Thursday, May 24, 2007

Traditions


The Circumcision -- Bellini

Okay, it is a delicate subject --circumcision. The word is that a small but increasing number of Jewish parents are choosing not to have their sons circumcized. This has been an important ritual of the Jewish faith for 3,000 years signifying commitment to God and loyalty to the faith. It is so central that those who are choosing not to circumcize their boys are reluctant to speak about it or give their names in interviews because of family and community expectations.

When I saw an article on this yesterday it made me wonder about our rituals. I continue to be unsettled by some of the requests for baptism by parents who have given up any meaningful involvement with their Christian faith. It may be a ritual without much depth for them, but it is powerful for me and I am reluctant to "go through the motions." I'm glad that more and more parents wait for baptism until it represents a significant commitment.

We speak of our sacraments as an outward sign of an inward reality. We understand that some Christian groups such as the Salvation Army and the Quakers don't observe them. Of course the Roman Catholics have seven sacraments instead of the Protestant two.

Whatever our rituals, they need to be grounded in a profound spiritual experience. And even if we minimize or omit the rituals, God can be present in our lives.
at

2 comments:

  1. Beanie's Appa10:02 PM

    Wait a minute, physically, there's a huge difference between circumcision and baptism. In baptism, a preacher dunks you in water, or if you're catholic a priest sprinkles water on you when you're a baby. But with circumcision, a rabbi chops off half the skin of your penis - bye bye 20,000 sexual nerve endings - Human bodily sacrifice. Ancient ritual tribal body mod. Many of the Jews that are questioning circumcision are realizing that it's incompatible with modern notions of ethics - i.e. don't chop off a healthy normal body part from an unconsenting minor. They realize that it's wrong for us to question other cultures modifying their children's bodies without questioning the same of your own. What was that verse? "take the log out of your eye before the twig out of your neighbors"? or "let he with no sin throw the first stone."

    ReplyDelete
  2. David Mundy9:52 AM

    No argument about the physical differences and the medical implications which are causing Jewish parents( and others) to reconsider circumcision.

    There are also the cultural considerations which drive many people to participate in religious rituals, whether they believe in them or not.

    I advise parents that their child is loved by God, whether baptism occurs or not. I imagine this is the same rationale for some Jewish parents.

    Thanks for your comments.

    ReplyDelete