Barbecued Pork Ribs and why circumcised Jews cannot eat them. Religious Rituals Lack Substance.
75The covenant of circumcision.
According to Rabbi Dr Bernard Susser BA, LLB, MPhil, a Jewess in a concentration camp during World War II demanded a knife from a German officer so she could circumcise the baby she had borne in captivity. She did the deed, said the blessings, and recited the phrase, "Master of the Universe, you have given me a healthy baby and I return to you a Kosher child." (Or words to that effect).
Seriously this woman believed that the ritual mutilation of an eight day old baby's penis would somehow mean that the baby would be accepted in the eyes of God as a Jew. Marked forever as an unwitting member of this cult that has so many 'Biblical' rules and regulations for life that entire schools are devoted to religious study. Whole lives and livelihoods are devoted to the interpretation of rules written thousands of years ago that make no mention of modern sanitation methods and food preparation.
And an uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; My covenant hath he invalidated (Genesis 17:14)
What exactly is this covenant? Why does God require Jews to cut off the tips of their genitals? Does anyone else think that this is an absurd religious ritual?
To tell the truth, circumcision is not even the weirdest thing in the Torah.
Kaparot - Sending your sins to a chicken...
A live chicken is grasped by the shoulder blades and waved around the head three times to transfer the sins of the man to the chicken. Then they kill and eat the chicken.
Does that mean they have to eat their own sins? Or do they eat the chickens that have absorbed their friends sins? Do they barbecue the chickens? Does it taste better after having been waved around a human's head three times?
This was the method for eliminating sins before Jesus came along and was tortured to death, like the chicken, so he could save Christian lives. But not Jewish lives, I think the Jews still torture chickens. But it's a fact that they don't torture pigs or shellfish.
Jews and Muslims - Dietary laws
The dietary laws of Islam are nearly equal to those of the Jews, and they forbid eating blood, pork, animals found dead, and food sacrificed or offered to idols. But I guess it's all right to offer food to idols, they just can't eat it if it is.
Jews only eat animals such as sheep, goats and cows. Reptiles and pigs are forbidden to be eaten. The food must be thoroughly drained of any blood. (What do they do with the blood?) Ritual slaughter has to performed by a Jewish butcher who kills the animal with a fast deep stroke of a sharp knife. This method supposedly does not cause the animal any pain and is the most humane way of slaughtering animals. Meat and dairy cannot be eaten together, and Jews can only consume wine produced by a Jew. Forbidden animals, like pigs and shellfish, may not be eaten at all, be it the flesh, milk, eggs, or organs.
Now it is very true that many Jews ate pork during the Inquisition times. It was the test given to those suspected of being Jews or non-Christians. If they ate pork, they weren't Jews anymore and had clearly converted to Christianity and would therefore avoid the horrendous torture that the Spaniards came up with to rip the demons out of a suspected non-Christian body.
My questions are, "Are those Jewish souls not allowed in the cult now?" "Does one consider gravy to be dairy and not allowed on Kosher meat?" "If a Jew accidentally drinks some milk and then eats some meat, will he/she be kicked out of the Jewish community?" "What if they accidentally eat a shrimp?" or "God forbid, a barbequed spare rib?"
Torturing the Chicken
Religious rituals still make no sense...
Catholics have the most and silliest rituals of all. I couldn't possibly list them all. Does anyone ever question these rituals? They are indoctrinated at birth and I'm guessing that no one even thinks to question what the heck is going on?
Just about every culture and society has repetitive rituals. The Maya and Aztec also mutilated their genitals. I don't think it had anything to do with a Jewish covenant though. Boys today still pierce their penis. It's doubtful that they are being religious when they do.
Tattoos are considered a religious ritual in some parts of the world. In fact, just about everything and everyone has some sort of ritualistic behavior or attitude. Why?
I guess the whole point of my diatribe here is to get people to think about what they do, how they think, and the reasons for all of this. Don't just blindly go around smearing ashes on your forehead because "that's the way we've always done it". There is absolutely no good reason for doing it. You are just perpetuating the myths, superstitions and legends.
Practice by looking at the next few rituals you perform. You do it by rote, correct? Or you do it because everyone else is doing it. You do it just to become a member of your particular group. It's some sort of initiation. Examine the ritual and research the reason for it. Really look at it. Report back to me if you actually find a direct link to your magic friend in the sky or are you just going through the motions?
This is definitely more useful!
Comments - What did you discover about your rituals?Loading...
