Debunking (from personal experience) a circumcision myth
I know you've heard it...probably a zillion times, it is a cover up for ignorance and people not wanting to look into medical facts. Well, there are two of my favorite excuses I'd like to share that make me laugh. 1st excuse is that the mother lets the father choose because he "has that equipment"--sorry ladies, he does NOT have that equipment if he is circumcised, in fact you have your foreskin and Daddy doesn't...therefore you have more natural equipment than he does. Daddy is missing 20,000 nerve endings and has absolutely no clue what it feels like to be intact. This is an excuse. He has no clue what he is missing and sure his sex life is great- but no one can say how it would be if he was intact--I can only speculate.
The other excuse that is so silly is that parents want Daddy and son to look alike. I know, I was "one of those" moms too 7 years ago, I defended my choices to the end and when I ran out of good ammo, I blamed it on 1. I let Kevin choose (talk about throwing Special K under the bus) and 2.It is important for our son to look like his dad ...I see now it is a totally immature way of thinking.
Everyone who knows this intactivist knows that God was so gracious he gave us another boy and this time Kevin and I both did tons of homework and both couldn't even believe what we saw, thought and how our hearts and minds were changed forever. Kevin actually decided before me that we'd leave all future sons intact. Then came some guilt, regret and sadness from our former choices...that is a whole different post and when you know better you do better and ignorance is bliss right? So, with Payton society had me worried that they had to look alike and the intactivist community quickly reminded me that their hair color would perhaps be a different color (OMGOODNESS IT IS), and their eye color would not necessarily be the same (OH NO PAYTON NEEDS CONTACTS!), one penis would (hopefully haha) be bigger than the other...oh great, so they come out needing an enlargement AND a circumcision just so they can look alike?! This mindset brought on a new perspective. Do they plan on having a contest? Why can't Daddy just explain that he had surgery on HIS because at the time his parents thought that was best and now new information is out and we know it isn't best. I was still a teensy bit worried because we not only had a Daddy to explain but his older brother wouldn't look like him in that department and really I was more concerned about telling Riley what he was missing than how Payton was "different"
So the story goes like this.
Payton was born, and Riley never asked. We thought we'd explain when/if it ever happened that we didn't know better, he had surgery, we were sorry and we hoped he wouldn't do it to his son..
He never asked...for 3 years!
He only discovered it when Payton became retractable and was so proud he couldn't wait to show everyone (sorry son).
Riley thought something was wrong and asked. I told him just like we'd rehearsed that when he was a baby we thought it was the best decision, he had surgery and when we had Payton all the recommendations and guidelines have changed and the doctor recommended we didn't do it anymore. He said "ok" and bounced off, he was so not interested in the conversation he could hardly hear me out...and I was thinking to myself 'kid, let me finish, I've been waiting THREE long years to get this off my chest' and he wasn't phased. The only question he asked me was does circumcision hurt and I told him of course it did.
Then here is the best part of the story (with Special K's permission). Special K came home from work Tuesday a little late, dinner was fixed and sitting on the table and we were all waiting for him to walk in the door. He comes in and immediately says "I need to pee, I will be right back" Payton jumps up from the table and races off behind him screaming "ME COMING WHICH YOU, DADDY!!!!!!!" he was so excited to see Special K I thought to myself 'he can deal with that.........' so a few minutes later Payton comes dashing back into the kitchen to proudly announce "DADDY HAS A BONE IN HIS GOOBA LIKE MINE!" (FYI Payton named the head/retractable part a bone all on his own heehee) We all crack up, great dinner conversation, right?! I out of curiosity asked him "Does your goober look like daddy's?" he said "yup!" and that was it...
I can assure he does not feel weird, awkward, or like an outcast. I promise our men don't have flashing contest where they compare and contrast. I promise they don't care what each others penis looks like and it does not ruin a second of their day.
I know in school he'll be in good company with the now 50% circumcision rate/50% intact rate.
I know it isn't any harder to keep clean. Actually newborn care on a circumcised penis is harder. You have to make sure to keep clean the open flesh wound from getting feces and urine on it. Intact, you just wash it like a finger, never retracting.
I know that it isn't just a little snip. The head of the penis is fused/stuck together with the foreskin that is going to get cut much like your finger nail is stuck/fused to the bed of your finger. So in order to perform a circumcision they have to stick am object in the prepuce, and break the adhesion all around the head and the foreskin, and then cut. The cutting sounds minor compared to breaking the adhesion.
