If Gods design is so perfect, why get circumcised ?

Since when is God's design perfect? As a woman, I've got to wonder why he put our urethra so close to our ....? It only takes the pain of one bladder infection to wonder that one.

Maybe God's design is perfect when you add this commandment of circumcision? On a more practical level, I saw a study on the Hopkin's site that there is a particular cancer that is not only eliminated by circumcision - BUT it's prevalent among semitic people. So maybe those Jews who circumcised are the one's who survived, or someone noticed that life was better this way.

To those who said the health benefits are only recently noticed, that's not true. The cleanliness factor especially necessary in the desert was always well known.

The kosher laws were clearly written for health benefits. It may well be possible cirumsicing was too. The evidence doesn't clearly point one way or the other on this topic. So, why not let people do religiously as they choose. If Jewish men had had a problem through the years, I'm sure they'd have made quite a fuss. Men are interested in their stuff.

When God created the first Covenant it was instituted. Why? I cannot say, but everyone you associated with would know by your most sensitive place that you are God's. In the US it is more of a health reason than a rite and done at birth instead of the eighth day. If you read in the New Testament there was quite a stir by the Judiazers against their brothers in Christ on this matter. I believe Paul spoke of a circumcision of the heart.

By the way. God's perfect design is beyond many to understand. How can something flawed be perfect? But, given time you learn that perfection is not what you think and it is attainable in all Christians.

The practice occurs in certain cultures, either as a passage into manhood(imagine getting one as a teen going through puberty!) or as a way to distinguish one's culture from that of the surrounding peoples. This was the reason for the Jews to circumcise, to use it as a mark of their special relationship to god.

In the US the practice came about pretty much in the late 19th century, as doctors claimed certain benefits. While the majority of male children still get the procedure shortly after birth, more and more parents are opting to "leave it as God intended".

Ultimately, we humans just have weird ideas on what beauty is. Whether tatoos, piercings, "elongating necks", altering skull shapes...we never seem satisfied with what we look like.

The religions of Islam and Judaism require circumcision. For the special needs of the Jewish circumcision please see the web site pertaining to Brit Millah.

As for the cultural, ethnic or individual choice for circumcision, these issues should be left to the parents.

Medical considerations are numerous:

Cancer of the Penis. This disease, which can be fatal, is non-existent in circumcised males.

Urinary Tract Infections. Urinary tract infections are significantly reduced in the first year of life in circumcised males.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). The transmission of STDs is significantly reduced when the male partner is circumcised. This includes HIV (AIDS). In the 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, held in Vancouver, beginning January 30, 2000, a study by Calvin Cohen, MD was reported. This study was entitled, Ongoing Transmission: Causes, Cases, and Correlate - Viral Load and Risk of Heterosexual HIV Transmission. In this study, the following was reported: '''Of note, they reported that the risk of male-to-female transmission was the same as female-to-male, both showing about a 12% risk per year. A higher risk was noted in uncircumcised males, with a rate of 16.7%, while there were no seroconversions observed in the circumcised men (probability less than .0001).

Medically Necessary Circumcisions. Approximately 10% of uncircumcised males will require circumcision, later in life, for medical reasons. This will incur greater cost and morbidity than infant circumcision. There are many absolute medical indications for circumcision:- phimosis, paraphimosis, repeated episodes of balanitis and balanoposthitis, hygienic care considerations, painful intercourse due to foreskin problems. Men who become quadriplegic or senile often have problems with urination. These men will require the use of an external aid in order to drain their bladders. Urologists agree that placement of such an external aid or appliance can only be done on a circumcised penis thereby requiring surgery at this late stage in life. Even the uncircumcised senile nursing home resident, who does not need an appliance, still requires the indignities of having a health care aide administer his daily penile hygiene. Late circumcision exposes the patient to risk of morbidity and mortality far greater than in the neonatal period. Obviously, the psychic damage in the young child or man is avoidable when infant circumcision has already been accomplished.

Why do you think God created everything in its perfect state? God intended human beings to think and use our brains, so not everything is perfect. The deal down here is there are dangers, hazards and evil that we are supposed to overcome. We are also charged with making the world a better place. Welcome to planet earth, which isn't heaven yet :-)

Male circumcision is not about making you more perfect, though, it's a sign of a covenant between Abraham/his descendants and God. If that's not you, then you don't need to worry about what other people do in their relationship with God.

Your soul is perfect, but circumcision could be beneficial to your body. We were not born with tooth brushes or floss either. You are jut fine physically as you are, assuming you have access to plenty of clean water :-)

If not, there are some advantages as far as fewer sexually transmitted diseases on circumcised -- for both men and their partners. (See Jaryen's answer who did his research on other health benefits).

Jewish and Muslim circumcision is a sign of a covenant instituted between Abraham/his descendants and God.

There are explanations that this is a sign of discarding the "shells" like peels (klipot) of our physical self as a sign of spiritual growth towards the next steps of discarding these negative peels as we grow in speech (circumcised mouth) and heart, mind etc. A reminder to use the body in a holy way, even for sex, speech, feelings and thoughts.

Yet another spiritual benefit for circumcision is that it bonds father and son together with blood on the 8th day. Girls/women have blood that they share with their mothers every month. Boys on the 8th day after they are born with their fathers.

According to the NEW Testament, there is NO need to be circumcised.

"Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters." - 1Cor 7:19

"If you become circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." - Gal 5:2 & 5:6

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart." - Deut 10:16

God may not have wanted a perfect design, I think the appendix proves this, it serves no purpose, it just waits to get infected, there are design faults and built in obsolesence how come bacteria and viruses can kill us, perhaps God does not want us to live forever, all the doctors can now go home and stop playing god

Circumcision was a ceremonial law depicting the true circumcision of the "heart" that God wanted from His people and Christians are no longer required to be circumcised.

Romans 2:25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Circumcision was copied from Ancient Egypt & taken out with the exodus!!

If your 'God' thought it a good thing to do, 'He' must have thought the Egyptian 'Gods' were correct also!!!??.

lol.

EDIT: I am naturally circumcised ie: glands are completely free from foreskin when erect, but covered while flacid.

This is done by gradualy playing with it in youth.

However, Religions usually stop masterbation & playing with the genital area, so this would stop natural circumcision from happening!

So circumcision does not need to be required on health grounds!!

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EXTRA: For those that thumbed me down...

Look up circumcision in Ancient Egypt & also wonder how natural circumcision can exist, be fully hygenic & without i might add...... Without any barbaric mutilation!!?

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God made an pact with Abraham and it included making a mark or change in your physical body as a sign that you belonged to God..

If that were God´s pact for the New Testament then I would do it, but it isn´t a requirement