The Science of Circumcision | Sci Guys Podcast

Circumcision is one of the oldest surgical procedures we still know of and perform today, but the question is why? Beyond the religious elements, are there any benefits to circumcising babies? Are they better off being circumcised before they can talk, or should we wait until they're able to consent? We're digging into the scientific debates surrounding those very questions in this week's episode...
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Follow the SCI GUYS
@notcorry / @lukecutforth

[@SciGuys]

Are you circumcised? Or if you can't/would rather not answer that; what time is it right now?

[@dmortal999]

Yes, I am. Not my choice.

[@alicesshelter9719]

21:31

[@KenZPaige]

12:50pm

[@WabbyWaffleBhoi]

Have been since 10 weeks old, I had no say in the decision

[@UnofficialMarsBar]

It isssss 21:26 I think

[@thiel_spencer]

I forgot I was trans (ftm) for a moment and was about to come down into the comments and answer whether or not I was circumcised but then... I remembered and thought, oh, wait 💀💀

[@basketchaos]

if that ain’t a whole mood 😅

[@HotTakeAndy]

I need all the length I can get. 😅

[@DerMBen]

@@Sentientmatter8 I mean, no matter what you have down there, you should wash your stuff regularly

[@victai163]

@@DerMBen the day i learned that a lot of dudes w penises dont even wipe after going to the bathroom i was scarred forever

[@DannyS177]

I was circumcised as a baby and if I was given the choice I would not have done it. That's all I want to say about that.

[@chrisrubin6445]

I feel the same way. It is the most difficult thing to talk about. Thank you.

[@WhichDoctor1]

The option Luke failed to consider is that one culture started circumcising because it was just a thing that cropped up at random, it had no benefits, and for entirely unrelated reasons that culture went on to be successful. You might as well ask what health benefits Maori tattoos give, or what medical reasons there is behind earlobe stretching or foot binding. It’s all to easy to fall into the trap of looking for reasons for everything. Especially when you’re dealing with human’s, sometimes shit just happens 🤷‍♀️

[@JackRussell-nk3fe]

You might have a different opinion if you had have to have the procedure done in later life due to injury or one of the problems the foreskin has, like phimosis, for example.

[@TheyCallMeLoony]

11.28pm (UK). I’m very anti-circumcision (without medical need), consent and bodily autonomy are important. Especially for something so unnecessary and irreversible.

[@renny3816]

Exactly. F my fellow Americans that act like this is necessary or something that “should be required.”

[@nyumyu4265]

This is a pretty divided topic 😅 I wonder how there going to discuss this one! I think circumcision is pretty wrong. I don’t think it has much uses, and mutilates more people than it benefits. Young children don’t need surgeries or procedures down there, unless it’s absolutely necessary. I think it’s a religious practice that is way too normalized in our culture. Religion needs to take itself out the door when it comes to the medical field. I could be wrong though, so I’m excited for some enlightenment!

[@dmortal999]

Right, I think it’s a little funny. They’ll do circumcision and name of religion while yet try to say kids are getting surgeries for gender reassignment which goes against their religion…

[@VIEWITIS]

You're not wrong. Well, I would push to criminalize it even for the sake of the Jewish and Muslim and Korean boys who hate being sexually modified to suit their parents' sexual preferences and religious weirdisms.

[@gothiccck6296]

I have never understood why circumcision wasnt made illegal along with fgm. Its just mutilation if there is no medical need.

[@tourdeforce9336]

Female supremacy in the US. Only female bodies matter even when it comes to children, sadly.

[@coralovesnature]

I don’t have a penis, so I can’t answer the question. But I strongly agree with Corry that short of actual medical need, circumcision should not be performed on infants/ children. If someone wants to make that choice when they are old enough to consent, by all means go for it, but the choice should not be taken away. In one of my college classes, a guy in my class did a presentation about circumcision and explained that he was circumcised as a baby and was extremely upset and felt like a piece of him was taken away from him, which I imagine many others might feel like also. I also don’t understand the thing about some people not wanting a partner with a foreskin. As long as your partner cleans themself (which they should be doing regardless of whether they have foreskin or not), it should make no difference whether they have one or not. During sex, it’s kind of rolled down anyways, so imo really not that different.

