Modern Circumcision is Not Necessary, Natural, or Biblical
Big topic, people. I know. And a very controversial one at that. I know this blog post won’t be a comprehensive, exhaustive dissertation on the topic, but what I have learned about the subject is too important to keep to myself.
So here we go. It’s time to clear up a whole host of misconceptions when it comes to infant circumcision.
photo credit: Jeff Dickerson
Circumcision is Not Medically Necessary
Did you know America is the only Western nation to implement mass infant circumcision? What does that tell you about the necessity of the procedure? Only 2% of males in the world today are circumcised (9/10th of those being in America.) In 1949 Douglas Gairdner recognized the lack of medical justification for circumcision, which led to the elimination of infant circumcision in the UK. In talking with Kiwis here in New Zealand, one man in his 30s can’t think of anyone in his generation that is circumcised and another woman in her 20s wondered that it was even still widely practiced anymore. As it turns out, the rest of the world functions quite well with their genitalia in tact.
“All of the Western world raises its children uncircumcised and it seems logical that, with the extent of health knowledge in those countries, such a practice must be safe.” -former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wrapped up an exhaustive 2 year study in 1999 and concluded that “routine circumcision of male infants was not essential to their current well-being and could not be justified on medical grounds.” (Check out this pdf for that reference and many other facts concerning the medical basis for keeping boys intact.)
So why do we do it? The International Coalition for Genital Integrity (ICGI) names ‘cultural momentum’ as the culprit. But once you learn where the practice began in the first place (below) you’ll wonder how anything this silly could be continued. (But then again, I wonder the same about lots of other things that most people consider ‘normal’ . . . )
Plus, you’ve got to follow the money trail. Let’s not forget that circumcision is a source of income for the medical community.
Where Did Modern Circumcision Come From?
So why do we amputate boy’s foreskin these days? Who decided this was a good idea? Oh, so glad you asked. Several doctors and psychiatrists in Victorian times got together and came up with the idea hoping to discourage self-stimulation. Yep, that’s right. Edward H. Dixon declared in 1845 that he had cured masturbation with circumcision. As you might have guessed, their little experiment didn’t work, but after a while, the practice just became “tradition.” More and more doctors throughout the 1800s tried to say circumcision cured everything from nocturnal emissions (wet dreams) to crooked eyes.
Diagram of the first circumstraint device
Then in 1893 Mark J. Lehman demanded the immediate implementation of mass circumcision for all American boys. In 1953 R.L. Miller & D.C. Snyder reveal their plan to circumcise all baby boys immediately after birth to prevent masturbation and provide “immunity to nearly all physical and mental illness.” Talk about a pointless tradition! And, as the website I mentioned earlier so cleverly recognizes, “there are few things so safely guarded as tradition.”
“Circumcision is a solution in search of a problem.” -Edward Wallerstein
Check out this great slideshow to see the rise and fall of infant circumcision in the US, UK, and the world, along with some really crazy stats.
What About Keeping it Clean & the Risk of Infection?
Yep, it’s true. Intact boys and men have to make sure the foreskin and entire genitalia is kept clean to avoid a risk of infection. But if you’re a woman reading this, how many folds and flaps do you have in your vagina? Do you have any trouble keeping it clean?
What’s really cool is that when a baby boy is born, the foreskin is sealed shut to protect the vulnerable glans from the urine & feces that will fill his diaper. Then right about the time babies are generally toilet trained, the foreskin begins to loosen and naturally retract. Talk about the crazy cool wisdom of God!
The same sort of skin found on the foreskin is also found in the mouth, nose, and inner genitalia of females. These are all dark and well-lubricated areas. When you change that environment for the male genitalia, you open up that male to problems like:
- irritated skin
- rashes
- chafing
- redness
- bumps & blisters
- sexual problems like chronic erection failure &
- chronic premature ejaculation
That’s not to mention the risk of these potential side effects from the actual act of circumcision itself (see this pdf for references):
- Hemorrhaging
- Infections
- Urinary retention (swelling from trauma of surgery & pain when trying to urinate)
- Permanent bowing of the penis
- Cysts
- Skin tags (a cosmetic problem if there is an uneven removal of skin)
- Meatitis (inflammation of the urethral opening)
- Meatal stenosis (scar tissue causes urinary obstruction – occurs in 1/3 of circumcised males & not at all with intact males)
- Meatal ulceration (caused by meatitis or abrasions from dry or soiled diapers – does not occur with intact boys but occurs with up to 50% of circumcised ones)
- Heart failure or myocardial injury
- Sexual dysfunction
photo credit: urbangarden
Circumcision in the Bible
So why did God command circumcision of His people? It obviously wasn’t for medical reasons (as we figured out above). Is this something we just accept as a “because I’m God and I said so” kind of thing? I actually don’t believe God works like that. He’s far too kind and wise and creative to throw down random commandments from his throne in heaven. (Note: Debating theology is beyond the scope of this blog, so what I’m discussing in this section might make some people angry–if the post hasn’t done that already, that is–so please take what I say with a grain of salt, if you would be so kind.)