I don't know where we wuz, I was eating my barbque ribs! What do I do if I spill barbecue sauce on my shirt?
People are not only clinically insane, they are hopelessly superstitious.
I came. I read. Believe it or not, I marked it useful. :P
Thanks Mo!
I have considered these things too - first do they have to carry a wallet card to remember all the dietary faux pas? What if they eat it by accident?!? Does it still count against them?
Silly superstition and mumbo jumbo. Up/funny/awesome!
Great Austinstar now you've gone and made me hungry :D
Religious rituals really don't make sense. The scary thing about circumcision is that the religious have somehow convinced most of the secular and non Jewish world that it's a good idea for bogus medical reasons. Mention female genital mutilation and you will hear cries out outrage, mention circumcision and you'll hear excuses like "I don't want him to be made fun of" or "I want him to look like his Father".
Excellent hub pointing out the absurdity of rituals.
I read a CNN Money article about a Jewish family from a traditionalist sect who, after buying their new house, had to spend thousands of dollars on kitchen upgrades, such as installing a second oven and a second dishwasher so that the meat and the dairy could be prepared separately.
They also had to buy a house that was within walking distance of the synagogue, so they wouldn't have to drive a car on the Sabbath, or something like that. This meant their home was in a much more expensive area than it had to be.
Can you imagine living like that? Poor fools.
Circumcision certainly takes the cake. What business is it of God's what goes on in a young boy's pants? Is God some kind of pedophile or something?
Female circumcision is a far darker and more disturbing ritual practiced in many parts of Africa and Asia, justified in some Islamic cultures. But that's a whole other topic.
hmmm, those ribs look nice - unfortunately pork gives me a sore guts. The chicken ritual sounds hilarious.
As for circumcision, my pentecostal christian mother wanted to know why we didn't circumcise our son - she tried to say it was cleaner if it was.
I've heard that the majority of westerners were circumcised in the generation before me, about half & half in my generation and very few since (done for 'to look like his father,' or for religious reasons, none of which was a convincing reason for unnecessary hacking at a baby)
They don't cut off the tip. They cut with a gemaliel the foreskin which is a sheath around the member. It actually is less painful than a fair sized tattoo, which, I have heard, is now the rage for little kids. The chicken is good for chicken soup, which is used as a feelgood food when one has a cold or flu...just kidding. Actually, unless you are considering conversion to Judaism, Jesus OK'd all the bad stuff like pork. So much better to be a Christian. "It is not what you put into your mouth which defiles you. It is what comes out of it!" and "Why do you call unclean that which God has cleansed?" My own circumcision was, as I was told, a "medical necessity" I was three yrs old, and reportedly, never made a peep! You all go about piercing your tongues and everything else piercable. Move on...circumcision is not worth the concern. How about those women who are sexually carved up to prevent "Enjoyable sex" Good info here, but gentile observations are almost funny. Peace
DD - those kids 'tattoos' are transfers - what kind of moron lets their young child get a real tattoo? My hubby has tattoos and says they are painful. There is a book about a child that had his penis cut off during a botched circumcision. If they want to be circumcised, they can choose to be when older
Studies done show no harm is done if circumcision is not performed. Hygiene needs exist for both circumcised and non-circumcised states.
Now, I wonder, what if the "covenant" stated that all Jews had to have their little pinkie cut off? Would some woman in a concentration camp ask for some garden shears to "mark" her baby? I'm guessing she would.
What makes religious rituals so strong? People don't even question them. Blind obedience to an invisible God? Why?
Why would a God that is all powerful and could have anything he wants REQUIRE circumcision? It's just bizarre.
Austinstar - my grandfather said that people that do these things have the behavior of lemmings. I looked it up - he really might have been onto something.
Female circumcision is cutting of all the nerves so the woman can't feel anything with sex. Apparently the foreskin is the most sensitive part of the penis as contains the nerves.
So circumcision was just a big joke on everyone to abstain from sex? Or was it to make sex last longer? Is God some kind of sexual pervert?
Great hub. I completely agree with the premise of this hub Austin and see no reason why barbaric religious practices should be 'respected'.
We've had a big hooha recently in this country because of animal cruelty in our live cattle exports to Islamic countries. Apparently the cattle must be killed "Halal", which means in some cases a stun gun is not common practice. ..they have to be persuaded to use it. Often the cattle die in agony, their throats slit but death having not yet arrived.
