Intact or Circumcised

[Randall Flagg]

Before any parent has their son circumcised for a non-religious reason, I suggest they observe a few procedures being done.

http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/circvid9.rm

If you saw someone hurting your child you would pounce upon them, yet people choose to do this to infants.
Ouch!

[Brice]

While, I'm certainly not criticizing or condemning anyone else for it I wouldn't do it even for religious reasons.

[B Rag]

I can assure you all that cleaning an intact penis is just as easy as cleaning a cut one and cutting, despite what we've been led to believe, does not help a man stay any cleaner.

Don't you have to pull back the foreskin to clean under it? I remember my textbook in Health class saying something about that. So that would make it a little less easy... right?

Oh, its incredibly complicated. You need to obtain a degree in Penis Management before you're even ready to give it a shot, thats how hard it is.

For you circumcised fellas: don't you need some form of lube every time you have a wank?

[Matt]

That comment freaks me out a bit, are you saying that if you are un snipped...it lubes itself?

When my son was born we didn't have a lot of info but I think the driving reason for the decision (here in the US anyway) is so your son isn't different.

Its not common to be "unsnipped" here as we all know and it's horrific to some parents to think about their son having to grow up in a society that considers them different (or weird) because of it.

Locker room
Little Susie's first look and disgust
Being laughed at in the back seat
New wife thinking its odd

it goes on and on.

I'm not saying its a good reason but there it is. Science may have made it unnecessary but society over here hasn't.

[ManOfWesternesse]

While, I'm certainly not criticizing or condemning anyone else for it I wouldn't do it even for religious reasons.

Have to agree with you Brice, with the same disclaimer.

I was brought up Catholic, and we have some great 'man-made-rules' too.
But I just can't imagine St.Peter sitting at the Gates of Glory (insert whatever Religious equivalent here), with 2 stairways behind him (one going up & one going down), and with a little waist-high table in front of him saying "slap it down there 'till I get a look at it".

[Brice]

Yeah, I'm down with the don't murder, and covet, and all that. I could even theoretially at least accept the rest of it, but when god says "oh, there's one more thing..." I'm out.

[sarah]

my son is not cut. We took a lot of heat from our families and friends at the time. Now, six years later, I'm so glad we didn't do it to our boy. The main reasons why we chose to not do it are:

1. We felt like it was his penis and if he wants in cut when he's an adult, then that should be his choice.

2. We had heard that sex is supposed to be much more sensitive when you're not circumcised.

3. He just seemed so little to do it at the hospital and we decided to take him home and think about it. That is when we decided that we'd let him choose the path of his own body.

[cozener]

That comment freaks me out a bit, are you saying that if you are un snipped...it lubes itself?

When my son was born we didn't have a lot of info but I think the driving reason for the decision (here in the US anyway) is so your son isn't different.

Its not common to be "unsnipped" here as we all know and it's horrific to some parents to think about their son having to grow up in a society that considers them different (or weird) because of it.

Locker room
Little Susie's first look and disgust
Being laughed at in the back seat
New wife thinking its odd

it goes on and on.

I'm not saying its a good reason but there it is. Science may have made it unnecessary but society over here hasn't.

If anyone ever makes fun of one of my boys in the locker room all they have to say is, "Dude...why are you looking at my dick?" Something tells me that any teasing will stop and quite abruptly.

But I'm not worried about it. Leaving penises intact is on the rise in this country. Circumcision rates have dropped dramatically from 90 something to 60 something percent. I'm guessing that at least part of the reason is that people are just becoming more educated on the subject, that and less people have insurance these days.

[B Rag]

That comment freaks me out a bit, are you saying that if you are un snipped...it lubes itself?

I think he meant that with an unsnipped, you can just pull the skin back and forth to do it. But sometimes a snipped one can do that too.



Say, has anyone read the story in Genesis where one of Jacob's daughters got raped (well, "defiled") by a prince, and her brothers worked out an agreement with the king that he would be forgiven and they could marry, but every man in the city had to be circumcised? A couple days later, while they were still sore, Simeon and Levi (two of the brothers) killed every man in the town..
I hope that's not off topic.

[Wuducynn]

my son is not cut. We took a lot of heat from our families and friends at the time. Now, six years later, I'm so glad we didn't do it to our boy. The main reasons why we chose to not do it are:

1. We felt like it was his penis and if he wants in cut when he's an adult, then that should be his choice.

2. We had heard that sex is supposed to be much more sensitive when you're not circumcised.

3. He just seemed so little to do it at the hospital and we decided to take him home and think about it. That is when we decided that we'd let him choose the path of his own body.

Good woman. Especially 1. That's the ultimately relevant issue.

[fernandito]

It's funny how everyone is getting so worked up over penises.

[lophophoras]

It's funny how everyone is getting so worked up over penises.