[@VIEWITIS]

You might be surprised to learn that the rolling is part of the function. That bunched up, highly innervated area is called the ridged band and contributes to the reflexive mechanism of orgasm. It also keeps natural lubrication stable and in place within the vagina by creating a soft barrier behind the corona. It also stimulates the female (similar to a ribbed condom). A circumcision takes this all away and leaves a scar that often harbors neuromas (painful nerve bundles).

[@alwaystir3d]

22:11. Me and my friends love this podcast and when my parents heard that we were listening to a podcast called the sci guys they were so proud cause they thought it was something for school

[@anoneu]

There should be a follow-up with circumcised guys too, one for religious, out for cultural, one as an adult, and have a bit of a pro-con debate

[@flarethefox9836]

Thank you! I used to support infant male circumcision, but now I don’t, and you have said everything that was needed to be said. I always say “instead of taking out the teeth, teach your kids to brush” with this topic

[@bradthemusicduck4895]

Yes, I was as a baby as it was normal for the religious denomination my family was a part of. I certainly wish I had had a choice in whether I was mutilated as a baby or not.

[@KristopherBel]

He is not he is saying something that happened to his he considers mutilation. That is very different than what you are saying happened it is not body shaming to say "I believe this thing that happened to me was mutilation." Separately but importantly I think that this type of surgery meets the dictionary definition of mutilation.

[@KristopherBel]

@@ELIAHAVAH Again he was not calling all circumcision mutilation, he said his circumcision was what he considered to be a mutilation. And I did not call anything mutilation, I simply pointed out the above fact and then speculated that cutting off a piece of the reproductive organ of this man when he was an infant without his consent might meet the dictionary definition of mutilation. Again I have not said anything at all about the practice culturally, although my views were almost perfectly summed up by what Corry said near the end of the episode, his conclusion verbalized my thoughts precisely. I think it's important in this conversation to separate religious practices, but I don't think that we shouldn't discuss this thing that has been done to many of us.

[@AnnekeOosterink]

The study on HIV that I saw, I don't know for sure that we're talking about the same study, has some pretty major flaws. One, the men who were circumcised didn't have sex for a month following their circumcision, which lowers the risk of catching any STI pretty significantly. The control group had afaik no month of abstinence. The men who were circumcised also received condoms. Again, also a pretty major contributing factor in reducing risk of STIs. So if it was the same study you referenced here, I don't think it's a very convincing study.

[@gymrat3203]

You're exactly right. That study is used and abused by USA healthcare to coerce parents into circumcising their newborn sons. There are so many errors and missteps the study is basically invalid. The CDC in American touts 50 to 60% HIV reduction as a valid reason but they are a government agency and the US government dumped billions of dollars into that very study in Sub Saharan Africa. If the American people knew the truth there would be backlash so they double down and say it is important to circumcise. It was a nefarious operation which involved Bill Gates and Hillary Clinton backed by US dollars. Really is sickening but not surprising with American Healthcare's involvement. “We will be on a path towards an AIDS-free generation,” Clinton said, noting that the U.S. government would commit an additional $60 million to scale up efforts in four sub-Saharan countries and challenging others to join the effort.

[@KristopherBel]

Yeah I saw info from the NHS and the NIH and they both said that studies showed that HIV infection rates went up if than was circumcised I was really surprised to hear the opposite, but I do remember reading the study you are referencing and I know the ones that I am talking about were studying specifically men who had been circumcised as infants.

[@gymrat3203]

@@KristopherBel The study was flawed and was halted in the 3rd trial, They gave condoms to the circumcised and not to the control group. It was for 30 months but the newly cut guys were out of commission for up to 2 months, Very unscientific and flawed. Anything that Bill Gates and Hillary Clinton are involved in is suspect at best.

[@wallacem41atgmail]

The fact that the U.S., the 'first world' country with the highest circumcision rate, is a also the country with the highest HIV and STI rates should be a clue to everyone that something is wrong with their logic.

[@Kaltag2278]

I knew a guy whose family always let them decide. His dad chose not to but one of his uncles and an older brother did. He said it was one of the most painful experiences he'd had.

[@myyoutubename152]

Imagine how painful it is for the baby? Just because they can't verbalize their suffering doesn't mean it isn't happening.

[@Kaltag2278]

@@myyoutubename152 I completely agree. Not sharing an opinion in that comment, just an experience. I am against genital mutilation in all forms.

[@KristopherBel]

Circumcised, and unhappy about it.

