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+--- Thread: Circumcision (/showthread.php?tid=5084)
Circumcision - squiz - 07-09-2012 11:07 AM
I understand that circumcision was popularised among non-Jewish Americans in the early 20th century. It seems that it was initially pushed as something that would hinder masturbation and later was pushed for reasons of hygiene.
I don't want to get into discussing arguments for and against this practice here. What interests me is what the attitude of Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals to this has been over the last decades. I always thought it odd that the US, as a dominantly Christian country, would take to this practice so whole-heartedly. I mean circumcision is talked about explicitely in the NT as being something that was not necessary with the new covenant. Could it be, though, that with the spread of more Jewish-friendly ideas such as dispensationalism, that some evangelicals became more open to the idea as a way of more closely identifying with the Jews?
Is this something that was ever talked/preached about, or was it pushed under the table along with most other sexual matters?
What proportion of fundies are/were circumcised? (Maybe I should post a poll).
RE: Circumcision - Darrell - 07-09-2012 11:14 AM
Quote:Could it be, though, that with the spread of more Jewish-friendly ideas such as dispensationalism, that some evangelicals became more open to the idea as a way of more closely identifying with the Jews?
I think this is possible among some circles but it hardly explains the medical community in general being accepting of it since they hardly tend to kowtow to evangelicals.
RE: Circumcision - squiz - 07-09-2012 11:50 AM
(07-09-2012 11:14 AM)Darrell Wrote:Quote:Could it be, though, that with the spread of more Jewish-friendly ideas such as dispensationalism, that some evangelicals became more open to the idea as a way of more closely identifying with the Jews?
I think this is possible among some circles but it hardly explains the medical community in general being accepting of it since they hardly tend to kowtow to evangelicals.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not meaning to argue for or against the practice at all. Maybe it does make sense as a form of prevention for certain diseases. I really don't know and I'd rather not discuss that here.
So are you saying that you think it was something that was pushed by the medical community and simply taken on by evangelicals (including fundies) without comment or discussion? I just find it puzzling that a practice with so much religious history involved would have been accepted so universally without any discussion at all, unless it was just something that was just too embarrassing to be discussed/preached about.
RE: Circumcision - Darrell - 07-09-2012 11:56 AM
I think that there were different groups of people accepting it for different reasons. The medical community was concerned about hygiene and whatnot. (This was after all the same medical community that wanted all kids to have their tonsils out and so on) The Evangelicals said "oh, cool we'll be the new Jews!" so they were happy enough to go along with it.
I don't know exactly how it went down but I think there's probably more than one reason for the popularity.
RE: Circumcision - myotch - 07-09-2012 11:57 AM
I'm not even sure if it was publicly, privately, or secretly endorsed by fundamentalist/evangelicals. I honestly couldn't tell you if my classmates at fundy-prep or fellow congregants at IFB and SBC churches were sporting crew-necks or not. I always assumed it was a family or cultural thing.
RE: Circumcision - Persnickety Polecat - 07-09-2012 12:07 PM
The pastor at my church preached in favor of it, saying God commanded it so there must be good reason for it. I think he missed the whole section where Paul said it was meaningless. *shrug*
My mom also nearly had heart failure when my husband and I opted to leave our boys as God made them. She thought we were breaking "God's laws." All righty then.
RE: Circumcision - Darrell - 07-09-2012 12:09 PM
Quote:The pastor at my church preached in favor of it, saying God commanded it so there must be good reason for it.
Now that I think about it, I don't ever thing I've heard of a sermon for or against it.
RE: Circumcision - Perry - 07-09-2012 12:11 PM
I always assumed Christians circumcised their boys because they wanted them to be like Jesus.
RE: Circumcision - Persnickety Polecat - 07-09-2012 12:18 PM
(07-09-2012 12:09 PM)Darrell Wrote:Quote:The pastor at my church preached in favor of it, saying God commanded it so there must be good reason for it.
Now that I think about it, I don't ever thing I've heard of a sermon for or against it.
Haha, my former pastor conveniently never preached about it until I'd had my kid. I have no doubt little birdies (possibly of the church nursery variety) managed to notify him of the state of my kid's penis. Because, you know, my kids' genitals are HIS business.
I felt like being the chick who threw bloody foreskins at her husband -- sorry, high on Dayquil right now, and the story is really escaping me. I wanted to throw bloody chunks of flesh at him that day.
RE: Circumcision - JoeR - 07-09-2012 12:29 PM
I never heard a sermon about it, but I have heard some interesting opinions on the matter outside of the church. Most people I know who prefer circumcision tend to use the hygeine argument. I prefer to wash my son's intact package, and teach him how to do it once he's old enough.