Circumcision: is it moral?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mordocai
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
:whistle:
You are loveable, no matter - love means not counting the costs.🙂

Plus- you have a sense of humor that I truly appreciate.

And, we are only talking about skin now. Its merely the largest part of the human body, So what the hey. Snip away.:eek:
thank you for the kind words.
 
Look:

God commanded the Jews to do it, therefore it is not immoral. God doesn’t command immorality.

We are no longer bound by the old Law; hence, we have no obligation to do it.

The Church does not condemn the practice; thus, it is acceptable.

I’ve seen folks in this thread suggest that the Church should change her teaching on this matter, which strikes me as odd: isn’t that what many people say about the Church’s teachings on sex, abortion, stem cell research, marriage, homosexuality, going to Mass every week, and a host of other issues?

Don’t we answer that by saying that the Church teaches infallibly on matters of faith and morals?

If the Church does not say it’s immoral to circumcise, then it isn’t immoral – period.

We can’t pick and choose which teachings (or lacks thereof) we want to accept any more than anti-, non-, and cafeteria Catholics can.

Peace,
Dante
I think the reason for the opinion [that the Church should have a stronger stance against it] is that the Church only acknowledges it as a cultural thing, not a religious one, so as long as Catholics are not doing it with any religious motive, She is indifferent. I think the opinion is more to say that the Church should have a definitive stance on it, either require it (which we know She would not, hence the reason it is not necessary for Christians) or forbid Catholics doing it (because there is no real medical necessity, and we kinda do believe in respect for bodily integrity).

I do agree with everything you said, I think you put it very well, but I just want to try to clarify that people who wish for the Church to have a more definitive stance on circumcision (i.e. forbid it, since, as we said, She would not require it) shouldn’t be lumped into the category with people who wish the Church would “chill out” regarding fornication, marriage, bc, etc.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=146250&highlight=circumcision

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=77747&highlight=circumcision

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=50061&highlight=circumcision

I searched the AA forum. (I mean the apologists, not alcoholics anonymous)
 
The Church doesn’t take a stand on circumcision for the same reason she doesn’t take a stand on appendectomies. It is a matter of private prudent judgment. Do what you think best and quit trying to bind other people’s consciences.
 
The Church doesn’t take a stand on circumcision for the same reason she doesn’t take a stand on appendectomies. It is a matter of private prudent judgment. Do what you think best and quit trying to bind other people’s consciences.
I agree. The Catholic Church isn’t one that expects us to check our brains at the door. She gives the bare minimum rules, and allows us as much freedom as possible. That’s why there’s no mandates about how many children each family is to have, whether or not to circumcise, how long to breastfeed, or any other example from a long line of parenting topics. Holy Mother Church tells us that we are the primary and most important teachers of our children, and expects us to use our God-given intelligence to figure out what that means for our individual families in the greater context of the Body of Christ.

That said, some choice are clearly more beneficial than others. Part of our job as parents is to research all options, and to prudently make decisions.

It’s sad that certain parenting topics (circumcision being just one of them) carry such emotionally charged reactions, since I think many people would really benefit from hearing BOTH sides of issues such as this. However, it seems that in the “circ wars” many of the voices in the conversation tend to be shrill and hysterical.
 
I would like to state that with regard to any issue I find the United Nations suspect at best. I do not like quoting them as an authoritative source for anything. That being said please see
Experts from across the world are gathering this week in Montreux in Switzerland to review the results of recent trials establishing that male circumcision reduces by almost 60% the risk of men to acquire HIV during vaginal sex. These results announced in December 2006 and detailed in recent publications in The Lancet sparked interest and debate in the world of HIV. Is male circumcision as significant an advance as some of its proponents have claimed?
Dr Kim Dickson, from the HIV Department of the World Health Organization is a recognized and respected figure in the field of reproductive health and HIV. She currently coordinates the joint WHO/UNAIDS working group on male circumcision and HIV prevention as well as the Inter-agency Task Team on male circumcision and HIV prevention. She has kindly agreed to tell us more about the meeting and its expected outcomes.

**Unaids.org: Dr Dickson, you coordinate the joint WHO/UNAIDS working group on male circumcision and HIV prevention. Can you tell us why WHO and UNAIDS are convening this meeting on male circumcision? **
KD: When the US National Institutes of Health decided, in December 2006, to stop the two trials they were funding in Kenya and Uganda on male circumcision and HIV, it became clear that we needed to assess male circumcision as a potential public health intervention in the response to AIDS. The trials, as detailed in the results recently published in The Lancet, confirmed many previous observational studies which suggested that male circumcision significantly reduced the risk of men in acquiring HIV during vaginal sex.