I also recall an incident described in Chrotopher Hitchen's book God is not Great: There is an ancient practice, supported by scripture, that calls for the sucking off the foreskin of a baby boy [after incision]and spitting it on the ground along with blood and saliva. Most Jews have abandoned the practice but it still occurs among certain extreme groups of Hasidic fundamentalists. To them this primitive rite is sacred and part of a covenant with God. In 2005 a 57 year old mohel was found to have given genital herpes to several small boys, killing two of them in the process.
Now the point of this is...in Hitchens words "in ordinary circumstances the public health department, having been made aware of the situation, would have outlawed the practice and it would have been denounced by the mayor. Instead Mayor Bloomberg, overode the reports of several distinguished Jewish physicians who had warned of the danger of the custom, and told his healthcare bureaucracy to postpone any verdict. The crucial thing he said, was to be sure the free exercise of religion was not being infringed."
Whoa! I had not heard of this! It's even worse than I thought.
Yup - religion rots your brain all right. Look at that druid liar making up garbage about people having children tattooed as some sort of defense for mutilating children by cutting off part of their penis.
Christmas is a time of joy... or of hepatitis, depending on your point of view.
Apparently a Long Island Catholic church had a hepatitis scare this past Christmas.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-01-04/news/27
Well, what do you expect when you let other people's hands on your food and have hundreds of people drink from the same cup? Yuck.
Between the wafers, the wine, the hand-shaking--it's almost like they're trying to get sick! LOL!
Speaking of female circumcision, everyone should remember that the clitoris, although tiny, contains about as many nerve endings as the entire penis. Therefore the pain is equivalent.
Ah, the joys of religion.
If people dont engage in religious rituals, they most likely do something else.
I doubt if there is one person who doesnt indulge in some form of ritualistic behaviour. It's natural for human beings.
Whether there is a god or not, rituals give comfort. The only ones that should be done away with are those invlving cruelty.
@Jane that's so disgusting.
@chris - why not get a hobby instead of crazy rituals such as these? Circumcision is unnecessary and cruel
Howdy AustinStar, You are an inspiration - -
I love to see this many comments in a short time on a subject that mocks religious dogma. I hoped I wrote about subjects in a way to get lots of dialogue going too like this. Great HUB, great subject. - - JACK
Well, Jack when you mix good food with sex and weird rituals, you're bound to get a few comments! LOL
Mark, I agree that religion rots your brain and one of the big reasons is the "automatic brain controlling rituals" that people never question. They just do it because the church tells them to.
Sec10 - They're not only trying to make people sick, they're trying to control them. "In Sickness and in Health" isn't just for weddings.
Christopher - Yes, people are comforted by the familiar rituals. The rituals are designed to comfort you and keep you in line with the party thinking.
BailyBear! I've missed you! Yes, a hobby might just soothe the part of our brains that need the mindless repetition of rituals.
RealH - I think your grandfather nailed it - People act like lemmings sometimes. It's the peer group mentality showing itself.
DruidDude - Is that why chicken soup is such a touted Jewish remedy? No wonder they crucified Jesus. It must have been a sin free day. I wonder if they could have waved Jesus around their heads three times if they would have converted? Or maybe they just waited around three days and paraded his "living" body around for all to see. There is some powerful magic in the number 3 - everyone knows that!
Titen - I know what you mean. When I had my son, my husband insisted he be circumcised, no question. But we weren't Jewish and never thought of being Jewish, so someone convinced our generation that it was "the thing to do to boys". I'm just glad we didn't have to cut off his pinkie finger or something too.
Austin, back in the 1950s and 1960s circumcision on male infants was performed on the sons of Christians and atheists as well as Jews in Australian hospitals. Circumcision was supposed to have health benefits. Parents, if they didn't want their child circumcised, would have to tell the doctors or it would simply be done. How should I know? Well, I was born in Sydney in the late 1950s and I'm a bloke. Nowadays it isn't as widely practiced on male children of non-Jewish households. To be honest I have never missed my turtleneck.
Hey Austin- keep the torch of head scratching burning.
the study of anthropology leaves the world unwound in many instances- its basic fiber revealed.
Joseph Campbell provides us with a source of info on religious practices second to none- contrast and comparisons are quite amazing.
thanks for the hub
peace- greg
If you grow up and want to get circumcised, then make sure you get it done just after birth so you can't remember getting it done...
Well. It made sense to me anyway.