[@AnnekeOosterink]

I don't have a penis, so I can't speak from any kind of personal experience here. But I do strongly believe in bodily autonomy. Which includes infants. I don't think parents have the right to give their infant a procedure that is medically unnecessary, and carries all the risks that a regular procedure does, like scarring, infections, mutilation, and even death. I don't believe that something that has very little, if any, medical reason should be done to children who cannot possibly consent or even understand what's going on. European pediatricians have even written an open letter to their American counterparts, urging them to stop advising circumcision as a matter of course, rather than as a medical procedure that should only be done when necessary.

[@ChuckMeIntoHell]

I'm circumcised and my partner isn't. I had a partner who was circumcised and his procedure was botched which made stimulation painful for him and it would sometimes bleed. I didn't have any sort of choice in my circumcision since I was a baby, and while I'm not regretful about it I wouldn't have had it done if it were my choice, and I would never make the decision to do this to a child. My current partner was self conscious about being uncircumcised when he was a kid, because circumcision is the norm where we live in the US, but that is changing a bit. He never had a problem keeping it clean.

[@basketchaos]

My brother had a circumcision performed when he was an infant so that the skin could be used to redirect his urethra, which was apparently too low; my mom was encouraged to have it done so that he wouldn’t “grow up to pee on his shoes”. Now knowing a (tiny) bit more about how the p3n!s develops, I can’t help but wonder whether it was something that would just sort itself on his own as he grew up. All I do know is that despite having surgery to “avert” the problem back then, he had complications later in life surrounding the placement of his urethra; but I don’t know the details, because that’s his business (I was given details when it was important to know how to take care of him, but frankly I’m not that interested in his nether regions now that he’s old enough to tend himself). All that to say, I used to hold the understanding that “correcting” urethra placement was one of the only valid medical reasons for it, but now I wonder wether it falls into that category at all 🤔

[@joe-q2n]

It's called hypospadias, and I think the reverse (urethra being too high) is called hyperspadias. It can have varying degrees of severity where the urethra opening can be near the base or where it's barely noticeable. Apparently, it occurs in about 1% of males.

[@basketchaos]

@@joe-q2n Thank you for putting a word to it for me-I was worried about how to string together words on google to get me an answer without accidentally scarring myself 😅 Now that I’ve searched that, it does look like it’s something that probably would not have corrected itself with time, so I’m a bit less jaded on it now. Thanks!

[@halt9072]

@@basketchaos It can be considered as an intersex variation (by intersex organization and not doctors) since it's "corrective" surgery that's performed to fit with the expectation of a boy being able to pee standing The surgery can lead to increase risks of STI, tearings of the skin and urethra during puberty I think and some people really lived it badly and would have preferred to have had the choice

[@basketchaos]

@@halt9072 yikes, I did not know that. how messed up the medical world is never ceases to amaze me

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Hypospadias repair should be delayed as long as possible. For heavens sake, there are porn stars with uncorrected hypospadias. These doctors are ghouls. "Would you like a poor facsimile of a circumcised penis, or a neurologically intact penis with hypospadias?"

[@Nathh99]

Time 19:34 - fun fact if you’re converting to Judaism and you’re an adult trans masc (AFAB) with HRT bottom growth, instead of circumcision as part of conversion, a pin prick of blood would do (for some types of Judaism)

[@lit2021]

It's genital mutilation. It's time to end the practice. Religion is not a valid reason.

[@davydayz]

Time: 12:54am Australian time!!

[@KyChimerical]

I have known two guys who had UTIs one of them was circumcised the other I do not know if he was circumcised or not. But even circumcised males can get UTIs.

[@fritnat]

Circumcised males and intact males in cutting cultures or strongly influenced by them, are more likely to get a UTI than other males. Sometimes the difference is stunning. Take a look at the estimated deaths from UTIs in the global health data exchange, for days old baby boys comparing USA with here in Denmark, it's almost fifty times!

[@gymrat3203]

Yep as a militated at birth (circumcised) man I can tell you I've had my fair share of UTIs. The UTI reduction that doctors like to recite is pure rubbish. When you look at the bullshit that American doctors throw around about circumcision it makes you realize what other bullshit they are throwing around.

