This is my response to prompt #13 (What modern cultural causes are closest to this deity's heart?). The reason for the unwieldy title is that I feel there is no small danger of projecting a favorite cause onto a deity. I certainly haven't been informed what is closest to FB's heart. So I'll just be honest. This issue is important to me personally. Nevertheless, I do get the "thumbs up" from FB on this, accompanied by a set of emotions: something like a mix of confusion, revulsion and sadness with regard to the practice of infant circumcision. Frijjo Birkijoniz please forgive my presumption if I misrepresent you here.
(A note on the strong language I use in this post: there actually are not any words in the language to express the anger, disgust and grief I feel regarding this vile practice. If you feel that words like "repulsive" and "mutilation" are to strong to use for this topic then you should probably stop reading here.)
Let me just put it out there that I oppose all mutilation of infants and children. The practice of female genital cutting is repulsive and it should end yesterday. That being said, however, FGM is (thankfully) not practiced on a large scale and in a legally and medically sanctioned manner in my society. The same cannot be said for the practice of infant male "circumcision". I use the scare quotes because the word circumcision is a euphemism used to sanitize and obfuscate the obscene practice of sexually mutilating a child. The fact that the circumcision of infant boys is carried out legally in every hospital in this country by otherwise (presumably) ethical medical professionals is an abomination. Every single argument against FGM applies to boys as well, in substance if not degree.
I am not against all circumcision, or even against circumcision per se. Body modification is fine by me. I like tattoos personally. I like wearing them and I like getting them. I am a consenting adult. If another man wants to surgically alter his penis for whatever reason that is 100% fine by me and I wholeheartedly support his right to do so. I can think of myriad reasons why an adult man might choose to be circumcised. I'll even concede that there may be medical advantages to being circumcised. But here's the thing. An infant cannot give consent. This is the reason that there is a crime called statutory rape. This is the reason a minor cannot legally obtain a tattoo. Circumcision is an extreme modification of the of the sexual organs. To inflict it on an infant without fantastically compelling and immediate medical need is a mutilation which, in my opinion is tantamount to a sex crime.
I try not to judge parents who choose this for their sons. Many are not well informed on the issue. In many places there is still enormous cultural pressure to circumcise. Parents, please educate yourselves. Do I judge doctors and other medical professionals who participate in the perpetration of this blasphemy? You better fucking believe I do. There is plenty of literature out there. Performing unnecessary surgery on an infant for cosmetic or cultural reasons or as a prophylaxis against the possibility of future medical need is unethical to say the least. It is bad medicine and you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Now the stickiest question: religious freedom. Observant Jews are required to circumcise their sons in infancy. I still believe the practice is evil, but I understand the reasons behind it. The reasons are not evil. The people are not evil. The practice, however, is. I will say though, that if the requirements o your religion are not crucial enough to you for you to keep kosher or observe Sabbath taboos I would humbly suggest you may want to think twice about cutting off part of your son's penis at least until he is old enough to have some say in the matter.
Muslims customarily circumcise their boys as well, although the practice is suggested rather than flat out required. In many cases, however, Islamic circumcision is not performed in infancy. To my Muslim friends, I would say that delaying the procedure until adolescence or adulthood removes my criticism entirely.
Many traditional societies also practice circumcision for religious and/or cultural reasons. Typically it is an initiation performed at puberty or at the onset of adulthood. Again this is much less problematic than infant circumcision and falls well within the bounds of legitimate religious freedom.
In terms of contemporary polytheism, I don't know where most folks stand on circumcision. The ancient Greeks and Romans abhorred and banned it. As far as I am aware it was unknown among the peoples of northern Europe. Iranian peoples did not generally circumcise before the arrival of Islam. It was practiced by the Egyptians, as well as many Levantine and Mesopotamian societies with a varying degree of universality depending on the group and era. I would be curious to know if it is practiced in a religious context among Kemetics and Qadishuma. I would suggest though that reserving the practice for adults not only relieves ethical concerns, but would also increase the devotional value of the practice.
As I stated at the outset. This is my cause. I haven't mentioned FB a whole lot, but what feedback I do receive from her leads me to conclude that she opposes infant circumcision. Its probably not the closest thing to her heart, but she does seem to care deeply about it. I frankly don't know what the most important contemporary cultural issue is for her. She hasn't told me.
There are lots of great resources regarding the elimination of infant male circumcision. If this is not an issue you've given much consideration, please take some time to educate yourself, especially if you are a parent.
http://www.intactamerica.org/
http://www.nocirc.org/
http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/
http://www.4eric.org/
http://www.thewholenetwork.org/
http://www.savingsons.org/
*WARNING* *NSFW* *THIS IS AN 18+ LINK* *TRIGGER WARNING*
http://celebratingforeskin.com/
This last one has many, many, pictures of intact and restored penises. The pictures range from the informational (some) to the outright dyed-in-the-wool pornographic (lots and lots... it is a tumblr after all), including plenty of images and commentary that I find misogynistic. I won't try to defend the indefensible, but I do have an educational motive for placing the link here. In the US we are mostly conditioned to see the circumcised penis as normal and the intact penis as strange/ugly/abnormal/exotic. This blog specifically celebrates intact sexuality. It does so from perspective of a heterosexual cismale. The author is a well-informed advocate who is committed to showing the function and beauty of the intact penis. The stuff at the back of the archive tends to skew to the informational while the newer posts are more to the pornography, with some overlap between the categories. The links on the right hand side of the page are mostly education/activism related. He is a man who was circumcised at birth who has chosen to restore his foreskin. He is by far the best advocate for foreskin restoration I know of. As an intact man myself, its not really something I can speak to directly, and foreskin education is this fellow's passion. If you want to look at pictures of foreskins this is the place to go.
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