What Age Is Best For Circumcision
found that the risk of premature ejaculation is higher in children circumcised after age 7 . Children who are under the 1 year old are excluded in these discussions. These findings suggest that it is better to perform circumcision when boys are < 1 year old, when the anesthesia complications are also at a minimum.
Why Was Circumcision So Important
Its also been noted that circumcision causes fewer hospitalizations, as well as the risk of infection with the urium. Men who are taking it have fewer risks of developing some sexually transmitted infections. In females who have sex with a partner, the likelihood of experiencing penile cancer is reduced as well as the risk of cervical cancer.
Four Things To Know About Circumcision In The Bible
1. It began in the Jewish culture as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham, but it was a common practice among many desert tribes.
For the Israelites, it fulfilled their part of the Abrahamic Covenant, but not just those born into Jewish families needed to be circumcised. It was for every male who lived in a Jewish household: natives, servants, and aliens. And anyone who was not circumcised broke the covenant with God.
Other cultures who practiced circumcision did so as a rite of passage. The Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites practiced a form of circumcision on young men at puberty or before . Those who did not practice circumcision were the Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. A lack of circumcision signaled wickedness and godlessness.
2. Circumcision occasionally empowered and protected the Israelites.
In the case of the attack of Dinah by Shechem, recorded in Genesis 34, a proposal of marriage was accepted on the contingency that the Shechemites would be circumcised. However, during the mens weakened state of recovery, Jacobs sons exacted revenge by killing and plundering the Shechemites.
3. It is more than a physical symbol it is a symbol of the state of the heart.
4. Circumcision became a divisive topic in the early Church of the New Testament.
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What About Christians & Circumcision
St. Paul taught that what counted was circumcision of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter . His declaration that the only effective circumcision was an inward, spiritual one, having nothing to do with the flesh, aroused some of the most bitter controversies of the early Christian church .
Eventually Christians abandoned circumcision as a general requirement.
Biblical Vs Modern Circumcision Is There A Difference
It is believed that the early races of our ancestors practiced circumcision in order to increase the effectiveness of procreating. In contrast, some religions, mainly Judaism, believe in creating a covenant between man and God that was commanded and documented in the Bible. Over the centuries, circumcision deviated from religious intentions and became a normal practice for many males. Modern circumcision is backed by various other reasons, but the procedure is more or less the same as it has been for much of its history.
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What Is The Spiritual Meaning Of Circumcision
However, other modern-day Christians do not follow the practice of circumcision because they believe that it is not a necessity. There is a debate that it has a more spiritual meaning than strictly physical.
In Acts 15, we can read this thoroughly as Peter says that the act of circumcision is not the basis of salvation, rather, the grace of Jesus Christ is.
James also emphasized to the Gentiles that there is no need for physical circumcision but, instead, the salvation given to us by Christ, and following Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is all we need, as it is written in Acts 15:28-29,
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
This spiritual understanding of circumcision is confirmed by Pauls letter to the Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, and Philippians, as it is written in the following Bible verses:
These verses emphasize that the practice of circumcision is not through the flesh, rather, in the heart. By receiving Christ in our hearts, we now have a spiritual marker within us that separates us from the believers and the non-believers.
Salvation is what separates us because by receiving Christ, we are saved, and we are a step closer to receiving eternal happiness with Our Father and Our Savior.
Current Uk Practice Of Islamic Circumcision
There are several surgical techniques that can be employed in the circumcision of the neonate. The most common devices used to date are the Gomco clamp , the Plastibell device and the Mogen clamp .12 The majority of Islamic circumcision service providers in the UK currently use the Plastibell technique as their preferred method of circumcision. This technique induces tissue necrosis by means of suture compression of the foreskin over a plastic ring that protects the glans within 7 days the ring separates and the skin sloughs off.
The birth of a Muslim/Jewish boy brings with it the added pressures for the parents of arranging the obligatory circumcision. It comes as an absolute surprise that even in the modern multicultural era in which we live, these parents still have a limited number of potential service providers. With demand for services far outweighing the current supply, an unhealthy balance of compromise is created for the parents. A lucrative private sector is currently the only available choice and this in itself leaves parents vulnerable in acceptance.
In summary, at least from a medical point of view, our duty as doctors should remain the welfare of patients it is not our duty to tell a patient which decision to make, but merely to carry out said decision to the best of our ability. Perhaps what is needed is a principled and collaborative all-encompassing healthcare system that complements the diversity of the UK in the 21st century.
