be in possession of it, I might not ever leave the house...:-))

Answer 8

I'm religious, and I don't believe in it, personally. I do know that some people think that it prevents certain types of penile cancer, promotes cleanliness, or they want their sons to "fit in" with other children (if they live in a country with high circumcision rates). There are also several religious groups who observe it as a mandatory religious rite. As for me, I just see it as needless surgery. But for the people who do observe it as a religious ritual, I don't think they're suggesting that God made a mistake. Instead, they feel that they're honoring a covenant.

Answer 9

Circumcision is ritual started by Roman Catholocism, and has no medical science proof that the body is better off. It can how- ever keep young infant boys from getting infections due to iresponceble mothers, not cleaning there childs genitals or changeing their diapers.... God does not make mistakes, people make mistakes.....take that atheist...agnostics...stupid people...etc....

Answer 10

Because they think god made it like that so we could chop it off and show devotion?

I don't know. I believe we evolved that way for a reason, or if people are into design, I think we were designed that way for a reason too. But I'm not a big fan of religion or circumcision.

Answer 11

Circumcision has never been about hygiene (at least religiously), even though that is the excuse most often used.

It IS about showing devotion to God. "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." (Gen 17:10, KJV)

It's not required for Christians. "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:5-10, KJV)

That said, it's never caused any problems for me.