Let’s think about the food laws of the Old Testament for a minute. For years I wondered what was up with “don’t eat animals without cleft hooves that don’t chew the cud or fish without scales.” Why all the regulations? I just didn’t get it. So it was like a spiritual revelation to me to read The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin and realize that God had His people’s health in mind when He set up those food laws! He didn’t create pigs and shellfish for food; they fulfill other roles in creation like cleaning up the waste of the farm and the sea.
I realize now there is still wisdom to be found in the Old Testament even though Jesus’s death and resurrection fulfilled the Old Covenant Law with all its rules and regulations and I can live in freedom. So you can imagine my confusion after learning that circumcision isn’t medically necessary and certainly doesn’t seem natural. Why would God create us with certain parts of our bodies that just need to be cut off? And why only boys and not girls?
Modern Circumcision is Nothing Like What Happened in Biblical Times
Learning this was like having blind eyes opened. Turns out modern circumcision is nothing like what happened in Biblical times. The two Hebrew words used to describe Old Testament circumcision are namal & muwl. Namal means “clipped,” like you might clip your fingernails. The word muwl means “to curtail, to blunt, to cut shorter.” There are totally different words used in Hebrew for “cut off” or “removed.”
The whole idea of circumcision as it was ordained by God at that time in history was that a little blood would be drawn as a symbol. It was a symbol of the sin of the world, which would eventually be repaid by the Messiah. God-ordained circumcision was in the same category as animal sacrifices (another symbolic tradition with blood that found its fulfillment in Jesus).
Also think about how you as a parent would feel (or felt) when you saw your son being circumcised. Imagine the pain as a parent knowing your child is having to endure. Then imagine the pain of the Father as He watches His only Son endure the pain of suffocating to death on a cross in order to take the sin of the world into hell and pay for it Himself. (But don’t forget that God never asked His people to mutilate any part of the male genitalia. Clipping a tiny bit of the foreskin to draw blood is nothing like amputating the entire thing.)
The writers of the New Testament are very clear that circumcision (along with animal sacrifices) are no longer necessary. It’s not about the body anymore. Jesus bought our freedom and if we live in Him we are no longer under the burden of the Law anymore. (Can I get an Amen?!)
If you’d like to read more about what the Bible says about circumcision under the New Covenant, check out this website that has lots of great information.
No Judgement Here, People
I do want to make it clear that if you did or do decide to circumcise your baby, I hold no judgement whatsoever. Had I not learned everything that I just shared with you, I would have done the same thing. It’s a personal decision for the parents, though I do hope that it becomes less and less of a tradition so more people can be educated on the facts.
Now it’s your turn. What are your thoughts on modern circumcision now that you have the facts?
This post is linked to Monday Mania
Leave a Reply
YAY! Great job, Lori!! This is perfect ammo for me to show to PH, hehe. ;)
What disturbs me the most about the whole thing is that so many Christians are holding onto it based off of OT scripture — it kind of makes me mad that “namal” and “muwi” even got translated into “circumcision” in the first place! That’s not what they were doing at all! Well, actually, I’m sure those crazy doctors who came up with modern circumcision just chose to use that word for their senseless mutilation specifically to target Christians, since it was already in the bible. Ugh!
Thanks Emily! Hopefully PH will see the light :-P
I totally agree with you–I hate the all the misconceptions that Christians unknowingly believe. I was one of them who had no idea. But now that I’ve learned the truth I can’t keep it to myself!
Hey Lori, very informative. Not that I’m attached to the idea of circumcision, but as a typical American male, I’ve lived with it my whole life and have never had any problems as a result. You’ve pointed out some great reasons why it’s not necessary to circumcise, but I’m not sure I understand any compelling reasons against it other than some of the minor irritation issues you mentioned with newborns. Do you have any further thoughts on that?
