Indoctrinating Children in Religion

[GrandizerII]

Yeah, I come down on that side of it.

I see that there are more health factors to circumcision than I realized, but it appears to me that when balanced against the risks and advantages of not having it done, it's not an open an shut case.

The problem is more than any sort of mutilation is allowed because it's religious. That is where you get into problems. Then the door is open for other blatantly non-beneficial practices.

Would it be fair to say that the vast majority of circumcisions are performed primarily for religious reasons these days? (I'm thinking of the Jewish as being the lion's share?)

I wouldn't know, but problems with circumcision should not only be pointed out when religious beliefs are involved. As is stated on WebMD, the benefits are not strong enough to render circumcision more favorable than no circumcision. So even for non-religious purposes, short of medical necessity, there is no justification for child circumcision, especially when you take into consideration psychological consequences which proponents of circumcision tend to ignore ... and the ethical issue of cutting off a valuable part of your child's penis for no legit reason.

As for hygiene issues and risk of STDs, there's knowing how to wash your genitals properly and using condoms and such. None of them require circumcision.