[@davidonfim2381]

There's nothing wrong with comparing male circumcision with female circumcision, or equating them in the ways that they are equal. First off, comparing two things doesn't mean that they're equal in every single way. Assuming that this is the case is the faulty analogy fallacy. You can compare different aspects of two very different things that share no similarities other than the one(s) being compared, and it's a perfectly valid comparison. In many of the most relevant ways, male circumcision and female circumcision are very much comparable- they both involve adult individuals forcing nonconcenting infants/children to undergo a surgical procedure that will permanently alter the anatomy and function of their genitalia. They are both rationalized or have their origins in religious beliefs, in the desire for social conformity, in sex negativity and shame, etc. Secondly, there is a very wide range of practices that fall under the FGM/female circumcision umbrella. In some parts of the world, FGM/female circ simply involves pricking the clitoris to draw a drop of blood. In others, it involves the removal of the clitoral hood/prepuce, which is directly comparable to male circumcision. While there are much more extreme cases, the issue here shouldn't really be the grouping of male circ with female circ.... but why the practices on females are ALL lumped together into a single category. Some female circ practices are much more similar to male circ practices than to other female circ practices, so why is it that we treat all of female circ practices as being the same?

[@haleyandrews74]

a better comparison for circumsion would be to labiaplasty. that would be like comparing a vasectomy to a hysterectomy. a hysterectomy is more extreme. a better comparison would be a vasectomy to tubal ligation.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

@@haleyandrews74 Labiaplasty done on children is literally FGM.

[@olblogblog9605]

It's 13:38 here. =) I'll be working on a little project while listening to this podcast. You all are always great background noise, and I love learning things while doing other stuff.

[@cold_knees]

I think circumcision is fundamentally wrong (outside of legitimate medical necessity) it's just child abuse (yes even if it's your "religious practice"; e.g the bible encourages children being beaten - that doesn't exempt that shit from being abuse). But something sort of unrelated that *really* got me in this ep is at the beginning when they're talking about the procedure (that in most cases is purely cosmetic, and isn't being done for the individuals health or wellbeing) and how much pain relief & varieties of anaesthetic that are offered, and that they're recommended to take a week off after! When so many AFAB-specific procedures I've gone through I've been told to take some paracetamol and walk it off, been lied to about the amount of pain the procedure would cause, and have had doctors talk down to me and even LAUGH at me when I've had 'the nerve' to ask for appropriate pain relief/anesthetic.

[@teeth.0f.g0d]

Luke Uncutforth

[@renny3816]

No such thing. “Uncut” is simply just a penis, which is NORMAL.

[@karenbass5812]

I want a episode about female genitle mutilation and the why's and physical issues that come with it.

[@FreedomFROMReligionID]

In Indonesia there is also female genital mutilation (FGM), it started when Islam came to our country in the 13th century.

[@Dariusissocool]

People in the Caribbean or Latin America aren’t routinely circumcised. I’m part of that group.

[@theking-vb4gm]

2.13 am (couldn't sleep so I'm listening to this. Your voices are so nice)

[@aratinatophat1072]

Almost 1am, 2 minutes to exact

[@AlatheD]

It is 17:47 Sept 18 in the USA.

[@oscarsn05]

I am circumcised and I’m really happy about it.

[@AnimilesYT]

2:25 "just a heads up" Was that pun intended? 😂

[@nathanielsizemore3946]

A Bris is performed on Hebrew boys at 8-days old. A Bris is performed by a Mohel and/or a doctor. Jewish circumcision is called a Bris.

[@snowycoldcool4115]

Honestly, I believe that circumcision negatively effects romantic bonding and romantic relationships. I also believe that it negatively effects the relationships between males and females. I believe that circumcision negatively effects the relationships between mothers and their sons since I heard that circumcision makes it so a baby boy does not want to nurse after they get circumcised. I also believe that circumcision negatively effects the relationships between men and their girlfriends or wives. I heard that the foreskin (the prepuce) has a link to oxytocin in a male's brain, and that's another reason why circumcision negatively effects the bonding during sex. 20,000 pleasure nerve endings were cut off from a man's most intimate body part that would have brought them extremely close to their girlfriend or wife. Not only it's intensity, it also reduces female pleasure and a man's ability to give a woman vaginal orgasms. It destroys the natural bond of love and intimacy that is supposed to be built through the shared experience of love making. I believe it's possible that circumcision is one of the reasons why the divorce rate in America is so high, and why so many romantic relationships don't last in America.