Thanks Chris! It’s true that many males don’t experience any overt problems associated with infant circumcision, but there are heaps of complications that can arise like sexual dysfunction, skin tags, cysts, urinary retention, deformity of the glans, or even heart failure. (Check out this pdf for references: http://www.icgi.org/Downloads/FD2.pdf)
Aside from that, the foreskin plays a vital role in a male’s health and development. I just don’t see any valid reason to amputate any part of the body that God put there for a reason.
I don’t recall ever having any problems myself either, but since removing the foreskin decreases a lot of the sensitivity, I’d have voted to keep it. I would think it’s like removing a thumb. The fingers still come in handy but how much more helpful it would be with that thumb! That’s one main reason, and I’m sure my future son would appreciate our decision once he finds out for himself after consummating his marriage ;)
By the way–thanks for the question since it inspired me to make an addendum to the post. :)
Hi! Circumcision is NOT just a minor irritant to newborn boys. My husband was also circumcised and doesn’t have any “ill effects” from it; but it is a fact that circumcision gets rid of pleasure nerves (and a whole lot of other things that cannot be restored).
It also makes the penis more uncomfortable for women during sex (a circumcised penis is shaped like a barb and having an intact penis helps the penis to glide more smoothly during ).
There are at least 100 deaths per year due to male circumcision; and many more botched circumcisions, cut off penises, and infections. Studies have also shown that babies suffer emotionally from being circumcised and it is my understanding that circumcision can hurt like he**.
We are 100% happy that we did not circumcise our boy and we will never do it.
Here is a blog post I did about it. I am not in favor of circumcision and the research I found about it horrified me. (I am not trying to spam this awesome blog, but I really found out some crazy stuff when I did research on my circ article):
http://thecrunchyhousewife.com/circumcisions-dirty-secret-the-big-business-of-being-cut-and-its-sordid-history/
Thank you for your article!
I’m curious if during your research you made any distinctions in environment — at a bris with a community of supportive people versus a sterile medical environment (hospital)? I ask this because I once read a debate on this same topic on an online forum, and one reader described her experience while attending a bris. Said the baby made a sound like a hiccup and fell asleep.
I’m not sure that what I researched did make a distinction in environments, but I’m not sure it would change my mind on doing it or not doing it for my child. Obviously a parent would want their child to experience as little pain as possible at any point, but why even bother with a procedure that is clearly not necessary? Just my take on it.
Hi Lori,
Thank you for posting this! I have a small blog on Peace and in my exploration of Peace I have come to believe that one of the reasons we have a Culture of Violence is that we remain unaware of how we inoculate our children’s lives with violence. Parents, the very people that are supposed to Love and protect children are often responsible for their first experiences of violence. This is not because parents want harm to come to their children, but because they receive so little instruction on how to raise children they often fall back on tradition (the way it was always done). I have found that circumcision; along with spanking are a couple of the primary ways society introduces violence to children. If we continue to plant seeds of violence, how can we hope that Peace will grow instead? I am, however, very grateful that more and more people are becoming aware of how some of the traditions are questionable, and are finding the courage to stand up to them. I believe this post may inspire others to stand up to this questionable tradition. Thank You!!
Peace and love, Dan
Thanks for your comment, Dan! I agree that what children experience (whether or not they even remember it) can have an impact later in life–whether emotionally, spiritually, or physically. I too find circumcision to be a questionable and needless tradition with roots in pseudoscience.
Lori, I think your post is great and the facts presented are solid and well-documented. But I do think you overreach a bit in your conclusion. There’s a big difference between “not medically necessary” and “medically harmful”. While “possible complications” that you listed abound, INCIDENCE of such complications related to circumcision in a sterile environment remains exceedingly low – lower than or equal to the unique complications that are only possible with intact male children (problems related to foreskin retraction, etc which are present in the low single digits according to the AAP). Just as you’ll find with the vast, VAST majority of “culturally normal” American males, I’ve experienced no problems at all. I have no memory of any pain from the procedure.
With there being no clear medical indication one way or the other, and babies not being able to offer their rational thoughts about the decision, it falls to parents to educate themselves and then make an informed decision. I would be disappointed had my parents not chosen to circumcise me (and they did debate it). I feel they made the right choice for me. If someone else chooses not to circumcise their child, after considering the issue prayerfully and logically, great! It is certainly not necessary! But if someone chooses to circumcise their child after conducting the same research and prayerful consideration, that’s great too. It really is a personal choice between two largely equal paths – and not some type of horrific, complicated torture as your post seems to indicate.