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Do Muslims Get Circumcised
For Muslims, male circumcision is performed for religious reasons, mainly to follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad . Moreover, there are attempts to label it as a contributor to cleanliness / personal hygiene. These are done largely to grant the practice scientific legitimacy and a moral foundation.
Is Circumcision A Big Thing
A circumcist is the most common surgical procedure for males. Up to 60% of babies in the US receive circumcision treatment. Globally, men are more likely to be raped than women. Most of the countries are offering genital circumcision at a higher rate than other countries. There is also South Korea, which is located in Asia.
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Can Circumcision Be A Health Decision
Another reason why modern-day Christians practice circumcision, apart from the Old Testament covenant and current societal norms, is the health factors. There are numerous scientific studies that tell us that being circumcised is healthier and cleaner.
However, other studies reveal the exact opposite, and there still remains a scientific debate as to whether this practice is really the healthier option or not.
Home What Is The Deal With Circumcision
We have all probably wrestled with this question: of all the signs and symbols that God could have chosen, why on earth did he have to choose circumcision ? What is with all the seemingly unnecessary pain? Baptism makes sense , the rainbow makes sense , and the Lords Supper makes sense . But, does circumcision make sense? I can just picture Abrahams face after God told him to cut off his foreskin. Umm you want me to what?
Phoenix Seminary Professor Dr. John Meade recently wrote a chapter titled Circumcision of the Flesh to Circumcision of the Heart: The Typology of the Sign of the Abrahamic Covenant which appears in the book Progressive Covenentalism and is published by B& H Academic. Below I will summarize some of the points that he makes in that chapter. I will give some background to the ways in which Abrahams neighbors viewed circumcision, then I will demonstrate the different ways in which it carried meaning in the Old Testament, and finally, I will demonstrate its connection to the New Testament and the church today. Ultimately, I want you to clearly see that circumcision is about devotion to God.
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Are Most Men Circumcised
Most US adult men are circumcised, but the number of newborns having the op is falling, and is now below 50% in some states intensifying the dilemma for parents. Stephen Box like most American men is circumcised. Seven months ago, as a new father, he had to decide whether to circumcise his newborn son.
Circumcision: What Is It Why Is It Done
Blade of a flint knife sharper than steel
It was originally a rite of passage to test the courage of young men in tribal societies. It became common among the Israelites of the Bible. According to Jeremiah 9:25-26, the peoples of Edom, Moab and Ammon also practised circumcision.
Where did the practice of circumcision come from? Some scholars think that circumcision may have been a substitute for child sacrifice. The foreskin was offered as a gift to the gods, instead of the child. Notice that the only two incidents relating to child sacrifice in the Bible are adolescents:
- Isaac who escapes death
- Jephtahs daughter who does not.
Wall reliefs from ancient Egypt show circumcision. Written documents also show the custom was common.
Above: Egyptian wall relief shows priests using knives to circumcise two young men. From the tomb of Ankh-ma-hor, architect and vizier to Pharaoh Teti from Saqqara, southwest of Cairo.
Above: Outline drawing of the wall relief, with translations of the hieroglyphs
Herodotus tells us that Egyptians, Phoenicians and Syrians were also circumcised. Israel was simply following a local custom. The dreaded Philistines did not , but then they were from a different cultural background.
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Why Does This Matter
There are many views about circumcision that modern-day Christians lean on today. Some believe it should be done according to the Old Testament covenant, while others believe that the New Testament has stated that it holds a spiritual meaning rather than a physical one.
Despite the two statements, what is clear is that circumcision is a believers choice. It may not be a demand as stated in the New Testament, but sometimes it is a norm in certain countries and societies, and studies have shown it is a healthy choice and for this reason, Christians follow the practice.
Nevertheless, what is important is that physically circumcised or not, the love for God and neighbors still remains the overlying importance in our Christians lives.
For further reading:
To Questions About Circumcision
Circumcision is as controversial today as it was in New Testament times. Then, as now, it could tear marriages and families apart. Fortunately, insights we can gain from the Bible about circumcision can guide us today.
What is circumcision?
Is circumcision today the same as circumcision in the Bible?
No. The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion traces the origin of per’iah to the time of Hadrian :
Many Hellenistic Jews, particularly those who participated in athletics at the gymnasium, had an operation performed to conceal the fact of their circumcision . Similar action was taken during the Hadrianic persecution, in which period a prohibition against circumcision was issued. It was probably in order to prevent the possibility of obliterating the traces of circumcision that the rabbis added to the requirement of cutting the foreskin that ofperi’ah .
