During a recent study on Judaism, a question arose regarding circumcision: why did God require it? We will carefully examine Scripture to attempt to discern the answer. Before that, in continuity with our study of Judaism, we’ll do a brief overview of circumcision among Jews today.
Although circumcision is practiced across all five, major Jewish denominations, it is not uniformly observed. Reform Judaism, for instance, encourages, but does not require, circumcision of non-Jewish converts.[1] Reconstructionist Jews advocate circumcision for converts, but often are lax in enforcing that standard. Secular Jews–50% of all Israeli Jews are secular and non-practicing–have no spiritual investment with religious rites surrounding circumcision, but in many cases, decide as a cultural matter to go forward with it as a ritual event.
Continue reading “Circumcision: Why Did God Institute That Practice?”