Your use of a word like “amputate” (drawing mental images of the loss of a critically useful appendage such as an arm or leg) when “remove” is an equally accurate, less charged synonym, is one such example where I feel you are doing something other than your stated goal of “presenting the facts” so that people can make their own informed decisions. You are basically saying, in your conclusion, that you aren’t judging parents who choose to circumcise their boys but “once you know the facts I just gave you, you surely wouldn’t want to do this” (paraphrased of course). To me, based on your own obvious bias against circumcision, your claim of no judgement rings a bit hollow. But, again, it’s a valuable post on an important topic, and I agree that parents need to understand that it’s entirely their choice. There’s no need to blindly follow “tradition” (in America at least). But please don’t overreach into saying that it’s harmful. It just isn’t.
Hey Adam–thanks for your comment! I do want to address what you said about my ‘no judgement’ section ringing hollow. While it would indeed make me really sad if someone close to me chose to circumcise their child after learning what I have learned (and hopefully conveyed in full above)–but I remember being in the dark so to speak about this subject not too long ago.
Would it make me really sad if someone close to me decided to circumcise their baby boy after learning about it? Yeah, it would. But I do actually have some really close friends who are very committed to a natural lifestyle who chose to circumcise their baby. There were extenuating circumstances (which I won’t share since it’s really not my place to do so), so I fully recognize that it’s a personal decision. If I (or they) had known then what I know now, would that have influenced their decision? I’m not sure. But that’s totally OK.
Don’t feel like you have to answer this next question since it is rather personal, but I’m curious. Why are you glad that your parents made the decision to circumcise you as an infant?
I guess in closing, the question I really want to pose is–why would anyone even bother with a completely unnecessary procedure like circumcision? You talked about it being two equal paths, but in reality, circumcision leaves the baby without their foreskin. They may or may not miss it later in life or have problems, but the same thing could be said if doctors suddenly claimed that ‘removing’ the left pinky toe at birth could cure near-sightedness. Of course it doesn’t cure anything, so why would people continue to do it (the risk of any possible negative side effects aside)? Does that analogy make sense?
I agree with Adam Houston.
Ditto.Ditto. Ditto.
There is very little original research or thought in this blog piece, and a whole lotta personal preaching instead.A whole lot of Blah, blah,
blah-ing with passion. And a lot of personal religious soap box, soap box, soap box from your own personal relious stand.
You can’t Google and Youtube everything you want to talk about and have us take it as serious science.
Please back up your emphatic statements and do due diligence by exploring both sides of the issue with equal respect.
Stop quoting other people’s online nonsense and putting it together in a hodge podge of ideas and calling it “truth”.
By doing your own investigating and starting by telling the truth of *both* sides of the issue equally, you actually may surprise yourself about this topic. And you will serve your community with a greater dose of reality than the hysterical outburst you offered to us in our inbox today. Thanks!!
“You can’t Google and Youtube everything you want to talk about and have us take it as serious science.” Google is simply a search engine, and you can use it to arrive at everything from whacko porn websites to the Library of Congress.
“Please back up your emphatic statements…” You mean by linking to a statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics after 2 years of research?
While you obviously do not agree with this blogger’s conclusions, your own comment smacks of the kind of “hysterical outburst” that you accuse her of. I still haven’t made my own decision regarding circumcision, but I have to tell you that after more than 7 years of looking into this question (I have 3 girls, but we have returned to this question with each pregnancy), this particular posts is one of the calmest and most rational ones that I have read against the issue of circumcision. The author quotes medical facts, a respected physician association, and the .pdf file about potential side effects has 2 full pages of scientific references – 99 references to be exact! That’s a whole lot of the science you are screaming for.
Do I agree with all of her conclusions? Not necessarily. I believe that her assessment that, “The writers of the New Testament are very clear that circumcision… are no longer necessary” is flawed by a misunderstanding of the issue the apostle Paul was addressing. However, this particularly applies to my situation as a Jewish believer in Jesus. I do not believe that gentiles are under any obligation to circumcise their children. However, her overall reasoning is sound and her presentation is relatively inoffensive, which I appreciate. As for the religious nature of her argument, the discussion is written from and addressed to those who believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and who use it to make decisions. If you want to debate that, you are on a while other issue than that which is addressed in this post!
