Okay, so after doing a lot of research, I have become passionately anti-circumcision, in all its forms. I know a year or so earlier, I caused a small stir on my blog because of my espousal of so-called "holistic" circumcision. I have since reversed my position, and I am now patently against circumcision, no matter the "reasons" people give for mutilating their sons.
Having said that, I have found a wonderful website that dispels the propaganda of this victorian practice, called Circumstitions. It is a wonderful site that gives a heavy dose of reality.
When you really think about it, all of those arguments that pro-circumcision people use don't really make any sense. I mean, if a foreskin was a harmful thing to have that should be removed--very painfully I might add-- in infancy, then why are men born with one? How can it be cleaner to remove an organ that nature has bestowed upon males (and females really, since the clitoral hood is very similar to the male foreskin). And really, what is cleaner? Is it supposedly less bacteria? With all the new information that has been discovered about bacteria and how people actually need bacteria to survive, I don't even think that argument relevant. Because there is less bacteria, does not mean that it is cleaner. We need to get away from this idea--an idea that is a result from our modernized society that demonizes anything natural, including organs-- that our bodies are somehow dangerous for us that we need the good ol' doctor to come and take away the "useless" parts. Everything on our bodies has a purpose, and if we let nature take its course, that purpose will be fulfilled.
Like all other unnecessary surgical procedures such as apendectomies, tosillectomies, and what ever other organs people these days desire to remove, this must be stopped! I mean, not too long ago, it wasn't considered ludicrous to remove part of people's brains through lobotomies in order to "cure" their mental problems--the medical knowledge we have gained has somehow given us this idea that we to start removing organs because we are supposedly more enlightened now.
One poster, correctly, criticized my support for so-called holistic circumcision. I am glad that poster criticized me as they did, because it prompted me to seek out the real truth behind this procedure: it lit a fire under me, and forced me not to complacently and blindly accept the falsehoods that purported by the American Medical Machine.
I feel like boys today are being attack from all sides: vaccines that predominantly affect them, plastic products that will affect their fertility, and a general attitude that being a boy is some how bad. That is not to say that girls are treated with the utmost respect, but the environmental changes that we see today are affecting boys in a very profound and dangerous way, and, in effect, our future. Now, I am not saying that pollution does not effect girls negatively, in fact I think it is effecting girls in a way that has not been reported on yet (and I have my suspicions that all of these feminizing hormones work to contribute to estrogen dominance in girls).
It seems like in society today, men are portrayed like sex-hungry, dumb, and abusive creatures, without souls and hearts. There are so many negative attitudes towards boys in movies, television, and music that I think we are conditioning a whole new generation to just value the opposite sex for nothing more than mere satisfaction of primal urges.
Like I said before, it is time to resurrect the image of males in general, and to stop casting them into categories. I think we can start that by stopping circumcision. I mean, in the website, some women even described the natural male penis as gross looking and disgusting! Any way, I know that when I have children, my sons will most certainly NOT be circumcised. I will leave them as nature has intended them to be. I know beforehand, when I was on the dark side (pro-circumcision), I cited religious arguments to sustain my position. I can no longer use that as a reason to destroy my future son's body, and I won't use that as a reason. After watching an actual circumcision I cannot reconcile within my heart to do something so dastardly to a newborn, and I cannot conceive how any one else can do that to their kids. Even then, my heart was torn apart by this commandment and by the prospects of having to do this. But I won't. It is not my son's choice to do this to himself, so I won't start off his life on such a bad foot!
We are in the 21st century, it is time to move on from this truly barbaric practice.
5 comments:
You seem to be saying that you formerly advocated circumcision, based on religious belief.
If you read your no. 1 favorite book, the KJV, you will see that Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, said, with regard to circumcision, that one should remain as one is. called.
Since baby boys are called out of the womb uncircumcised, they should remain as they are called.
I Cor. 18-20
18b Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
It's encouraging to hear from someone who took the time to explore this issue thoroughly and objectively. Congratulations on your willingness to keep an open mind! Many, many people are reaching the same conclusion you arrived at. As a mom of two intact sons, I'm grateful to the nurse-midwife from England who opened my eyes in 1987. Thanks to her, my sons and my future grandsons can enjoy the benefits of fully functioning bodies! Your blog may help other parents to make the decision to leave their sons intact.
@anonymous
The thing is though, Jesus says in Matthew 5:17-18 that he did not come to do away with the law, and that we should keep the law. That is where the problem comes in religiously. . . I am not sure how to reconcile Paul's work with this statement made by Jesus.
Hi Emily,
My name is Dayna Boyer and I'm the owner/editor of 20-something.ca, an online magazine for generation Y. I came across your blog and I specifically liked your coverage of alternative medicine and your writing style.
I would be really interested in pick your brain about blogging and possibly working together on some projects. If you like my content and think it would be relevant to your readers please feel free to link to 20-something.ca.
I hope to chat with you soon.
Cheers,
Dayna Boyer
20-something.ca
dayna.boyer@20-something.ca
416-803-1417
So much useful data for everyone!
Post a Comment