Senlathiel

I need some help--I am debating with a Christian about why God is ignorant of the natural sciences. As an example of her arguement, that God did know about the natural sciences in the Bible, she has brought to my attention something about Vitamen K and Hebrew circumcision.

Her argument is that Hebrews circumcize their children on the eigth day of life. This coincides with the time when microbes have grown in the baby's gastrointestinal tract enough to produce vitamen K, which is essential for blood clotting.

Does anyone know of a possible response to this "godly" foresight? Maybe babies wait to be cut to undergo some ritualistic cleaning or something (from touching the "unclean" parts of a woman)? Any suggestions would be helpful.

banditoloco

Perhaps the tradition of circumcision on the 8th day arose simply by trial and error. When it was performed before the 8th day, there may have been too many deaths, and so eventually, it was decided that the 8th day was the earliest possible day to safely perform circumcision. Your friend seems to be going on the assumption that God did, in fact, tell the Jews that circumcision must be performed on the 8th day. If so, they must provide proof.

Koyaanisqatsi

Not to mention, of course, why God didn't just make our penises without the foreskin to begin with, if that was his "will."

I'd love to find out who the sadistic bastard was who came up with that particular torture, by the way. Most likely an insane pedophile.

What I can't figure out, though, is how f*cking stupid those first cult members were to actually think such mutilation would be the will of their God, but then people are, unfortunately, remarkably gullible, brain dead sheep, for the most part, I guess.

At least, that's what the evidence points to...

MortalWombat

It's amazing how the all-powerful creator of tens of billions of galaxies, each with tens of billions of stars, seems to be overly concerned with foreskins, blended fabrics, and burning animal flesh.

Jesus Tap-Dancin' Christ

"This is going to help with the corn"

George Carlin with first human sacrifices. Funny.

Jon

As far as I know, doctors who perform circumcisions do so immediately following birth, my son being a good example. If he was supposed to have been a hemophiliac for the first 8 days of his life, (according to your friend) then he would've bled to death, or close to it. Didn't happen. There's your rebuttal.

GaryP

You can add my two boys to that list.

ForeverSeeking

quote:
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Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi:
Not to mention, of course, why God didn't just make our penises without the foreskin to begin with, if that was his "will."

Remember that the original intention was not for Gentiles to be circumcized as well. So that plan would not work for his "divine" will.

Gnothi Seauton
<a href="http://www.foreverseeking.com" target="_blank">Forever Seeking Truth</a>

Typhon

You should point out first that this is complete medical balderdash (if this was true, then we'd lose far more babies who had to have everything from routine to emergency surgeries well before the "first 8 days of life").

It might not hurt either to bring up the fact that the whole ritual of circumcision among the Israelites may very well go back to the adoption of practices of Egyptian snake worshiping cults, though a direct link to those of Egypt are not IMO, sufficiently established, it was a very common and widespread practice in portions of the ancient world.

It is a ritual not begun nor limited to the ancient Jews of course, or the Egyptian cults of the snake. Male circumcision was long practiced as a coming of age ritual and a form of sacrifice and self-mutilation. Originally it was a much more mild and less important procedure, and likely rolled back from being performed as a mark of maturity or rite of passage, to its rather cruel and dangerous use on very young children.

Thankfully the Greeks and Romans found the practice to be abhorrent, as did in fact early Christians.

<a href="http://www.cirp.org/library/general/warren2/" target="_blank">http://www.cirp.org/library/general/warren2/</a>

<a href="http://www.cirp.org/library/history/peron2/" target="_blank">http://www.cirp.org/library/history/peron2/</a>

<a href="http://www.cirp.org/library/history/" target="_blank">http://www.cirp.org/library/history/</a>

.T.

[ August 16, 2002: Message edited by: Typhon ]</p>