It was important that the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS review the research results and consider what they mean for HIV prevention policy and programming in countries. It was decided to convene a meeting to bring around the table as many stakeholders as possible to look at and discuss many of the issues that male circumcision can raise, and, if possible, give guidance and recommendations for Member States and other stakeholders.
 
From what I understand, based on anecdotal evidence, rabbis are much more skilled at circumcisions than docs. They can do it quicker and make incisions that are less painful. But again, this is anecdotal and I don’t have a back up study.

We’ve decided against circumcision as a family because a.) we’re not Jewish and b.) we don’t see the point in causing unnecessary pain for a cosmetic procedure in a newborn.

By the way, I do think the Church would condemn female circumcision as it is practiced in some countries. I haven’t researched it, however.
 
This thread should have been called: Circumcision: is it moyel?

mazel tov on the birth (pending birth?) of your son.
 
I would like to state that with regard to any issue I find the United Nations suspect at best. I do not like quoting them as an authoritative source for anything. That being said please see
While I tend to agree (note: I’m no doctor) that circumcision tends to be a good idea, I don’t think that AIDS prevention is adequate reason. Given that this discussion is among Catholics, it is presupposed that sexual activity is not acceptable outside of marriage. If a couple have abstained from sex until they are married, then the only remaining risk factors for contracting HIV (e.g., blood transfusions) are completely independent of whether or not the man is circumcised.

That said, I’m not naive; I know many people indulge. To circumcise one’s child just in case he grows up to be a fornicator reminds me of the old “if you’re gonna do it, at least use a condom” argument.

Peace,
Dante
 
Preverted? Typo? 🙂
I believe the current understanding is that the practice, while not necessary for proper hygiene, makes proper cleaning much easier.

Babies scream when they get vaccinated. 🤷 They scream when they’re hungry. Yeah, it’s painful, but properly done with a local anesthetic there’s minimal discomfort…and far less painful than having it done as an adult. (Yes, then the person is deciding for themself…) …and a circumsized penis works just as well as an uncircumsized one.

I can see arguments either way, but “barbarism”, “cruelty”, etc. methinks is a bit much.
Methinks so too. And FYI, MY perfect son, who is circumcised, didn’t scream when he was cut - he only “screamed” beforehand when the nurse put the anaesthetic cream on him (not a painful process, babies just scream sometimes!). Other than that it didn’t appear to bother him. I think it was more painful for my wife and I watching.

Also FYI, there is a group of men dedicated to restoring their “stolen” foreskins. However, it seems to be mainly associated with some kind of gay sub-culture in San Francisco. Normal men/boys, methinks, are not traumatized by circumcision.
 
While I tend to agree (note: I’m no doctor) that circumcision tends to be a good idea, I don’t think that AIDS prevention is adequate reason. Given that this discussion is among Catholics, it is presupposed that sexual activity is not acceptable outside of marriage. If a couple have abstained from sex until they are married, then the only remaining risk factors for contracting HIV (e.g., blood transfusions) are completely independent of whether or not the man is circumcised.

That said, I’m not naive; I know many people indulge. To circumcise one’s child just in case he grows up to be a fornicator reminds me of the old “if you’re gonna do it, at least use a condom” argument.

Peace,
Dante
I again apologies. The point was not that we should circumcise our children to prevent them from getting AIDS. The point is that being circumcised may help mitigate disease.

I should however point out that all 3 of my boys were circumcised and one of them does have AIDS. Circumcision is not in my opinion going to prevent you from getting a disease but it might be something that helps. I will also say that being circumcised is a lot cleaner and easier to clean.

Please pray for my son.
 