Transfer tattoos...sorry, No, not according to Fox News...remember, they are 'Fair and Balanced'. And before you go believing everything you read EXCEPT the bible, the instrument used would have to be mishandled by a drunk or an idiot...try at the neighborhood trailer park...not the nice ones, the dumpy ones. This all sounds like that thing where people used to say, in all seriousness, that catholic nuns steal babies to bring them up in the church. Completely sidestepped that comment about female genital mutilations. If you really don't get it...then look the other way because it is really NUNYA. And I'm not Jewish.
Austin Star
Very well done and detailed hub.
Even though I am not Jewish, circumcisions and Kosher food don't bother me at all.
However body piercings do, yet they are done today without religious backing. A big ugly tattoo is also disturbing.
Now to look at the subject of circumcision in the light of non religious motivated things done by people such as in the case of body piercings and tattoos, would you still have objections to circumcision?
Great job.
Austinstar,
Really good points here, but I do think it is really, really, important to an omnipotent being, who has an entire universe to manage, that boys have some skin cut off. I never had to suffer that indignity, but who knows how upset God is with me right now?
I mean, as an offering, it really, you know, sucks...
Dead animals seem pretty meaningless too, when you think about it. What do you get the being that actually owns everything? A tie? cufflinks? new golf balls? I mean, really, what...
Oh, I see, you give a little of yourself...
Nope. Still makes absolutely no sense at all.
C
Opinion Duck - Did I say I objected to circumcision? Truthfully, I could care less. It's the idea that people have that being circumcised means you are entered into some sort of "covenant". What the hell does that mean? It's like my neighborhood watch group deciding - in writing - that anyone who wants to be part of that group has to cut a nipple off or something. Why??? Just so they can be in the club?
Rod - there's very little health benefits associated with having a circumcised penis. It's easy enough to wash beneath the turtle neck. There's no increased danger of infection. It's just bodily mutilation no different from piercing something or getting a tattoo. The question is why do Jews think it's the only way they can prove they are the chosen people and why would any kind of God inflict this on 8 day old babies? Where's the free will that God is supposed to be allowing?
Mana - I hope you have a patent on that time machine!
Chris L - That's my point exactly - It makes no sense!
Yes Austin I know that there are very little in the way of health benefits in not having a turtleneck. Even so it was the so-called health benefits that make circumcision popular in the 1950s and 1960s in hospitals in Australia. I am not defending the practice just pointing out how widespread it was at one time.
I imagine that keeping up traditions, including circumcision, when they are living in mixed communities allows Jews to feel Jewish. No other reason I can think of.
I think you are right most people don't think for themselves, or can't be bothered to think for themselves. What other possible logical explanation could there be why this rediculous nonesense goes on thousands of years after it was first conceived ?
Tradition... Blind Faith or Mass Stupidity ?
Take your pick and please save some of that good sauce for me !!!
Rod, that's one of my points - widespread acceptance of something that makes no sense. It was a world wide thing. It's amazing to me how the media can control people like that.
Merlin, Blind Faith AND Mass Stupidity pretty much sums it up. I will eat a rib in your honor.
Austin Star
I understand your position on being part of the religious tradition, but it is a very minor issue.
You have to keep in mind the time period when the circumcision and Kosher foods were started. The hygiene at that time wasn't the same as it is today.
Also remember the climate there was very hot, and water was not abundant. My point is that in those days, and place the circumcision was a good health measure.
The same is true for having higher standards for foods and food preparation. Remember think back several thousands of years, not today.
You are right, that today they could dispense with the circumcision, although food quality today is still a problem.
As for circumcision being a Jewish attribute, it is not like you can tell unless they are naked. So in daily life you don't know whether a male is or is not circumcised. MY point is that it is not in your face, like say the Muslim face covering for women.
The Kosher food is not much different than those people that choose what they eat, like Vegans and the like. I understand that is not your issue because they make their choice not on religious doctrine.
As for religions and what they require to belong, that is the problem for the people joining the religion.
my opinion
OD - opinion noted :-)
I hope no one gives up vegetarianism because it doesn't make sense. I'm only saying that before you go and mutilate your sons penis, be sure to have a reasonable thoughtful excuse for doing so.
Don't forget that free will thing!
My opinion.
Austinstar - Dave asked me if I wanted BBQ'd ribs for dinner last night. This hub popped into my head - I said no way dude!
This may be your way of thinking but this is a very crude way of looking at it, your looking at it from a non-religous point of view and calling anyone who looks at it from a religious point of view clinically insane, that is just ignorant, if your going to write something atleast don't use it to insult the beliefs of people.
