Studies are conflicted on whether it reduces risk of diseases, but what’s definitely true is that removing the foreskin removes most of the nerves associated with pleasure for the penis.
Of course it doesn’t take away all sexual pleasure, but people who get circumcisions later in life report that their sexual pleasure from sex and masturbation is greatly reduced from before the circumcision. This likely also applies to babies, although there’s no conclusive evidence to support that since people who were circumcised at birth report “normal” amounts of sexual pleasure, though it’s unknown if they and uncircumcised people have the same “normal”.
The reason circumcision became popular in the Western world outside of Jewish and Muslim culture is because of John Harvey Kellogg, the inventor of Corn Flakes, founder of the Kellogg cereal company, and activity against “immoral” sexual activity like masturbation. He invented Corn Flakes as a food to deter masturbation, as he believed that a cause of “unnatural” sexual appetites was flavorful food, so he made a blander source of nutrition to combat the urge to masturbate. He also heavily advocated for circumcision for both children and adults because he believed that it would decrease sexual pleasure for the penis, which would also discourage masturbation.
Take it from a Jew who’s been jerking the gherkin since he was 12: It doesn’t work. Don’t circumcise your baby unless it’s for a religious reason, or if the baby is born with a condition that requires it.
Oh, and among people who both enjoy sex with people with penises and care about whether or not it’s circumcised, it’s pretty evenly split about which variety they actually prefer, with the biggest factor in the preference being that individual’s culture.
Edit: There are a lot of non-Jews criticizing the practice in Judaism. I completely understand, and your criticisms are valid. All I can speak for is my own experience and what I’ve been able to look into. In my case and the case of many Jewish men that I’ve talked to, both religious and non-religious, the rates of resentment for circumcision are much lower among them than among non-Jews who have been circumcised. I understand if you still believe it to be wrong, but do not put out hate speech in the comments. This includes name-calling and generalizations about any particular cultures. If you still believe that it’s wrong for Jews and Muslims to do it, and that religion doesn’t justify it, you are entitled to your opinion. Just please be respectful about it.
Another edit: To build on the first point, consent of the child is a big issue that many parents face when deciding whether or not to circumcise. All I can say about that is that it’s a lot less risky to health to do it in infancy rather than as an adult. Again, I can only speak for myself, but if I hadn’t been circumcised as an infant, I’d be saying a struggle today about whether or not to do it, and it would be painful, mentally traumatizing, and risky, even if done with anesthesia. Yes, it is medically unnecessary in the vast majority of cases, which is why I reiterate that NON-JEWS SHOULD NOT DO IT. Please talk to Jews and get their perspectives before you judge because I can guarantee that they had the same considerations that you’ve had.
Third edit: If you’re not Jewish, there will just be aspects of the Jewish experience that you won’t understand on an intrinsic and fundamental level, just like there are things that I’ll never understand about your culture because I don’t belong to it. It seems that so far, I’m the only Jew who’s given a perspective on this, so these debates on the morality of circumcision are missing a crucial element.
I’m Jewish and understand the importance of it in our culture even if I’m not religious. Even the vast majority of non-religious Jews do it to connect with our roots, but I understand why that’s one of the reasons people dislike us. If it’s not your culture, it can be hard to get into our mindset, which is why people outside of the cultures that do it shouldn’t adopt it. It’s not for them.
I think you may be taking the criticism at your religion and not the people.
Judaism is in a fun boat where it’s ethnicity and culture, so I say this next statement while knowing the above l:
People don’t dislike the Jewish faith for circumcision. They dislike Jewish people who adhere to nonsensical and harmful traditions. Someone’s religion holds no bearing to me as far as the denomination itself, it’s what they choose to carry forward. I had Muslim friends in college who I’d get into disagreements with, because some of them genuinely believed some backwards shit about women. Some didn’t, and I was closer with those that didn’t. I don’t dislike those people who thought differently than me, but I did like them less, if only because they were letting their culture/tradition get in the way of facts and modern sensibilities.
You can continue to practice whatever fundamentalist beliefs you choose, know that people are often judging the act and not the religion as a whole, at least, that’s been the case when I’ve dived deeper with people who express it.
Genital mutilation is genital mutilation. You can say you do it for cultural reasons, but the response from those that disagree with it’s existence have nothing to do with your culture and everything to do with the barbarity of the medically unnecessary cosmetic genital surgery.
CLARIFICATION REPLY TO EVERYONE I AM DISCUSSING THIS TOPIC WITH: I need to clarify that I am not trying to defend the practice of circumcision, only that I understand from my perspective as a secular circumcised Jew why so many do it. I think the vast majority of people shouldn’t do it and even that many Jews shouldn’t. That’s why I made this post in the first place. I can’t in any good conscience recommend it to anyone, but I also don’t have any kind of authority to advise Jews against it. I can advise non-Jews against it because they ARE NOT JEWISH and therefore DO NOT HAVE A CONNECTION TO THE PRACTICE. I agree with your points on a general moral level.
I understand that perspective. From a non-Abrahamic view, the practice seems inherently wrong, and would be if a non-Jew or non-Muslim did it. People who aren’t part of those cultures often resent the fact that it was done to them, but the rate of resentment is drastically lower among people who have the context of being part of those cultures. This is true not just for religious Jews, but secular ones like me as well, at least from the pool of people I’ve had access to ask about it. That’s why it’s a lot more complicated for Jews, because that adds a significant weight to the pro-circumcision side of the scale. I’m not saying it’s right for every Jew, but every Jewish family decides whether or not it’s right for them. I had some resentment as a kid, but then I did my own research and learning about Judaism and got the necessary context and now I’m personally glad it was done, and if it wasn’t done to me, I’d struggle with the decision of whether or not do to it while in adulthood, because of the added risks of complications as opposed to having it done as a baby. This is why he’s perspectives need to be listened to on this matter: Because we experienced it. Not listening to us about our own lives is both a product of and predecessor to antisemitism.