Paul is a tool, but also, to my understanding, he was addressing issues people had sent him from specific churches. He was troubleshooting, not really issuing a blanket policy.
So, for example, he got a letter from one church saying they had a gaggle of women who were gossiping loudly in church. And his response was, “those women should shut up in church.” And everyone ran with that, because patriarchy.
Maybe that’s giving him too much benefit of a doubt.
“Dear Abby” of biblical times.
Hey pal, the “I pit over-the-top hysteria” thread is down the hall.
He have anything to say about tattletales? 
Seriously, though, how hard would it have been to say that everyone should shut up and pay attention in church?
Going off topic…
I’m technically old school Roman Catholic, and while we (not only you, maybe not even you) have had a conversation on this topic ages ago, I’d kind of prefer my dad’s religion not interfere with my genitals shortly after birth. Nevertheless, I am circumcised.
I hear the practise is uncommon in the USA, I guess it depends on the dominant variety of Catholicism in your area, we got majority expat Irish Catholic Priests and Nuns… in Zimbabwe.
It was quite common when most male Dopers were infants. In some cases due to religious teachings, and in other cases mostly to “look like the other boys”.
It apparently has become less so here recently. And once the majority switches to not doing it, the pressure to “look like other boys” switches to the uncut version. Once new parents become aware of that.
Also, in between those two are two verses about paying your taxes.
The GOP is populated entirely by such lunatics these days. Who is going to lead them away?
I (ahem) stand corrected.
I have a friend with a PhD who studies various things using stem cells originating from foreskins collected at the local research/university hospital, as circumcision is a local cultural phenomena amongst the Xhosa people.
And I stand clothed. I thought this thread was about an anti-foodbank bill?
I mean, technically spermatozoa are food.
But you are right, I will not hijack further.
Circumcision of male babies used to be a common medical practice in the US, which is why most men in a certain age bracket are circumcized. But the reason was not “to look like the other boys”. Rather they thought it would prevent future problems.
Technically?
Ralph Drollinger, the guy that runs the super toxic Congressional Bible studies, has even a dumber take on this….he claims that the word that was translated as “stranger” means “legal immigrant”, so the verse doesn’t apply to illegal immigrants.
That is really bending over backwards to interpret things to suit himself. I’m pretty sure the concept of a “legal immigrant” is a fairly recent one.
Maybe he’s one of those conservatives that thinks that the world was created in 1776.
I’d consider it more a CargoChristCult version of a SovCit. By revealed (to him alone) truth, only specific pieces of the Bible and Constitution apply, and only in the way they want it too. And of course, they’re always supposed to be interpreted together, by (white “christian”) Americans and For (white “christian”) Americans only.
That’s a beyond Rasputin level shitty take on the Bible. That makes “heaven rejoices whenever a sinner repents, so let’s sin as much as possible” seem like quite a reasonable take.
I thought it was Judaism and Islam that did their own versions of routine male circumcision, not Catholics.
I’m not entirely sure anyone wants to recall that specific thread, as legendary as it might be. It is more like a recurring nightmare you wish would end.
My father, my cousins, my brother and myself all got the snip, just hours after birth.
My paternal grandmother and father were both hard core Lantin-mass style Catholics. Not even a polite delay like the Jews do, it was done immediately on birth (or maybe a day later)
The (I guess) specific act may be, to use a pun, catholic.
I chose to teach my own son (I am atheist) how to wash his foreskin.
Although it happened years ago and I have never been particularly acquainted with my foreskin, I still have scar tissue. I don’t miss it because I was too young, but if my mother ever criticizes my tattoos I think I have a fairly good argument about body modification.
@mods… This is my typical outrageously off topic response.
I’ll not post again and report it