Err...should we circumcise him?

After bible study meeting last night, whilst cooking our favourite instant noodles snack for supper, YL suddenly asked me, "Do you think we should circumcise 乐乐 after he is borned?"

I went, "Huh??" I've known about circumcision, but this has never crossed my mind. I supposed it was because before this, we didn't know whether we were expecting a boy or a girl, so it was irrelevant to think of the matter. But now that we know that 乐乐 is a boy, it is something for us to consider.

Bearing in mind that we just ended bible study not too long ago, I asked YL, "Is it something that God has put in your mind to consider?"

YL looked at me and smiled, "I think so!!"


Definition of circumcision: The word circumcision means “to cut around”. In male infants, circumcision is a surgical procedure to remove the skin covering the end of the penis, called the foreskin.


Circumcision is often a hotly contested issue, making unbiased facts hard to come by. This is what I found from the information on the internet:

Medical Research:

a) Some studies indicate that the risk of developing a urinary tract infection is higher for baby boys who are uncircumcised, about a 1 in 100 chance versus 1 in 1,000 for a circumcised infant.

b) In addition, while penile cancer is extremely rare (9 or 10 cases per year per 1 million men), uncircumcised men do get this cancer more often.

c) Some research also suggests that circumcised men may be at a reduced risk for developing syphilis and HIV infections, though obviously, behavior has a great deal more to do with who contracts sexually transmitted diseases.

d) Circumcision may protect a future wife from cervical cancer. In 1988 approximately 7,000 women died of this disease. There are some research which has cited that there was a significant decrease in cervical cancer when the male partner is circumcised. E.g. There was a medical report which indicated that among non-Jewish women whose husbands were uncircumcised, there was a 2,000 percent greater incidence of cervical cancer than in Jewish women.

e) On the con's side, as with any surgery, there are risks involved in circumcision such as bleeding, infection and improper healing. Although these complications might be rare and usually minor, some parents may feel that there’s no compelling reason to take a chance on a procedure they believe is unnecessary.


What it says in the bible: We've also read about circumcision in the bible. It is known as an operation that entered one into the covenant in Old Testament times. It was instituted by God (Gen. 17:10-14) and performed on the eighth day after birth (Luke 1:59). It was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham (Gen. 17:12; Rom. 4:11). However, the physical operation is not practised in the New Testament. Instead, a circumcision of the heart of the Christian is taught (Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11-12). Some people have argued that this is the "true circumcision" (Rom. 2:29).


My views (at the moment):
Intuitively, I thought that circumcision must be beneficial, since God has instituted it for the Jews. There are quite a few of the "laws" in the bible's Old Testament given to the Children of Israel, which I have often felt have beneficial consequences for their physical and emotional health. Therefore, I must confess that "conceptually", I am not averse to consider circumcising 乐乐.

Also, it helps that for medical reasons, YL himself was circumcised when he was young (not when he was an infant). So, circumcision is not exactly a vague fuzzy concept but an outcome, which I myself have "seen". And having been through all that surgical pain himself as a primary school kid, it says a lot when YL was the one to bring up the subject and was willing to consider that for his child.

What about the emotional feelings of a mother/mother-to-be on this matter?

I read an article by a Jewish mother herself, written from a "Jewish feminist perspective" which argued strongly against circumcision. The author wrote of how as a mother and facing pressures from the Jewish traditions, she has to repress her innate desire and wisdom to oppose circumcision. As a result, she said that "the screams of my babies remain imbedded in my bones and still haunt the edges of my mind"...

Its true, I saw some rather graphic images of the procedure on the internet (its too graphic for me to post on this journal site of mine) that really made me "shiver" in fear. Which mother wouldn't feel upset when her child is subjected to a surgery and screaming his lungs out in pain?? But I suppose the difference between myself and the jewish women is that I probably wouldn't need to witness the "event of circumcision". The surgery could, and probably would be carried out away from my sight. Still, I am his mother, and I need to be responsible and properly consider the pros and cons, as well as whether there is a need to circumcise 乐乐.

These are the following articles which we've found to have a sound biblical basis, but yet non-biased towards any specific decision:
a) What The Bible Teaches About Circumcision (a pastor's sermon) ; and
b) Circumcision? What you need to know before you decide.


Well, so will we or will we not? We are still unsure.

Whatever the outcome, I really hope that 乐乐 can at least take heart that we, as his parents, would have prayfully considered all aspects before deciding whether to subject him to the procedure... :)