[@KaboLouw-q9t]

Not yet but on August

[@Leah-uv2uj]

I chose not to have my amab infant circumcised. I am scientifically literate and did the research and couldn't justify it. The reason there are so many papers pushing the apparent medical benefits is because parents have to make medical decisions for their children all the time and we must justify them. E.g. my kids are vaccinated because the benefits are clear.

[@fritnat]

Despite your opposition to this practice you still swallow some of the most common myths. No, an unhygienic boy or man doesn't have improved hygiene and less chance of infection by having GC, just the opposite in fact, cutting increases the chance of an infection a lot! Since you think religion is onto something, note how the Jews stopped practicing GC during their 40 year desert wandering. Hygiene didn't exist as a concept before germ theory less than a couple of centuries ago. Being unclean before that meant you were not spiritually pure and likely to be punished by God for it by having some nasty disease inflicted on you. Staying pure meant for example not mingling with outsiders or others who were not themselves pure because they were not cut. It dissuaded finding a partner from outside the community just like it does today when US women prefer cut men. It has as much to do with hygiene as ethnic cleansing does. No, there is no convincing evidence that cutting reduces HIV or any other STD. There are only cut men who make such claims backed by the medical industry and other big funding. The African trials were deeply flawed eg they didn't take into account counciling, free condoms and abstension in the healing period. There was no longterm follow up although there has been some since which has shown those volunteering to be cut, did so believing they no longer had any worries and would have far better prospects of enjoying sex as women would also believe they were safe. The result has been more HIV infections! Just think that there are only two continents where most men are cut, North America with the highest rates in the developed world, and Africa with the highest rates of all. How exactly does that fit with the reduced risk claim?

[@basketchaos]

Do you by chance have links to the follow ups or other studies backing this?

[@fritnat]

@@basketchaos YT censors if I link or provide reference numbers to studies, but try: Medical male circumcision: is the HIV prevention claim wrong? Circumcision disaster: Malawi HIV infection rate doubles

[@basketchaos]

@@fritnat Gotcha, gotta love that /s. I appreciate you sharing! /gen

[@Coccinelf]

It should be illegal, same as non-medically necessary surgeries on intersex children. But also, there are places in the world where young adults are culturally pressured to get circumcized and I think that's bad too.

[@shannon2762]

I chose the wrong episode to listen to as I fell asleep lol

[@einaccount5193]

As to why there are religions that call for circumcision, I think it could very well be that people noticed it was beneficial under their circumstances (no running water etc. as you mentioned) and then interpreted this as a sign of god's grace, or thought those who didn't get circumcised where falling ill and dying because God was mad at them. I think this would probably reinforce it as a religious practice, but that's just me making shit up so what do I know 🤷‍♀️

[@fritnat]

No, you're not making it up, you're just repeating the myth you've been told. If you actually thought about it you'd realise how absolutely absurd such a notion is. "No running water etc." is the worst kind of circumstances to begin doing amputation surgery. Even the Jews stopped their beloved practice during their 40 years in the dessert.

[@Hermetic_Enigma]

It was to mark them like cattle. To permanently brand them as a member of their cult so they would never be able to blend in with their peers.

[@JennaGetsCreative]

It's 6:07pm here in Newfoundland, Canada as I'm letting this play in the background and "not watching" 😉

[@nathanielsizemore3946]

It is 1842 CST in the USA. Yes, I'm circumcised and I wish I wasn't.

[@cat-cq2xi]

12/3/24 @ 18.50. I'm still catching up😂 love to pod guys. Not circumcised lol

[@Douga05]

11:01. Yes

[@CarolynKnits]

A friend of mine had an issue where his was way too tight, so he had the option of a full or partial circumcision. He went for partial as he didn't want too much of a lessening of sensation.

[@Maxbiggy]

The problem is that one of the most erogenous structures on the foreskin , the ridged band, is at the tip.. Even a "minor" circumcision still totally ablates this structure.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Steroid cream or preputioplasty are the only legitimate treatments for this.

[@thebluetornado6705]

I was circumcised at 8 days old because of my grandparents that are religious 😢. I think that if adults need to have a consent form to do that then children shouldn’t do that at all. I am an atheist and I would never have agreed for that. This is assault at a helpless. This should not be legal.

