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Covenant?

What's with circumcision in the bible? I can't remember because I don't read the bible regularly, only when I want to prove a point, but I think it's in Judges where god goes to Abraham and tells him and his sons to get circumcized. Can anyone explain why mutilating yourself gets you closer to god? I mean we pitch a fit when women get circumcized why is it socially acceptable to do the same thing to men?

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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey on November 10, 2008 at 5:24pm

Yeah I read that too, its really fuckin sick.

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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey on November 10, 2008 at 5:23pm

...and yet when I make this same argument with people of both genders who are pro-circumcision they act like I'm being overly dramatic and blowing things out of proportion.

I am surprised that this is still a hot topic after so long.

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Permalink Reply by Фелч Гроган on November 11, 2008 at 5:06am

I'm surprised its not charged as pedophilia.

Hebrew infant dick sucking. You'd get beaten to death in prison if it weren't for "religion".

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Permalink Reply by mthoreau on May 27, 2009 at 9:52am

I was circumsized as an infant for religious reasons. Baptised too.

I resent it.

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Permalink Reply by JayBarti on May 27, 2009 at 10:39am

Same for me, however it was more of a "everyone is doing it" thing rather then religious for my family. I think if my mom could, she would take back both now, she was pressured into both things by my then dad and by her mother.

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Permalink Reply by mthoreau on July 23, 2009 at 7:59pm

I always thought infant dick sucking was just anti-semetic propaganda.

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Permalink Reply by Creature on July 23, 2009 at 10:38pm

I heard that it became popular in more recent times partially as a means to prevent boys from masturbating. I guess you can see how well that works. :)

I think all of the rumors of various health problems and the fact that "everyone's doing it" maintains its popularity. Personally, I always thought if its not broke don't fix it. If someone really wants a circumcision they can do so once they're old enough to consent.

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Permalink Reply by Jemand on July 24, 2009 at 1:13pm

thanks Dr. Kellog. He advocated an extremely tight cut and if the boy still masturbated taking off some additional skin. Also advocated a drop of acid on the clitoris. Certainly glad that didn't catch on, but such a shame circumcision did. Thankfully-- the numbers are going down.

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Permalink Reply by William Ely on July 24, 2009 at 10:03pm

I am glad I was circumcised, but for pure aesthetic reasons. How anyone could find religious significance in such a thing is beyond me.

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on July 25, 2009 at 10:51am

The vast majority of circumcision in Western countries will die off, if the health plans and government stop paying for it. That will still leave the cultural circumcisers, but their practices will become stigmatized as the appearance of the rest of the males returns to the normal state. Just as some of the social pressure now is to 'look like' their peers in the shower room (what a stupid argument, anyway), that will turn the other direction as there are fewer and fewer boys whose foreskins are removed.

Like others, I think that the procedure should not be supported in any way by the government and insurance companies. Im not convinced that it is 'mutilation', but I do think that it causes more harm than good, takes away something from the whole person, and it should be considered a form of abuse.

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Permalink Reply by Jared Lardo on July 25, 2009 at 5:54pm

The only way that it makes sense is this:
-Circumcision fills in the space of any arbitrary "do this to signify your covenant" variable. The border between those with the covenant and without it defines the ingroup and outgroup.
-Zealots who only saw certain parts of the initial and final states figured that they could bring about the end-state for each male of being devoted to Mr. Yahweh by circumcising them. The earlier the better, as they won't be able to resent you for cutting off a sensitive part of their body and it will be more a part of their identity, strengthening the group border.
-Making the group border signifier a sexual one would help keep the group border not only memetic but genetic as well

...um I lost my train of thought.

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Permalink Reply by Droboshski on July 26, 2009 at 6:13pm

i was circumcized as a baby, ( also baptized) and when we had our son, my wife left the decision totally up to me wheather or not to do it to my son. it was probaly one of the most gut wrenching desicions i've ever had to make. i fretted over it for days untill it was time for the to either do it or not so we could leave the hospital. and i decided to have it done. basiclly i figured he'd look like me and most other guys, and hopefully when it comes time for him to be sexually active girls wont think its strange (if they do or not i wouldn't know). but it turned my stomach to make that decision and for a while afterwards kind of regreted it. seeing it while it healed and having to clean it and stuff, really screwed with my head., i'm not sure what i would do if i had to make that decision again.