This thread just reminds me why I think that circumcision is wrong.
Since obviously Catholics are not required to do it because of religion, Americans then need other reasons to do it, then the argument goes.
It’s better to cut it then to clean it
It’s better to cut it so it doesn’t’ get infected.
And with this reasoning we could also remove tonsils at birth, it will not harbor bacteria and it will not get infected. And people can function normally without it.
I think that from a Catholic perspective it can be seen as immoral.
CCC297
Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law

American Medical Association defines circumcision as a “non-therapeutic” surgical procedure. Circumcisions (as commonly performed on newborn boys) are non-therapeutic, because no disease is present and no therapeutic treatment is required. Furthermore, circumcision removes healthy and functional tissue from the body.😉

I still don’t get it why God commanded it in the OT. I mean it wasn’t done for health reasons or HIV protection it was a sign on the flesh. But why on the penis, and how can it be a sign when other cultures performed circumcisions also, and why did only men need to have a “sign on the body”, women were also Jewish and a part of the people of God.:confused:
 
This thread just reminds me why I think that circumcision is wrong.
Since obviously Catholics are not required to do it because of religion, Americans then need other reasons to do it, then the argument goes.
It’s better to cut it then to clean it
It’s better to cut it so it doesn’t’ get infected.
And with this reasoning we could also remove tonsils at birth, it will not harbor bacteria and it will not get infected. And people can function normally without it.
I think that from a Catholic perspective it can be seen as immoral.
CCC297
Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law

American Medical Association defines circumcision as a “non-therapeutic” surgical procedure. Circumcisions (as commonly performed on newborn boys) are non-therapeutic, because no disease is present and no therapeutic treatment is required. Furthermore, circumcision removes healthy and functional tissue from the body.😉

I still don’t get it why God commanded it in the OT. I mean it wasn’t done for health reasons or HIV protection it was a sign on the flesh. But why on the penis, and how can it be a sign when other cultures performed circumcisions also, and why did only men need to have a “sign on the body”, women were also Jewish and a part of the people of God.:confused:
Here’s the rub: God did command it, whether we understand why or not, so it cannot be immoral. It cannot become immoral (though, I expect, one could do it for immoral reasons).

That the AMA defines it as non-therapeutic is irrelevant, as is your (or my) opinion. The bottom line is that it was commanded of the Jews, and is still allowed by the Church, whose moral teaching is inerrant.

Peace,
Dante
 
Here’s the rub: God did command it, whether we understand why or not, so it cannot be immoral. It cannot become immoral (though, I expect, one could do it for immoral reasons).

That the AMA defines it as non-therapeutic is irrelevant, as is your (or my) opinion. The bottom line is that it was commanded of the Jews, and is still allowed by the Church, whose moral teaching is inerrant.

Peace,
Dante
Well the morality in OT is weird anyway, God commanded Abraham to murder his son, and helped Jews commit genocides, and punishment for rape was paying some money and marrying the victim.:o
God also permitted slavery and polygamy.
And also can the church change its moral teachings :confused:

Peace be with you
 
can someone explain this to me?

to put trust in circumcision for salvation is wrong, but what about otherwise?
is it still a sin to circumsize?

this is pope eugenius IV at the council of florence.

Session 11—4 February 1442

[Bull of Union with the Copts]

It [The Holy Roman Church] firmly believes, professes and teaches that the legal prescriptions of the old Testament or the Mosaic law, which are divided into ceremonies, holy sacrifices and sacraments, because they were instituted to signify something in the future, although they were adequate for the divine cult of that age, once our lord Jesus Christ who was signified by them had come, came to an end and the sacraments of the new Testament had their beginning. Whoever, after the passion, places his hope in the legal prescriptions and submits himself to them as necessary for salvation and as if faith in Christ without them could not save, sins mortally. It does not deny that from Christ’s passion until the promulgation of the gospel they could have been retained, provided they were in no way believed to be necessary for salvation. But it asserts that after the promulgation of the gospel they cannot be observed without loss of eternal salvation. Therefore it denounces all who after that time observe circumcision, the sabbath and other legal prescriptions as strangers to the faith of Christ and unable to share in eternal salvation, unless they recoil at some time from these errors. Therefore it strictly orders all who glory in the name of Christian, not to practise circumcision either before or after baptism, since whether or not they place their hope in it, it cannot possibly be observed without loss of eternal salvation.
I never thought about circumcision being a sin. I thought you did it to boys for medical reasons. I guess I have sinned (I really don’t believe I have) because all three of my sons were circumcisioned I did this for medical reasons for them.I have heard that sometimes grown men have had to have this done. I don’t know how some of you find all of this. No one has ever told me it is a sin. My priest told me if you don’t think something is a sin but the church does, it is not a sin. Let your heart be your guide as we really all know when we are doing something that is
wrong. You may not agree with what I am saying but this is how I feel. 🤷
 
I just checked my email and saw this in the “Hot Topics” section, so I thought I’d put in my “two cents”.