[Poisonbat]

I had my first son done only because my husband was pressuring me to do so. It was terrible. He wound up getting a cyst the size of a ping pong ball on his penis, and they told me that he may have to have it amputated. He went through several surgeries to fix his problem. This was a horrible experience that I did not repeat with my second son. He is uncut. He has never had a problem with it, and has had girlfriends that never complained. There were questions in the bathtub between my two boys, but I just explained that my older son had an operation that my younger son did not. Luckily my third child was a girl. I would not recommend cutting off a piece of your childs body unless it is medically needed. My niece is having a boy in October. I don't know what her decision will be, but I hope she doesn't put him through this procedure.

[cozener]

It's funny how everyone is getting so worked up over penises.

Hey who doesn't?

[Daghain]

It's funny how everyone is getting so worked up over penises.

Hey who doesn't?

Yeah, he says that like it's a bad thing.

[Matt]

I had my first son done only because my husband was pressuring me to do so. It was terrible. He wound up getting a cyst the size of a ping pong ball on his penis, and they told me that he may have to have it amputated. He went through several surgeries to fix his problem. This was a horrible experience that I did not repeat with my second son. He is uncut. He has never had a problem with it, and has had girlfriends that never complained. There were questions in the bathtub between my two boys, but I just explained that my older son had an operation that my younger son did not. Luckily my third child was a girl. I would not recommend cutting off a piece of your childs body unless it is medically needed. My niece is having a boy in October. I don't know what her decision will be, but I hope she doesn't put him through this procedure.

What a horrible experience

With my son, it was easy peasy.

However, I understand peoples reservations to doing it especially when its been proven that it is wholly unnecessary.

And...its great to see you here poisonbat.

[Darkthoughts]

My friend's son had to have it done, age 12, for medical reasons. But it was done under a general anaesthetic, which is much less barbaric imo.
On the whole, it is very uncommon in the UK.

For what specific religious reasons do people have this done?

[jayson]

For what specific religious reasons do people have this done?

To jews, circumcision or "Bris Malah" is what is called a "mitzvah aseh" which translates more or less as a "positive commandment" to perform a certain act. It represents the covenant made between Abraham and God in Genesis 17:1-14. It's the ceremonial welcoming into the "tribe" of new jewish males.

[mia/susannah]

I am grateful this is one decision I never had to make

[cozener]

Wow Poisonbat, thats terrible...perhaps in a way, worse for you than for your son. I hope that neither you or your husband ever beat yourselves up too badly over it. Back then people got pretty much railroaded into doing this with bad information and a lot of pressure from not only fathers that were circ'd but, tragically, from the medical community. But things are turning around. Maybe you could do your niece's son a solid and email your niece the link I posted.

[theBeamisHome]

it doesn't take off any length when it's cut does it?

I've been with guys both cut and uncut.... i prefer cut and i couldn't tell a difference in sensitivity for them (they all moaned ) and Nigel is cut.. he wants two boys, but idk how he'd feel about the issue.

awful story, my dad wasn't cut when he was born and so he got it done when he was like 7. he said it was probably the most painful thing he went through..

idk how i'd feel about it. i'd probably leave it up to my husband. I'd really hate to feel responsible for something bad happening to my baby because of the procedure or my inability to treat the wound properly later.

as far as religion goes, i thought that Christians pretty much followed the old Jewish rule about it. and i also don't think that God is gonna turn someone away because of a lil extra skin... if that was the case, why would He make men with it?

[cozener]

Actually I've read that it can effect the length and the curvature. Honestly I'm not sure why an intact penis is supposed to have more curvature. I can see the size thing though. After all you are cutting off a fair sized portion of the thing. But I can't see it making a big enough difference that a woman would feel. Jesus, I hope not.

[John Blaze]

There are some intances...rare instances...where men do have to do it for medical reasons. God that would suck.

But honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that most insurance companies covered the procedure it wouldn't be done nearly as often as it is. When people have to start paying for this they'll do the research and find out for themselves just how unnecessary it is before they shell out hundreds of their own ducets.

it is unneccesary from a medical standpoint, maybe, but so is getting your ears pierced, and plenty of people do that.

Brice mentioned that the choice isn't made by the person it's done to, and he's correct, in most cases. But we pierced my little girl's ears the day she turned 4 months, and she sure didn't like it, but didn't have a choice in the matter. Is there really a difference?

When it comes to transgender children and operating on them so they can fit neatly into one gender, I'm with you, that's bullshit. But I still don't understand what the big deal is, or why you feel so strongly about it. Why is it an issue for you?

[B Rag]

But we pierced my little girl's ears the day she turned 4 months, and she sure didn't like it, but didn't have a choice in the matter. Is there really a difference?

Well, ear piercings aren't permanent, are they? (If they are, I feel like a total dope for saying that) So there's a difference!

[Lee]

Any kind of piercings can grow up, but there is usually still a scar.