circumcision

[Mario David]

I am a new christian and been reading the bible a lot quite lately, one part I don't agree is circumcision. Do I have to mutilate my body or can I live the rest of my days intact?

I being doing a lot of research and thought it was only for Abraham but then Abraham people came into the mix and even baby Jesus later on

 

[Albion]

No, you do not have to. There are many references in the Bible to the Jewish practice of circumcision, but they are mainly a reference to the meaning that was assigned in that religion to the act. Christians do not have to be circumcised.

 

[grasping the after wind]

I am a new christian and been reading the bible a lot quite lately, one part I don't agree is circumcision. Do I have to mutilate my body or can I live the rest of my days intact?

I being doing a lot of research and thought it was only for Abraham but then Abraham people came into the mix and even baby Jesus later on

Circumcision is not a Christian practice it is a Jewish one. You are not required or even advised to take part in it in most, though not all, Christian denominations. . I advise people not to mutilate their bodies but people seem to like to have tattoos and piercings and doctors at one time were convinced that circumcision was medically advantageous.

 

[Hieronymus]

Circumcision is highly controversial.
Especially newborn circumcision.
It is a mystery why God made it law.
My mind finds it quite ambiguous.
It's very traumatic and said to change a person.
Not a change for the better, i must add...

 

[JustRachel]

One verse that can help you is 1 Corinthians 7:18. There are others.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Circumcision is highly controversial.
Especially newborn circumcision.
It is a mystery why God made it law.
My mind finds it quite ambiguous.
It's very traumatic and said to change a person.
Not a change for the better, i must add...

Where is your evidence that A) newborn circumcision changes people and B) the change is not for the better? I do not see how one can make either statement with any confidence.

 

[Hieronymus]

Where is your evidence that A) newborn circumcision changes people

I wrote is SAID to change people.
Shouldn't be too surprising either.
It is afterall a highly traumatic experience.

and B) the change is not for the better?

What do you expect? You expect a traumatic experience at the age of 8 days will do good?

I do not see how one can make either statement with any confidence.

Then use the internet for what it's good for.
There are even some Jewish people who identify it as a problem and a cause for a typical mind set, such as diminished empathic capabilities.
I don't know if that's the truth of the matter, but it makes sense to me.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

Where is your evidence that A) newborn circumcision changes people

Obviously, it changes people in some way, or it wouldn't have been used as a sign of God's covenant.

and B) the change is not for the better?

I don't like the comments extra critical of circumcision. It's not required for believers today, but would God have commanded something that is bad (or as damaging as some people today claim?) Circumcision is viewed positively throughout the bible, and as Christians, we are to have circumcised hearts - does this change our hearts for the worse? Having a negative view of circumcision distorts our reading of scripture, to my thinking.

I do not see how one can make either statement with any confidence.

Very true.

 

[Hieronymus]

Obviously, it changes people in some way, or it wouldn't have been used as a sign of God's covenant.

It is written that it's a mystery why God ordained that in particular.

I don't like the comments extra critical of circumcision. It's not required for believers today, but would God have commanded something that is bad (or as damaging as some people today claim?)

Well, that's a valid question.
I definitely wonder why on earth God chose this as a sign of His covenant.
I assume He has good reasons for it, so i would like to know, so i can get over it.
Because it bugs me a little.
That's probably why you don't like the critical comments.
It probably bugs you too when you think about it.

Circumcision is viewed positively throughout the bible, and as Christians, we are to have circumcised hearts - does this change our hearts for the worse? Having a negative view of circumcision distorts our reading of scripture, to my thinking.

So because it's in Scripture you can not look at circumcision and what it does to the baby and the effects it has on that person?

Very true.

Yes, very true that you can not see how one can make either statement when you avoid looking into it.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

Well, that's a valid question.
I definitely wonder why on earth God chose this as a sign of His covenant.

I guess this is really about opinions. Mine is that it's a very meaningful symbol. Guys, by our nature, seem to be generally more proud than girls. Sometimes, we almost seem to think we're better than females simply because we are male. What better way to demonstrate humility, than by trimming of the part that we are most secretly proud? What better way to demonstrate God's mastery and ownership of such proud creatures, than by trimming the part we would defend the most? Men seem (to me) to be more likely to sin sexually, so again, what better place to put the sign of God's ownership than there? God's covenant with Abraham involved Abraham becoming a great nation - again, what better location for reminder to husband and wife to be fruitful and multiply, than there? Isn't the physical description of circumcision - removal of something unwanted and trivial for the benefit of something valuable, a good analogy for the circumcision of our hearts (removing or cleansing whatever sin hampers us from hearing, listening or being sensitive to God's truth)?

I assume He has good reasons for it, so i would like to know, so i can get over it.

I guess he doesn't tell us explicitly other than that a circumcised heart is a humble (and healthy) heart, but that is good enough for me (and I believe is consistent with the claims above). Sorry that you feel you can't get over it. Have you asked God?

Because it bugs me a little.

It doesn't bug me, as I see circumcision as being a sign of His ownership over His people that can't be erased, which seems good to me. Also, something that liars would probably not have entered into as easily as some non-Christians (unthinkingly) get baptised today.

That's probably why you don't like the critical comments.

No. It's that if physical circumcision is bad for us, wouldn't it follow that circumcision of the heart is also bad for us (when really, it's the best thing for us)?