I would like to respectfully suggest that you look at your own response and weigh how much science it contains versus its angry personal passion. I, for one, appreciate this post, and will consider her arguments if we ever do have to make this decision.
Sarah, I just wanted to let you know I’ve written a new article that focuses more on the topic from a religious perspective. I think you might find it interesting as a Jewish Believer in particular, so I wanted to share it with you! :) http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2011/12/10/guest-post-is-circumcision-a-christian-thing-to-do.html
WOW great post! I was reluctant to read it but I am glad I did. About two years ago I had a debate with a close friend. He was saying some of the things you have here and I would not here it. Up until I read this nothing would stop me from circumcising my son. Your covering the health, nature and biblical points has completely changed my mind. Although I can’t seem to shake the cosmetic factor that must have been burned into my mind as an American boy who has been circumcised (unfortunately). Non the less when the decision come to my wife and I my vote will me no. Thanks again.
Hey Leon–thanks so much for your comment. That’s super encouraging to me! Best wishes for you, your wife, and your future family!
Thank you for this post. It is well-written, well-researched, and relatively unbiased (which I have to say is rare in an anti-circ post). I particularly appreciate your linguistic references. I knew I had heard about the difference between Old Testament and modern circumcision, but I could not find the original article I read it from. I’ll be bookmarking this post for future reference.
Thanks Sarah! I really appreciate you stopping by to read and comment. :)
interesting post, but i have to agree with Adam Houston that it is a bit biased–the tone toward the end especially. it is important that parents be informed when making Any decision when it comes to their child’s health, but some of the conclusions here can’t be proven. sexual dysfunction? really? there are too many variables to conclusively state that circumcision as a child could cause dysfunction as an adult. there is no way that they could scientifically prove this, unless their test subjects all led identical lives, aside from the circumcision or lack thereof, physically and emotionally from birth to adulthood. a lot of this “research” even from reputable sources is still conjecture. all that said, i think its fine to have an opinion on this type of thing–as a parent, you’ll need to feel like what you are doing (or not doing) is best for your baby. its just overstepping a bit when you say that it is a fact that not circumcising is BEST. (and i’m not coming from the perspective of a parent that has had their son circumcised–i only have a baby girl, so i’ve not had to make this decision yet)
Good for you, Lori! Awareness is key. It’s so good to see people spreading the word about important issue like this one!! Thank you :)
[...] Real Food Diet Cookbook Giveaway!Modern Circumcision is Not Necessary, Natural, or Biblical5 Ways to Multi-task with Coconut OilWhen Did Gluten-Free Become Trendy?Lose the Shoes Series [...]
[...] If you’d like to read more about circumcision as a medical procedure, check out my recent post: Modern Circumcision is Not Necessary, Natural, or Biblical. [...]
Oh this is such a great post! I so totally agree!
I just found your site through foodrenegade and while browsing came upon this article. Thank you so much for posting. When we were preparing for my first son 10 years ago, my hospital-based midwife asked if we were planning to circumcise. I hadn’t thought much about it, but supposed it was the “thing to do”, although my first-generation American husband is not circumsised. But my dad is, my brother is, and my older sister’s sons (born before mine) are, too, so I just assumed that was the right thing to do. However, my midwife encouraged us to research it a bit more before making the decision, and ultimately we decided against circumcision. I am so thankful we did. I wish more people would think about their choices and not always assume that modern society or even modern medicine always has the right answers!
Thanks for sharing your story! It’s always encouraging to hear things like that. Hopefully this post and your testimony will encourage others to research the issue themselves as well.
Circumcision is Not Medically Necessary?
My cousin was medically circumcised at the age of 13. Religion had nothing to do with it.
It has also been proven that circumcision helps prevent the transfer of STDs (in sexually active adults so I dont know how a 2 yr pediatric study is going to show that).
Its not that one side is right and one side is wrong, Im just saying that its not clear cut black and white.
yes, and when lori asks “But if you’re a woman reading this, how many folds and flaps do you have in your vagina? Do you have any trouble keeping it clean?”, the answer is yes. and that is why women are much more prone to developing infections and contracting diseases.
and this quote, “Only 2% of males in the world today are circumcised (9/10th of those being in America.)” i just don’t believe at all. those numbers would mean (i think) that only one fifth of one percent of males in ‘the rest of the world’ are circumcised. but muslims make up one fifth to one quarter of the world’s population (most of them outside of america) and in islam it is a religious obligation for baby boys to be circumcised, so much so that some uncircumcised male converts opt for circumcision as adults.