Circumcision

[jedusor]

I can't believe this is even debatable. I can't believe that in a society we consider civilized, I have to actually present a structured argument against cutting off pieces of babies when they're born.

Comments

[gerald_duck]

Judaism would get a lot more respect if it relied on persuasion and reasoned debate for recruitment rather than coercing minors using mutilative techniques from three and a half millennia ago. Discuss.

The ritual of circumcision was invented almost contemporaneously with the creation of the Code of Hammurabi. I don't see anyone still suggesting that anyone who accuses another of a crime should be put to death if the accused jumps in a river and floats, even though that's an equally venerable tradition.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

Judaism would get a lot more respect if it relied on persuasion and reasoned debate for recruitment

I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that, but as you know a) I should be asleep and b) I should be finishing off this question sheet...

[jedusor.livejournal.com]

There are plenty of Jews who don't engage in circumcision, and there are plenty of non-Jews who do. I don't think talking smack about the religion is productive.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

Ngh. That's also slightly complicated FWIW - in the UK, circumcision really Just Doesn't Happen outside Judaism, to a first approximation, which is our frame of reference.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

(Er, and Islam.)

[lonesomepolecat.livejournal.com]

In many US hospitals it's assumed you're going to have boys circumcised and you need to argue with the staff before the baby is born to ensure it doesn't happen.

Similar to the point about trying to force an unwanted C-section. Hospitals are often a place of unnecessary coercion.

[gerald_duck]

This illustration may surprise. Note the big dark blobs over Islamic countries — the culture and the religion are intertwined to be sure, but Islam is responsible for a very large proportion of circumcisions. Possibly the majority.