[@flarethefox9836]

These are grandparents that forced this? If this is true, then you CAN actually have a point. Your parents have control over you until you are 18, but your grandparents do not have any control. Unless they are legal guardians. You can still do something about law (like sue, charges, etc.) if you don’t believe you want it.

[@AnimeVerse_]

I just wanna not have balanitis anymore (20 male, virgin). I clean like your supposed to but once you get it, it seems like you can never really get rid of it. I’ve tried creams and pills and it has gotten better but not to the point that a women would wanna suck it.

[@janApen]

Yes and It’s 13:47

[@bitsy00005]

4:05pm EST

[@StSebbe]

29:11 check yourself before you wreck yourself

[@renny3816]

I’m not at risk of HIV because I have foreskin. Behavior increases your risk of HIV, not your genitals.

[@Okay_Is_Wonderful]

11:08 pm eastern comment for the algorithm 💚

[@allisongray3703]

It is 11:32 PM

[@Human0942]

its 21:36 for me

[@karlmichaelbaloy8943]

The commandment to circumcise was a covenant made with Abraham and is recorded in Genesis 17:10-14, reading: 'And God spoke to Abraham saying: … This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and thy seed after you - every male child among you shall be circumcised.

[@spudmadethis]

7.30pm, it’s 7.30pm

[@Anybanks]

Its 12:12!

[@chester1882]

I can’t help it lean in when Cory speaks in a lower voice to what he has been talking in.

[@lauri7529]

it is 21:34 pm

[@Fluff_and_stuff]

19:15 in California, and I’m no penis owner. Love you guys ✌🏼🤍

[@cuartemi6582]

It’s 7:19 pm

[@robertcuminale1212]

Smegma is a Greek word. It means soap.

[@brentfiscus6357]

I am circumcised, I was circumcised as a baby and I absolutely despise it. I'm an American and I absolutely despise this country for what it allows to happen to baby boys. What a sick disgusting Society that would take a baby boy and strap him down and rip his penis apart. People trying to say that there is no difference in what an intact guy feels and a circumcised guy feels during sexual activity is total bullshit. I have been doing foreskin restoration for The Last 5 Years. If you do the research you will find that there are many devices out there on the market that guys have invented to use for foreskin restoration. They are tension devices that put a consistent tension on the remaining foreskin to eventually stretch but also create new skin cells over time. It absolutely works but is very time consuming and sometimes impractical but it's the only resource that we have to help us to feel not only mentally and emotionally better about ourselves but it also has physical benefits as far as sensitivity goes. The glans of my penis stays covered all the time now when I am flaccid and has made a a huge difference in what I feel and the sensations that I feel. It is honestly like having a totally different penis then what I was used to my whole life. I was not able to consent to what was done to me and I never would have consented. If you are 18 years or older you have the right to do what you want with your body but nobody should ever have the right to remove a normal healthy body part from a minor of any age.

[@minksrule2196]

This is why I'm scared that my future children might be male. I was raised Muslim but I'm not religious. I don't want to get disowned however so I hope I find a Muslim man to marry. I'm likely to find a man like me who isn't very religious (or I hope so anyway). I would not circumsise my child but I would be very pressured by my family and my future husband's family I assume. I would also either have to lie to any relatives that come over asking about when he got circumsised or face the judgement. If I do lie then I would also have to hide whenever changing his nappy and also make sure no one sees him when he's a toilet training toddler. He may then feel as though he is different from everyone else especially if he uses a urinal. But if it effects him that much then he can choose to get rid of it.

[@fritnat]

Well hopefully you will have your future husband many more years by your side than you had or will have, with those who raised you. I have muslim women friends who were disowned by their families after marrying non muslims, neither of them have any regrets and now many years later and with children the tide is turning and the parents are paying a far higher price. None of the children have been cut, neither boys or girls - their tradition is gender inclusive and they are cut themselves. Cutting is all about trying to ensure the new generation stays in the community. I also know other muslims who have not had their children cut and they say there is nothing in Islam stipulating when it should be done so they can decide for themselves. It's not in the Koran and there is no consensus about the ritual ie no special prayers, time of day, instruments, cutter etc etc. all of which points to it not being so religious. There isn't even a narrative about the prophet's own cutting nor that of his wives. He may feel different if in the future being cut he associates with lots of intact men.