I know that in the Bible in the New Testament Paul says KJV "Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." Galations 5:2 There are many many many other verses about circumcision on the New Testament but this basically means that Jesus died on the cross to free us of our sins and we no longer need to earn our way to heaven because that is literally impossible. It means that all of the old laws in the Old Testament have been fulfilled by Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins. We aren't Jewish and we don't need to circumcise in the name of faith, we can all enter Heaven as we are. Here is a good link to more about what is in the Bible about circumcision along with some amazing scripture:
What the Bible Really Says About Routine Infant Circumcision
Biblical Circumcision Information
Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you. – Galatians 5:2
And even those who advocate circumcision don’t really keep the whole law. They only want you to be circumcised so they can brag about it and claim you as their disciples. – Gal 6:13
For there are many who rebel against right teaching; they engage in useless talk and deceive people. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching, they have already turned whole families away from the truth. Such teachers only want your money. – Titus 1:10-11
Watch out for those wicked men – dangerous dogs, I call them – who say you must be circumcised. Beware of the evil doers. Beware of the mutilation. For it isn’t the cutting of our bodies that makes us children of God; it is worshiping him with our spirits. – Phil 3:2-3
And I testify again to every male who receives circumcision, that he is in debt to keep the whole Law. You who do so have been severed from Christ...you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:3
"As God has called each man, in this manner let him walk. And thus I command in all the churches. Was any man called in the circumcision [Old Covenant]? Let him not try to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in the uncircumcision [New Covenant in Christ]? Let him not be circumcised! Circumcision is nothing. And uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let each man remain in that condition in which he was called. - 1 Cor. 7:17
And some men came and were teaching the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.' But Paul and Barnabas together had great dissension and disputing with these men. . . Then Peter stood up and said to them 'Why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? - Acts 15:1-2, 7, 10
But if I still proclaim circumcision. . . then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.- Gal 5:11
I wish that those who are pushing you to do so would mutilate themselves! - Gal 5:121
But reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise yourself towards godliness. Tim 4:7
Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." Acts 15:10
I know as a mother I can not hand my child over to have him strapped down to a cold, hard circumstraint and given pain medications alone that could kill him. 117 boys died last year from circumcision and 1/10 had a complication.
Intact or Circumcised: A Significant Difference in the Adult Penis
I know the US has one of the highest AIDS rates...and one of the highest circumcision rates, and even if the claim that you have less risk of STDs were true #1 if you have sex with someone with an STD- you'll get it circumcised or intact. #2 Wear a condom or more preferably wait until you are married. #3 false security!
I know it doesn't look better. I also know that it looks the exact same when it's retractable and erect circumcised or intact. I actually have a friend with an intact husband and she didn't know it until after their first child was born, his mother told her. To her when they had intercourse it looked the same. He thought it was normal to be intact, and she had no clue he was, so it wasn't discussed.
I know it is a cosmetic surgery, with no benefits and real risk. I also know that it isn't your organ on your body and I don't believe it is even "every parents choice"...most choices like vaccinating, breastfeeding/formula, what color they wear, hair, daycare or home care, religion, public/private/homeschool..thoshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife are all parental rights but I think it is a human rights violation to hack off 1/2 of a perfectly healthy little boys skin right after they're born because you want them to look like you.
When my babies are born they are born beautiful, healthy, perfect, with no birth defects and no alterations needed. What a wonderful way to express love to your new little bundle than leaving them whole.
Circumcision videos:
Neonatal circumcision
plastibell circumcision
Gomco Clamp circumcision
Infant Circumcision
The other excuse that is so silly is that parents want Daddy and son to look alike. I know, I was "one of those" moms too 7 years ago, I defended my choices to the end and when I ran out of good ammo, I blamed it on 1. I let Kevin choose (talk about throwing Special K under the bus) and 2.It is important for our son to look like his dad ...I see now it is a totally immature way of thinking.
Everyone who knows this intactivist knows that God was so gracious he gave us another boy and this time Kevin and I both did tons of homework and both couldn't even believe what we saw, thought and how our hearts and minds were changed forever. Kevin actually decided before me that we'd leave all future sons intact. Then came some guilt, regret and sadness from our former choices...that is a whole different post and when you know better you do better and ignorance is bliss right? So, with Payton society had me worried that they had to look alike and the intactivist community quickly reminded me that their hair color would perhaps be a different color (OMGOODNESS IT IS), and their eye color would not necessarily be the same (OH NO PAYTON NEEDS CONTACTS!), one penis would (hopefully haha) be bigger than the other...oh great, so they come out needing an enlargement AND a circumcision just so they can look alike?! This mindset brought on a new perspective. Do they plan on having a contest? Why can't Daddy just explain that he had surgery on HIS because at the time his parents thought that was best and now new information is out and we know it isn't best. I was still a teensy bit worried because we not only had a Daddy to explain but his older brother wouldn't look like him in that department and really I was more concerned about telling Riley what he was missing than how Payton was "different"
So the story goes like this.
Payton was born, and Riley never asked. We thought we'd explain when/if it ever happened that we didn't know better, he had surgery, we were sorry and we hoped he wouldn't do it to his son..
He never asked...for 3 years!
He only discovered it when Payton became retractable and was so proud he couldn't wait to show everyone (sorry son).
Riley thought something was wrong and asked. I told him just like we'd rehearsed that when he was a baby we thought it was the best decision, he had surgery and when we had Payton all the recommendations and guidelines have changed and the doctor recommended we didn't do it anymore. He said "ok" and bounced off, he was so not interested in the conversation he could hardly hear me out...and I was thinking to myself 'kid, let me finish, I've been waiting THREE long years to get this off my chest' and he wasn't phased. The only question he asked me was does circumcision hurt and I told him of course it did.