Most (if not all) men in my family aren’t circumcised – of course, since it’s not really talked about, I cannot vouch for everyone. I only know what I talked about with my mother. My father’s family came overseas from Serbia where the practice also isn’t commonplace.

To top that off, all of the men - all left intact - in my mother’s side (6 brothers) were born in the 30s-50s, where the practice was getting large here in the United States.

I am a male who has decided (provided that my future wife agrees) that my future sons (if any) will remain intact as well. I don’t see why she would disagree with me. The decision to circumcise in the United States legally lies with the mother - since, of course, the mother bears the child.

My logic I feel is simple - since God created man on God’s vision, isn’t every man built as God designed? I certainly wouldn’t want to feel as if I am questioning God’s vision. Of course, with my statement I’m not meaning to imply that those who read this that have already circumcised their sons have questioned God - but this is one of the reasons that I wouldn’t consider making the circumcision decision, ever.

Also, there is a mechanical function to the foreskin that shouldn’t be overlooked:
  1. It protects an infant’s “member” from fecal matter when they soil their diapers - because ALL infants soil their diapers.
  2. It protects a male’s “member” from abrasions against clothing.
  3. It maintains moisture to the “member” during intercourse - after marriage, of course - (I AM going to play the naive card here since this is a Catholic forum), which studies have shown provide better comfort for both the male and female partners.
I don’t feel like I am the one to make that call. I certainly will vaccinate my children, but I will not circumcise (or pierce) them.

Teach a child proper hygiene - mandate it as a parent - and there will be no problems. This isn’t the Vietnam era - we’re beyond that as a society – and – of all of the members of my family who were recently active in the military - hygiene isn’t nearly the issue now as it was then since there are showers provided.

Whenever I got dirty, I had to shower when I was a kid. Showering included cleaning ALL body parts. Let them know that the area “down there” had to be washed as well and - if you raised them well - they will obey as I did. I am not about to make a decision on their behalf that will affect them - irreversibly (naturally anyway) for their ENTIRE lives.
 
+greetings–
St. Paul circumcized Timothy (Acts 16:3). It all depends on the reason for the practice. But the real and intruiging question is: Why did God command circumcision in the first place? For a discussion of this, see “The Face of Adam” (book), chapter 14; Philo of Alexandria (Jewish) also discusses the reasons for the ritual in Judaism.
Aurelius
 
I never thought about circumcision being a sin. I thought you did it to boys for medical reasons. I guess I have sinned (I really don’t believe I have) because all three of my sons were circumcisioned I did this for medical reasons for them… No one has ever told me it is a sin. My priest told me if you don’t think something is a sin but the church does, it is not a sin.
Actually, you’re correct. If you do something not knowing it is wrong, you have not sinned. So no, you didn’t sin.

Similar example, we sprinkled my mom’s ashes in the hills overlooking her hometown, according to her wishes…but then later I found out you’re supposed to bury cremains in consecrated ground. My dad and I talked about it, and we didn’t know about that at the time, but we would have followed it if we had known. So it’s not a sin if you don’t know.
 
Actually, I’m still not convinced that the Church has declared circumcision to be a sin. No one has produced any documents saying so. :confused:
 
+greetings–
St. Paul circumcized Timothy (Acts 16:3). It all depends on the reason for the practice. But the real and intruiging question is: Why did God command circumcision in the first place? For a discussion of this, see “The Face of Adam” (book), chapter 14; Philo of Alexandria (Jewish) also discusses the reasons for the ritual in Judaism.
Aurelius
St. Peter guided the Early Church in Rome for about 20 years. He has written letters to the Church and emphasized the Holy Eucharist and the necessity for Baptism.

“Circumcision” was never proposed by our first Pope. Were it so then circumcision would have been seen as a sacrament. Sacraments are necessary for our being children of God…circumcision is NOT.
 
St. Peter guided the Early Church in Rome for about 20 years. He has written letters to the Church and emphasized the Holy Eucharist and the necessity for Baptism.

“Circumcision” was never proposed by our first Pope. Were it so then circumcision would have been seen as a sacrament. Sacraments are necessary for our being children of God…circumcision is NOT.
It’s one of those thing i will never understand.:confused:
For example saint Paul calls it mutilation
Philippians 3
2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh
Why does Paul calls it mutilation, he could use any other word:confused:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top