court rules circumcision is an assault.

[geronimotwo]

Genesis 17:12 specifically calls for it to be done at the age of eight days.

Divine command.

Genesis 17

"Do it or I'll condemn you to eternal suffering" is a pretty logical reason when it comes from a guy who can do just that.

okay....... genesis.........check.........made in god's image.......check........must remove part of that image to be saved.........check.........

[freakazoid]

Circumcision is a Christian practice? I thought the Christians, by and large, gave up on circumcision after Paul?

Someone should of told my parents that, 

the court has not banned circumcision, only postponed it until the child is able to make the decision for himself. 

Frankly I'd much MUCH rather have it done as a newborn then as an adult.

If circumcision were forced on an adult, it would certainly be considered an assault.

I don't feel assaulted for being circumcised.

must remove part of that image to be saved

Are you not familiar with why circumcision is done?

[geronimotwo]

Are you not familiar with why circumcision is done?

hence my previous question.

why is this procedure so important to some cultures?  when was it first started, and was there a logical reason for it?

[freakazoid]

hence my previous question.

D'oh! My bad.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2017&version=NIV

9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. ”

[geronimotwo]

so it is only for the descendants of abraham.......everyone else can get through the pearly gates without doing this?  i wonder what he did to tick god off to that point.

aside from the twice mentioned divine command,   is there any other benefit to the procedure?

[White Horseradish]

aside from the twice mentioned divine command,   is there any other benefit to the procedure?

Typically, the things that get brought up in that context are cleanliness and the lowered risk of diseases caused by lack of said cleanliness.

Personally, I think this is a pretty ridiculous argument in the modern world of running water and widely available showers. Even if you are hung like a horse, it just isn't that big of an area to clean. Circumcision typically exists in cultures that come from hot and dry areas, like Middle East and Africa, where this may have been and maybe still is a problem.

In the Western world and US especially circumcision was popularized as a means of preventing masturbation back when masturbation was thought to be a terrible disease. Didn't work very well for that, but it did become widespread, parental logic being mostly "because everybody does it" and "I had it, and you will too". IMO, neither one is a very good reason for inflicting anything on your child.