It probably bugs you too when you think about it.So because it's in Scripture you can not look at circumcision and what it does to the baby and the effects it has on that person?

Not really. I know there are different methods used for circumcision today. I believe some of the negative publicity about circumcision is more likely due to modern methods used (and potential damage caused by these), than by circumcision itself.

 

[Brian Mcnamee]

HI he covenant with Abraham was one of circumcision the new testament teaches us to have a circumcised heart which is meaning we are dedicated and set apart for the LORD. Paul was brought before the Jerusalem counsel and it was determined that the Gentile believers were not to eat food with the blood, or strangled and to stay away from fornication. so you are in the clear. Medically speaking the circumcision may not be mutilation as some have proposed. This was ordered by the LORD who also designed our bodies. The 8th day when circumcision was to be performed we have a peak of the blood clotting agent in out bodies. The future risk of infections down south is mitigated greatly by being circumcised. You are free to do what you want.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

You are free to do what you want.

I'd argue against this sentence. Getting circumcised for religious reasons would be akin to what the Galatians were doing, and falling under obligation to keep the entire law.

Galatians 5:2 - 4 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

 

[Hieronymus]

HI he covenant with Abraham was one of circumcision the new testament teaches us to have a circumcised heart which is meaning we are dedicated and set apart for the LORD. Paul was brought before the Jerusalem counsel and it was determined that the Gentile believers were not to eat food with the blood, or strangled and to stay away from fornication. so you are in the clear. Medically speaking the circumcision may not be mutilation as some have proposed. This was ordered by the LORD who also designed our bodies. The 8th day when circumcision was to be performed we have a peak of the blood clotting agent in out bodies. The future risk of infections down south is mitigated greatly by being circumcised. You are free to do what you want.

The physical aspect is not the problem i have with it.
It's the traumatic experience that scars a baby.
As if birth itself wasn't bad enough.
But then you discover you're safe and warm with your mother outside the womb too.
And then they chop off a bit of where it hurts bad after 8 days...
Now, God obviously knows what this does / can do to a baby boy, mentally.
I do not know, but there are theories out there that make sense.


I wish i understood, so i could be at peace about it....
Not that this is on my mind on a daily basis, but i saw this topic and decided to post..

 

[Cuddles333]

Circumcision is medically advantageous in that it decreases the risk of UTIs and STDs.
It protects against Penile Cancer and reduces the risk of Cervical Cancer in the female and prevents Balanitis and Balanoposthitis in the male. [WebMD]

Circumcision is recorded as far back as 2345 B.C. in Saqqara Egypt. In the tomb of Ankhmahon there exists a bas-relief of young men being circumcised and what was being said during that ritual.
Circumcision was a ritual practiced as initiation into royalty by those few fortunate young male Egyptians.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

The physical aspect is not the problem i have with it.
It's the traumatic experience that scars a baby.
As if birth itself wasn't bad enough.
But then you discover you're safe and warm with your mother outside the womb too.
And then they chop off a bit of where it hurts bad after 8 days...
Now, God obviously knows what this does / can do to a baby boy, mentally.
I do not know, but there are theories out there that make sense.

Do you know that it is that traumatic? I certainly can't remember, although my mom said I didn't walk until some 9 months afterward, so maybe it was painful!

I've heard that nerves don't fully develop in some parts of the skin until later, so early circumcision, tongue tie removals etc. aren't so painful as when they're performed later in life.

I wish i understood, so i could be at peace about it....Not that this is on my mind on a daily basis, but i saw this topic and decided to post..

I hope you can find peace, friend. May God bless you with the peace you seek.

 

[Hieronymus]

Thanks.
And thanks for your input too.
As soon as i have the chance, i'll ask God to explain it to me.
I have quite a list with "why?" questions actually...

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

To make Saint Paul's words my own:

Look: I, Ignatius, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

 

[Shempster]

Great question.
This is the perfect topic that gives us a deeper insight into what the Law was and was meant to be.
The Israelites were commanded to be circumcised physically, but what God wants them to see is that it is the sinful nature that he really wants for us to "cut away". i It is our selfish, ego-driven self.
It is human nature that we try to control everything and think ourselves as more valuable that others. THIS is what God wants to be cut away. This is the meaning of that law.
So, if you actually follow the law by not being like that, but by being meek, gentle and humble of heart, never judging one person above or beneath another, than you have achieved the goal of that law and physical circumcision would serve no purpose.

 

[JackRT]

Circumcision is not a Christian practice it is a Jewish one. You are not required or even advised to take part in it in most, though not all, Christian denominations. . I advise people not to mutilate their bodies but people seem to like to have tattoos and piercings and doctors at one time were convinced that circumcision was medically advantageous.

In Biblical times it was a sign of tribal identity. However it was not unique to the Jews because it was widely practiced in both the Middle East in Africa. I recall reading that the Philistines were the only people in the region in OT times that did not practice circumcision.

 

[cafefan374]

I am a new christian and been reading the bible a lot quite lately, one part I don't agree is circumcision. Do I have to mutilate my body or can I live the rest of my days intact?

I being doing a lot of research and thought it was only for Abraham but then Abraham people came into the mix and even baby Jesus later on

I would think that this would be a non essential issue?

Just an FYI-the procedure of circumcision needs to be modified. The current method is way outdated.