"Boys will be boys."

...I recently read an article dealing with the ritual practices of Judaism, one of which is called the "Brit Milah"--or covenant of circumcision--when the foreskin of the baby's penis is lopped off without the baby's permission. Now, I always wondered about this rite performed on Jewish babies for centuries. I am certain that at least someone or a maverick sect in one of these many centuries might have objected to the Brit Milah as a barbaric practice. The poor kid--me, perhaps, has no concept of what is going to happen to him. One might argue that this is illegal, criminal, as well as unlawful; it can be considered assault with a deadly weapon--after all, the "Mohel" (a Jewish circumcision expert) carries a concealed knife that is an integral part of his purpose and occupation in life. Imagine a boy upon being asked what he wants to be when he grows up answers, "a Mohel".

... Then, during this dastardly procedure, a whole company of people, mostly family--and especially the parents, gather to watch the event, as though it were an execution. After all, the parents and grandparents do weep. Besides the argument of circumcision being akin to assault, the mohel stuffs cotton soaked in wine on the kid's mouth--which is breaking the law in that he is giving alcohol to a boy under the drinking age of 18. Perhaps it is done as sort of an apology for chopping off a part of the baby's penis which eventually could make him look bigger, let alone keeping the foreskin which contains sensitive nerve endings to enhance the experience--if you get my meaning.

...I admit that having a Brit Milah makes one look prettier, especially in the showers, but that is no reason for doing it if the baby doesn't want it done--after all, it is a part of his own body, just as a woman decides for herself if she wishes an abortion because she is in charge of her body thanks to the Supreme Court. Perhaps the procedure began as a means of reducing masturbation by limiting sensation. A less cruel way would be to tell the kid that masturbation would make him go blind. But everyone knows the traditional and classic answer to that prevarication, that wicked canard--"Would it be O.K. if I do it until I need glasses?"

...However, in spite of the arguments against circumcision, there is little or no chance that Judaism will change in that God said to Abraham, "Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your offspring to follow which you shall keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you" according to Genesis 17:10-11. Thus, circumcision is not simply a medical procedure in Judaism. Circumcision in Judaism is a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. Jewish boys, shortly after birth and upon getting their Hebrew name, have their penis reduced in weight as having joined the covenant with God, a covenant that links generation to generation and there is nothing they can do about it. So, to counteract the gentile kid's staring and laughing at you in the gym's shower, you can say, "God made me do it."