'In praise of circumcision: Curbing male barbarism'

Submitted by anthony on Fri, 2011-06-24 03:45

Article here. Excerpt:

'Men may soon complain that they’re being objectified.

In recent weeks, national public discourse has steadily focused on the male sex organ. First, California ballot measures advocating for the ban of male circumcision caught national attention, sparking intense debate between proponents of the religious ritual (“It has health benefits!”) and those who oppose it (“It’s genital mutilation!”). And then, in a discomfiting display of his own Semitic snip, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) injudiciously Tweeted a picture of his package to an online coquette, unleashing a flurry of online-liaison confessionals and prompting calls for him to resign from Congress.
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“Circumcision is the indelible symbol that a man can be more than just an animal,” Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom, said. “The fact that you seal your connection with God and with tradition into that organ makes it incredibly difficult for that organ to be used as a weapon of manipulation or destruction. For men, this is the center of being: Is masculinity to be defined in terms of power and violence, or control and strength? What you see in the news is what happens when men make the wrong choice.”
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What powerful and public men crave may not be merely sex but a release from responsibility. Sometimes the only way to feel like a man is to act like one. Properly understood, circumcision is the sole barrier between instinct and utter ruin, and men could use a pointed reminder that sometimes inertia is more intelligent than impulse.'

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Comments

This article is so out there in its own ozone layer that I don't even know where to start. Suffice it to say, the lack of logical reasoning and misandrist point of view from which it is written speaks for itself. Guys, we got a long way to go with this issue.

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Submitted by Matt on Fri, 2011-06-24 11:56

Continuing the mindless mutilation of newborn males genitalia for debunked medical reasons is another and should be stopped.

Religious practices carried out by symbolism rather than a literal act are now acceptable in an enlightened age. Once mandatory animal sacrifices can be fulfilled by simply buying the blessed meat at a market. The Christian ceremony of drinking the blood and eating the flesh of Jesus is done by drinking grape juice and eating a piece of bread for example. Some things in religious dogma are not to be taken literally.

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Submitted by Luek on Sat, 2011-06-25 15:02

I'm sorry, but in my opinion that barbaric ritual, rather than connecting man with god, makes the whole religion look like a load of crap. Which it is, in my humble atheist opinion: a whole lot of silly ideas by silly, unenlightened people. The very last argument I would ever accept for mutilating baby boys is one where it's done with the intent to preserve an archaic, irrational belief. And on top of it, what they hope to accomplish by mutilating a human body, in their very own words, is to forever remind the recipient that they were born into a certain belief system that claims ownership of them for as long as they live. It's no different than if they took a branding iron and seared "Jew" or "Catholic" on your forehead when you're born. But at least if that's what they did, they wouldn't be fucking with someone's sex life. But god knows, that's what the religious love to do. When you control reproduction and you control the masses. And that's what it is - castration is pure hubris - it is telling the recipient of a mutilated penis something along the lines of, "We own you... you may be having sex with the love of your life now... but we were there first... we are in charge!"

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Submitted by dungone on Sun, 2011-06-26 15:55

In contrast to what dungone just said, I am a deeply spiritual Christian. I disagree that all religion is bogus, but I agree that circumcision is a truly bizarre ritual that makes one question just what kind of a God would ask someone to do that. I could see it making sense to do this thousands of years ago when there was no running water and the Israelites were passing through the desert, but in modern times it just doesn't make sense. Jesus was right "circumcise your hearts, not your bodies".

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

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Submitted by xtrnl on Thu, 2011-06-30 16:33