Did you know that...
…no major medical organization recommends circumcision, and many stand against it?
…Old Testament circumcision was a very different procedure from modern circumcision.
…Christians have, since the New Testament era, taught that circumcision should not be practiced.
No? That’s okay. Many people don’t know these things.
But these facts matter. Human beings, including children, are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27, James 3:9). The human body is designed in God’s goodness and wisdom. Caring for a child is our God-given responsibility and privilege, and to attack a child made in the image of God is to offend God (Gen. 9:6; cf. Prov. 14:31, 17:5; Matt. 25:31ff., Acts 9:4-5). So the facts of this issue are important indeed.
Some of these facts may surprise you. We aren’t sharing this information to make you feel bad about choices you might have made without knowing these things. But for the sake of our sons yet to be born, please hear what these facts have to say.
Children matter. They’re little bearers of the image of God.
The man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now.”
The apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:18 (NLT)
Through Christ, circumcision ceased.” 2 Thomas Aquinas. (1843). Catena Aurea (J. H. Newman, Ed.) (Vol. 3, p. 51). Oxford: John Henry Parker.
Chrysostom (~400), Thomas Aquinas (~1250)
By the coming of Christ, external circumcision ceased. This is plain from the words of Paul.” 3 John Calvin. Commentary on Genesis. (Vol. 1, pp. 456–457).
John Calvin (1554)
circumcision is
Unhealthy
No major medical organization in the world recommends infant male circumcision. Many stand strongly against it.
Even the American Academy of Pediatrics stops short of recommending infant circumcision and states that the “true incidence of complications after newborn circumcision is unknown.”
circumcision is
Unnatural
Much more than just a “flap of skin,” what is removed by modern circumcision is a movable double-layered sleeve of highly-innervated muscular tissue. When unrolled, the total amount removed is about 15 square inches (in the adult) in surface area. That’s about the size of a 3×5 index card or the face of a modern iPhone.
Circumcision removes multiple God-given functions, as well highly specialized nerves and numerous other structures such as the ridged band and frenulum. This destroys a core mechanic of sexual activity, a “slide/glide” rolling function, often resulting in pain, dryness, and more.
circumcision is
Unchristian
Since the council recorded in Acts 15, Christians around the world have virtually never practiced circumcision. They have taught that it was ended by Christ’s work, just like blood sacrifices and other rituals were.
The Old Testament’s milah wasn’t even the same procedure that is practiced in the USA today – a fact well known to scholars, but not to the average hospital customer.
circumcision is
Unkind
Circumcision causes “severe, persistent pain.” Babies respond to pain at least as strongly as adults do. Local anesthetic has only limited,
temporary effectiveness and is often not even used.
In addition, the experience of being strapped down, prodded, ripped, crushed, cut, ripped, and cut again hurts mother-infant bonding. And for some, painful complications like meatal stenosis, skin bridges and tags, tight skin, and more continue throughout life.
circumcision is
Unhygienic
Initially, cleaning circumcised boys is much harder than cleaning intact boys. Parents of circumcised boys need to clean every fold and prevent adhesions from forming.
In contrast, cleaning intact boys is as easy as wiping a finger. When they get older, intact boys and men find that hygiene is no problem – a few seconds of rinsing is all it takes.