Reply to Any Jews having a tough time with circumcision?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Wow!  OP here.  Haven't had a chance to check back on this thread until now and I see it has certainly gotten some attention.

It is unfortunate that the thread was hijacked by the general circumcision, female circumcision, FGM debate since that was not my intention in posting it.  It was not intended to be a medical discussion either.  We can all do our own research about the health aspects of the issue.

I was really looking for thoughts from other Jewish mothers on circumcising a son in line with religion/tradition/culture when 21st Century America seems to be moving away from it.  So, thank you to those of you who actually addressed that.

I have read about bris shalom but it does not appear to be accepted by mainstream Jewish groups.

Among the Reform Jews on this board, I am curious as to whether you have a sense of how many uncircumcised boys there are within your synagogue or the community.

And for those who have wrestled with the same issue, I am curious how you've reconciled tradition versus the idea that something that may have been appropriate (and considered medically necessary for health reasons) hundreds of years ago may not be today.  I suppose one of my hang-ups is that there are a number of old customs in living religions that I completely disagree with to the extent that I think don't think they should be permitted in secular society (I won't mention them here as it is sure to spark another debate). I am having a difficult time understanding how feeling this way about another religion's customs can be consistent with circumcising my son in line with my own religion.
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Have you tried talking with your rabbi or a rabbi? If you are wrestling to this extent you may want to see what a rabbi at a community you'd consider belonging to thinks. If Reform rabbis don't mind boys not being circumcised, and you really don't want to do it, that would seem to answer your question. On the other hand if they insist on it, you would have to really reconcile it with your beliefs. For me it's not something I feel strongly about, so the religious mandate trumps; but if I did feel strongly, I would certainly look for ways around it.

Also, regarding your thoughts on other religions -- I don't really understand why this has to play a role, other than in a general philosophical discussion. For example, there are aspects of other cultures I admire, but I am not living in them, so I will raise my kids as I was raised. If I were living in Japan, I'd probably raise them more in line with the general culture around me -- but I'm not. With religion, sometimes it is hard to see the reason for a practice unless you grew up with it or are living with it. So what may look crazy in another religion looks ok in your own because it's so familiar. All this to say, you really should do what you want to do, whatever that is. Don't feel guilty about circumcising if you want to do it; and don't feel guilty about not doing it if you don't want to. While I personally will do it if my baby is male, I certainly won't be looking down other kids' pants to see what their parents decided![/quote]

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