The New Testament predates this development . Medical circumcisions developed from the later, more radical rite, so today’s infant circumcisions are more severe than circumcisions in the Bible.
Is the foreskin a mistake of nature?
No. The Bible says that God pronounced creation ‘very good’ and that humans were made in the image of God . The Apostle Paul also said that God made every part of the body as he wanted it. .
How did circumcision start in the Bible?
Who was to be circumcised?
Did circumcision apply to anyone else?
… we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.
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Significance To Abrahams Neighbors
Abraham spent time in Egypt, which archaeologists and historians have found to have practiced circumcision well before Abraham. With the vast majority of the symbols in scripture, God does not simply create them out of nothing, but rather he reinterprets and repackages the symbols of the surrounding culture to make significant points in his people. In Egypt, the clearest evidence we find indicates that circumcision was a rite that was reserved and obligatory for the king and those serving in his court . For those who underwent circumcision, it was viewed as an initiation sign for those were devoted to service of the god. Circumcision identified the royalty and clergy as ones who belonged to and were devoted to the service of their deity.
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What Does The Bible Say About Circumcision
For the Jews, circumcision was more than a rite of passage. For them it was a sign of their covenant with God. Circumcision marked them as the chosen people Gods special treasure. Others in their time practiced circumcision, particularly in Egypt. But it seems that only for Israel did it have the significance of marking a covenant relationship with their national deity.
Circumcision marked a covenant established with Abraham. Shortly before Isaac was born, God directed Abraham to circumcise all the males of his household, including himself, Ishmael, and his servants . This was to be an ongoing practice. Every male born into his family was to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth.
During their stay in Egypt, the Jews became deeply immersed in Egyptian culture and religious practice . And along with that, the practice of circumcision likely fell by the wayside. But the practice was renewed on the banks of the Jordan shortly after Israel crossed the river but before beginning the conquest of Canaan .
Throughout the remainder of the Old Testament you will frequently see the division between the circumcised and the uncircumcised. This is essentially the division between the covenant people and outsiders. Or between Jew and Gentile.
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The Power Of Circumcision
Unlike Shabbat, circumcision is not a creation of the Jewish religious imagination. It was widely practiced in the ancient Near East, though not in Mesopotamia from where Abraham and his clan migrated. Many of the building blocks of the Torah are borrowed from surrounding cultures. The most notable example is the system of animal sacrifices as the preferred way to worship God. The synagogue, with verbal prayer based on a sacred book, is the true religious breakthrough of Judaism and not the tabernacle in the wilderness or the temple in Jerusalem. The originality of the Torah often lies in its inspired recycling of older religious materials. Adroit adaptation invests a common custom with new meaning that is often stunning.
Such is the case, I submit, with the covenant of circumcision instituted in this weeks parasha. At the age of 99, Abraham is asked by God to circumcise himself and all the male members of his household. And thereafter, throughout the generations, every male among you shall be circumcised at the age of eight days . The purpose of a symbol is to convey meaning. Just how, we need to askourselves, does the rite of circumcision symbolize the mutual and enduring relationship between God and Abraham known as covenant or, in Hebrew, brit?
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Why Was Circumcision Invented
Christopher Columbus reported circumcision being practiced by Native Americans. It was also practiced by the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans. It probably started among South American tribes as a blood sacrifice or ritual mutilation to test bravery and endurance, and its use later evolved into a rite of initiation.
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How/why Were Young Men Circumcised
In the earliest texts the cut was done with a flint knife.
Sharpening the edge of a flint blade
Why was it done? It was a religious ceremony preceding marriage, designed to ensure fertility and appease unfriendly spirits.
Many scholars interpret the story of Genesis 34 in this light, for circumcision is explicitly linked with marriage.
Exodus 4:24-26 can be interpreted in the same way: the object of the story is the circumcision of Moses himself. Zipporah, wife of Moses says to him You are a bridegroom, using a word which, in Hebrew, can mean bridegroom, son-in-law and father-in-law. It also comes from an Arabic word meaning to circumcise.
Sign Of The Covenant Brith
Rite of passage for a young man, possibly involving a form of circumcision
When circumcision was renewed in Canaan it was given a strong religious significance. It has retained this ever since. Genesis 17 states explicitly that circumcision is to be the visible sign of a special covenant, brith, between God and Israel a sacred bond.
Eventually the Jews remained the only circumcised people in the area. Ezekiel 32 lists almost all lsraels neighbours including the Sidonians as uncircumcised.
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