[@theductductgoose]

As I revert I had similar concerns for if I ever had sons. I asked my Sheikha about it, and she told me that it's actually only a Sunnah, not Fard. So that made up my mind that I wouldn't not circumcise any infant sons, but around 9-12 I would let them make the decision on their own, fully informed. The added benefit being that he could be properly anesthesized and communicate for pain management/complications much better. She also had me look at one common style of Jewish circumcision (practiced today still) where only the tip of the foreskin is removed, rather than the entirety. This also helped to reassure me of concerns of removing too much. When I first started learning about the problems with circumcision I learned about people who ended up with skin so tight that getting erect was painful, or not possible. That sounds horrifying to me. I'd rather there be an excess to accommodate growth.

[@fritnat]

@@theductductgoose Kids of 9 or 10 are not able to give informed consent on such a matter just as they cannot agree to a marriage. They haven't even experienced the full function of this part of the body. They should wait at least until they are adults, such a bodily modification is an adult decision.

[@theductductgoose]

@@fritnat good point. My thinking was before prayer becomes mandatory. But again, it's a sunnah, not Fard, so I suppose prayer doesn't actually factor into when it gets considered.

[@gymrat3203]

"He may then feel as though he is different from everyone else especially if he uses a urinal." It is a mortal sin to look at another guy using an urinal in a public restroom. To look is improper etiquette and could even get your beat up. You look straight ahead and often times the establishment will put the newspaper on the wall so you can look at it. As a man I can say your fears are utterly ridiculous when it comes to urinals. Your statement makes me wonder what women do in the restroom now!

[@Shsisofofjensjskkf]

Wish I wasn’t

[@schwarzeasche7538]

01:00am 19.09.2022

[@puptastic5]

my time is 00:09

[@briannamanchester5919]

It's 9/22/2022 11:08 pm :)))

[@waltergale2903]

Yessssss

[@nightburststudios2142]

It’s 3:36 PM

[@elfdruid2072]

8:32 am

[@georgiekelly1808]

22:51👍

[@theblurryblackcat]

3:30am lol

[@bananewane1402]

4:51am

[@flaniginflag]

12:41am

[@kenandjotjivau4636]

11h21AM

[@tragician474]

from what i've heard on history, jewish people started to circumcise because they traveled a lot and didn't always have access to water and did it for hygenic reasons and then it turned into a religious practice but that could be wrong

[@alvarosantana4219]

1:50

[@nathdominguezmazhari1094]

16:39

[@georgiawoods6958]

08:03

[@deadlymelody27]

11:12

[@fritnat]

Being censored...

[@fritnat]

"sit down your young boys and say hey here's how we respect other people" by telling them how they, or boys like them, are ...

[@fritnat]

... strapped down screaming and have the most sensitive part of their perfectly healthy and normal ...

[@fritnat]

... █████ sliced off!

[@Kaltag2278]

2:42.37

[@LilCatDude]

4:54 (am for Americans)

[@ComradeBenjamin]

My parents had me circumcised when I was a baby and while I do agree with giving someone bodily autonomy, I personally have always been so great full that I was circumcised.

[@themikylayup6351]

why?

[@omegalilbchass8270]

⁠@@themikylayup6351why does there need to be a reason?

[@romeonorris7635]

17:49🤠

[@andreawinkletjones8381]

22:20 :)

[@garethjones2596]

God commanded Abraham to be circumcised and all of his male children and male dependents (slaves) and thereafter all Jewish males on the eighth day after their birth. If Jesus was born on December 25, the eighth day would be Jan 1 (the feast of the Holy Circumcision). Although Ishmael, theoretically was circumcised as Abraham's other son, Muslim boys can be circumcised during puberty.

[@ELIAHAVAH]

I think a lot of anti-circumcision people get really anti-Jewish. I think people need to back off from a religious cultural practice that IF DONE CORRECTLY causes no actual harm whatsoever. you don't need your f\*cking foreskin, it's not a vital f\*cking organ, for Christ's sake. do y'all object to cultures that pierce their children's ears?

[@frontiervirtcharter]

Brit milah was the original procedure , only removed as much skin as could be stretched past the tip. Brit periah was introduced during Greco-Roman times and removes more skin including all of the inner lining.

[@saulcontrerasOfficial]

I was circumcised as an infant and I don’t care.

[@matthewking8806]

Yes , I am a proud circumcised gentile, and yet I don’t have a teeny weenie.

[@jeangenie1240]

19:32