Clivedurdle

Has anyone asked if there are any correlations? Might circumcision be a necessary factor in getting people to be monotheistic?

Why does Paul go on about it? Why was it really such an important point in the New Testament?

I had not realised, for example, that Hadrian had banned it.....

Toto

I think circumcision was practiced by the Egyptians, who were not monotheists.

premjan

The Egyptians were occasional monotheists and I believe the Jews copied circumcision from the Egyptians (or at least from Africans).

Zwaarddijk

Circumcision was widely practiced in the middle east and northeast Africa in antiquity. It is very possible the Jews didn't copy it from the Egyptians, but that both inherited it from a shared ancestor. Of course, it's possible the influence of Egypt ensured that nearby afro-asiatic tribes kept up the practice as well.

The existence of Christianity, Sikhism and Zoroastrism - three monotheistic religions that generally don't practice circumcision is also kind of relevant here. If those three could exist without circumcision, then it's clear there's no reason to assume monotheism only can thrive with circumcision.

Clivedurdle

And all three need looking at in detail. Xianity and Sikhism are both reactions to other stuff, xianity had a real debate about it. Sikhism similarly is a reaction to Islam, Xianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Xianity is probably only anti circumcision because the Romans and Greeks were.

The interesting question is why Islam went for it, when it obviously has strong Persian roots.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumcision_and_law

Clivedurdle

Might any correlation be with fundamentalist attitudes?

Bronzeage

Of course. Cutting the foreskin off of an infant's penis narrows the mind.

It has been seen in many instances, a new religion co-opts and assumes the culture and its traditions. Circumcision has been practiced in the middle east for untold generations before the Tribes if Israel assumed their identity.

It's the sort of thing that requires a serious emotional investment. Once it is a solid cultural tradition, it will not be easily relinquished.

Zwaarddijk

The spread of Christianity mainly appeared after circumcision had widely been rejected, though. Most converts to Christianity did not convert to it in order to take a stand against Judaism.

Clivedurdle

It should not be too difficult to carry out some statistical and population studies.

Jaybees

Circumcision (both male and female), subincision, hemi-castration, scarification, head binding, foot binding, nose bones, neck extensions, and a host of other mutilations have been practiced by a whole-variety of groups over the centuries. These rituals are only incidentally connected to religion or some variety of same like monotheism.

The fact is, adults simply enjoy doing such things to the young---always justifying it on some other basis, of course.