Then here is the best part of the story (with Special K's permission). Special K came home from work Tuesday a little late, dinner was fixed and sitting on the table and we were all waiting for him to walk in the door. He comes in and immediately says "I need to pee, I will be right back" Payton jumps up from the table and races off behind him screaming "ME COMING WHICH YOU, DADDY!!!!!!!" he was so excited to see Special K I thought to myself 'he can deal with that.........' so a few minutes later Payton comes dashing back into the kitchen to proudly announce "DADDY HAS A BONE IN HIS GOOBA LIKE MINE!" (FYI Payton named the head/retractable part a bone all on his own heehee) We all crack up, great dinner conversation, right?! I out of curiosity asked him "Does your goober look like daddy's?" he said "yup!" and that was it...
I can assure he does not feel weird, awkward, or like an outcast. I promise our men don't have flashing contest where they compare and contrast. I promise they don't care what each others penis looks like and it does not ruin a second of their day.
I know in school he'll be in good company with the now 50% circumcision rate/50% intact rate.
I know it isn't any harder to keep clean. Actually newborn care on a circumcised penis is harder. You have to make sure to keep clean the open flesh wound from getting feces and urine on it. Intact, you just wash it like a finger, never retracting.
I know that it isn't just a little snip. The head of the penis is fused/stuck together with the foreskin that is going to get cut much like your finger nail is stuck/fused to the bed of your finger. So in order to perform a circumcision they have to stick am object in the prepuce, and break the adhesion all around the head and the foreskin, and then cut. The cutting sounds minor compared to breaking the adhesion.
I know that in the Bible in the New Testament Paul says KJV "Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." Galations 5:2 There are many many many other verses about circumcision on the New Testament but this basically means that Jesus died on the cross to free us of our sins and we no longer need to earn our way to heaven because that is literally impossible. It means that all of the old laws in the Old Testament have been fulfilled by Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins. We aren't Jewish and we don't need to circumcise in the name of faith, we can all enter Heaven as we are. Here is a good link to more about what is in the Bible about circumcision along with some amazing scripture:
What the Bible Really Says About Routine Infant Circumcision
Biblical Circumcision Information
Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you. – Galatians 5:2
And even those who advocate circumcision don’t really keep the whole law. They only want you to be circumcised so they can brag about it and claim you as their disciples. – Gal 6:13
For there are many who rebel against right teaching; they engage in useless talk and deceive people. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching, they have already turned whole families away from the truth. Such teachers only want your money. – Titus 1:10-11
Watch out for those wicked men – dangerous dogs, I call them – who say you must be circumcised. Beware of the evil doers. Beware of the mutilation. For it isn’t the cutting of our bodies that makes us children of God; it is worshiping him with our spirits. – Phil 3:2-3
And I testify again to every male who receives circumcision, that he is in debt to keep the whole Law. You who do so have been severed from Christ...you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:3
"As God has called each man, in this manner let him walk. And thus I command in all the churches. Was any man called in the circumcision [Old Covenant]? Let him not try to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in the uncircumcision [New Covenant in Christ]? Let him not be circumcised! Circumcision is nothing. And uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let each man remain in that condition in which he was called. - 1 Cor. 7:17
And some men came and were teaching the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.' But Paul and Barnabas together had great dissension and disputing with these men. . . Then Peter stood up and said to them 'Why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? - Acts 15:1-2, 7, 10
But if I still proclaim circumcision. . . then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.- Gal 5:11
I wish that those who are pushing you to do so would mutilate themselves! - Gal 5:121
But reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise yourself towards godliness. Tim 4:7
Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." Acts 15:10
I know as a mother I can not hand my child over to have him strapped down to a cold, hard circumstraint and given pain medications alone that could kill him. 117 boys died last year from circumcision and 1/10 had a complication.
Intact or Circumcised: A Significant Difference in the Adult Penis
I know the US has one of the highest AIDS rates...and one of the highest circumcision rates, and even if the claim that you have less risk of STDs were true #1 if you have sex with someone with an STD- you'll get it circumcised or intact. #2 Wear a condom or more preferably wait until you are married. #3 false security!
I know it doesn't look better. I also know that it looks the exact same when it's retractable and erect circumcised or intact. I actually have a friend with an intact husband and she didn't know it until after their first child was born, his mother told her. To her when they had intercourse it looked the same. He thought it was normal to be intact, and she had no clue he was, so it wasn't discussed.
I know it is a cosmetic surgery, with no benefits and real risk. I also know that it isn't your organ on your body and I don't believe it is even "every parents choice"...most choices like vaccinating, breastfeeding/formula, what color they wear, hair, daycare or home care, religion, public/private/homeschool..thoshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife are all parental rights but I think it is a human rights violation to hack off 1/2 of a perfectly healthy little boys skin right after they're born because you want them to look like you.
When my babies are born they are born beautiful, healthy, perfect, with no birth defects and no alterations needed. What a wonderful way to express love to your new little bundle than leaving them whole.
Circumcision videos:
Neonatal circumcision
plastibell circumcision
Gomco Clamp circumcision
Infant Circumcision
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