Do Fundies Circumcize?

[formergothardite]

Gothard has recommended some pretty crazy shit over the years. Once he had these special light bulbs women were supposed to sleep under (sit under?, it has been awhile) and they would cure pms problems. He was once on this whole wheat diet kick where you were supposed to eat huge quanities of whole wheat bread. And then there was the vegan kick he went on. He manages to twist the Bible to back up whatever latest crap he is into. He just flits from one medical thing to another.

[ilovetchotchkes]

Really?

First of all: what rabbi (or mohel, rather) would go along with that? Is it just a business transaction for them?

Second of all: how do they justify that theologically?

Brainsample: would you say that fundamentalist supersessionist theology borders on the anti-semitic? I remember reading something here about Dough Philips' disparaging remarks on 'modern Judaism'.

Our mohel didn't just do brissim, he would have done it in the office for a non Jewish child.

[Brainsample]

Why is there a Medical Training Institute as part of Gothard's empire? Seriously, he thinks that it can ADVISE doctors? Because that's just what every doctor wants - to be told after 4 years of med school and even more years of residency and annual mandatory Continuing Medical Education that they really need the advice contained in some internet printout from a religious site. :roll:

Medically, routine infant circumcision has pros and cons, and the AAP position is that they are equally balanced. If you live in sub-

Saharan Africa, esp. in an area with sky-high rates of HIV infection, then it's recommended. I'm not sure why a religious website is getting involved with advice on the issue.

Brother Bill, a big fan of the Keswick "Higher Life" movement, believes that because he's memorized chapters of Scripture that it automatically imparts special mystical wisdom unto him so that he can lead the masses in God's higher, hidden ways.

For those who didn't have the joy of going to the 30 hour session of brainwashing, he teaches that you also can glean the enhancing effect of Scripture memory to help with your academic skill. If you're having trouble with calculus, just memorize a couple of chapters of Scripture, and you'll be getting As in no time! Shaazam!

He teaches some kind of weird combination between Roman Catholic Doctrine, American folk beliefs, and good old fashioned gnosticism, except that Bill is his own sort of pope. Oh yeah, and in there and along the way, he at about age sixty gets to "court" 16 year old girls.

[formergothardite]

Here is his "medical" advice on mental illness:

y4gieCr-YRk

[pomology]

Our mohel didn't just do brissim, he would have done it in the office for a non Jewish child.

Was your mohel also a pediatrician? Because the mohel(et?) who did my cousin's son's bris was also a pediatrician. She was also awesome and spoke really well about the meaning of the bris.

[ADoyle90815]

One benefit fundies might see in circumcision is that they don't have to worry about hygiene since it involves touching the penis to clean under the foreskin, and that might tempt one into committing the serious sin of masturbation. In a way, I'm surprised the Mormon church hasn't required circumcision as there are still teachings in that church that say that masturbation is one of the worst sins someone can commit. Instead, the church leaves the decision up to the parents to make for themselves.

[CanticleoftheTurning]

My Catholic family didn't circumcise my three brothers, so I didn't think anybody else outside of Judaism or Islam circumcised their boys, until I got older and discovered Catholic Answers forums, and saw some of the huge flamewars over circumcision. (It's a forbidden topic because of the flamewars). (Also, Catholic Answers is like fundie-lite compared to Fisheaters...good for a snark. I don't participate over there anymore.)

Anyhow, my understanding is that other people may choose to circumcise their sons for reasons other than religious. Sometimes it's for the medical benefits, sometimes it's just because "that's the way we've always done it." DH's family fell in the latter category, but DH and I've decided we're not going to have our future sons circumcised. It is due in large part because DH had to be in essence re-circumcised because he had some painful skin bridges, which apparently occur fairly often.

Just a matter up to each individual family, I guess.

[CanticleoftheTurning]

One benefit fundies might see in circumcision is that they don't have to worry about hygiene since it involves touching the penis to clean under the foreskin, and that might tempt one into committing the serious sin of masturbation. In a way, I'm surprised the Mormon church hasn't required circumcision as there are still teachings in that church that say that masturbation is one of the worst sins someone can commit. Instead, the church leaves the decision up to the parents to make for themselves.

In the same train of thought, wouldn't fundies be getting their girls circumcised by the droves? I mean, there are a lot of folds down there that we have to clean...SO MUCH TEMPTATION. :roll:

[ilovetchotchkes]

Was your mohel also a pediatrician? Because the mohel(et?) who did my cousin's son's bris was also a pediatrician. She was also awesome and spoke really well about the meaning of the bris.

Yep! He was great too. I know of a female mohelet but she was in New Orleans at the time of my kiddos bris.