Just try and prove me wrong then, Shane
Well I am sorry but I just don't think looking at mutilation from a non religious perspective makes it more agreeable. It is what it is. Mutilation. Then again people do call me insane. I think of it as a compliment.
Besides that, if I were looking at it from a religious standpoint, I wouldn't be writing this hub.
Like I asked, Why would an all powerful God, who could already have anything he wanted, REQUIRE parents to mutilate their children?
You don't view this as insane? Then you are the one who is ignorant.
Have fun with your life it's not worth my time to try and explain the basic principles of religion to someone who doesn't wish to learn about a religion before they trash talk it
Shan - what makes you think I don't know anything about religion?
I'm not big on religious anything let alone rituals and I often wonder how they all got started. I think someone should report the people for torturing chickens...isn't there a LAW against cruelty to animals? Oh - that doesn't apply because it's in the name of God...kinda sorta like our invasions of other countries and our 'stamp' of Christianity on everyone who doesn't want it...oy vey - I think I'm off on a tangent and I'm not even Jewish!
Congrats on the 100 (again) - and good piece on one of my least favorite subjects....ha ha - although you did it justice by poking fun - thanks!!!
And I agree - the ribs are definitely a better idea with no religion required! yeeeehaaa
Religion is bizarre!
Hi Austinstar, thanks for this, I enjoyed the read.
I assume you're aware of the Great Jewish Dilemma?
A sign in the butchers window:- "Pork. Half Price."
Sorry....not :)
That would be a dilemma! If a Jewish man converts to another religion, does he have a foreskin sewn back on? Ouch again.
Funny you should ask; perhaps that's why the meaning of the hieroglyphics around synagogues is "We keep the piece."
It's possible I've spelt that wrong.. :)
Loved this hub. And all the conflicting (mostly agreeing) comments. Not much i can add, as i have said just about all of it, in some of my hubs on the barbarism of religious beliefs, and how these body mutilations should be against the law. Funny how religions get away with things that would not be otherwise tolerated. These people sure worship some "strange" gods, don't they?
Hi d. It is strange what religion gets away with! What's all the stuff about eating the body of Christ and drinking the blood (wine)?
Being brought up in the Roman Catholic church, i truly cannot answer that question, and i do not believe there is anyone out there that CAN, (at least logically). All those rituals that religions impose on people are nothing more than an additional attempt to control them, and put the fear of god in their hearts if they don't obey. I still believe that ALL religious entities should be treated as business enterprises and taxed accordingly. They certainly can afford it, and it would make a huge impact on our deficit.
At the very best scenario, banned from public display. And NO i am not an athiest. I am a true Gnostic who believes in some higher power outside this earthly prison. No matter how 'learned' any religious leader pretends to be, they are only interested in the power over the people, and taking their money to fill their own coffers.
wow this hub gets as many comments as my illegal incense hub and for the same reasons!! quite a volatile subject!!
I read a wonderful book years ago that showed the medical correlations of every religious "so called ritual" and it was very good...like one comment up above...circumcision probably prevented problems in later life such as difficulty urinating, infections due to not cleaning the shaft well enough, even cervical cancer in their women!
as for the food, we already know about salmonella and not to clean your veggies on the board you just had raw meat on so why do we make fun of jews with their separate sinks? they didnt know about salmonella in the B.C times but they saw what happened if they did certain things and they Learned from their mistakes! wow what a concept
as far as shellfish DUDE! really...really??? you really want to eat something out of THAT water??? Oil and chemicals and sewage and waste settled on the bottom for the shellfish to sift through?
not anymore I dont!
a common sense, reputable reason can be given for all the rituals...even catholic ones and they are way weirder (I think) than the jewish ones!
mazal tov
Hi RNMSN (I'm assuming you are a nurse) Yes, rituals for the most part had health reasons, not religious reasons. For some reason, these rituals became religious rituals. That's the part I don't understand.
Now, shellfish was not so "polluted" in those days, but it didn't travel well, so it became anathema to eat it. It spoiled easily and quickly. Which as any health food nut will tell you makes it a healthy food. (If it will spoil, eat it; if it is full of preservatives, don't eat it). Most shrimp comes from farms now and they are clean. Still they need to be fresh. Alaskan King crab comes from "good" water and all seafood can be frozen now to keep it fresh. So the ban on seafood does not make sense anymore.
I agree wholeheartedly that Catholic rituals are the weirdest of all. Drinking wine and calling it the blood of Christ. Eating crackers and calling them the body of Christ. Sounds so cannibalistic.
Salmonella and Shigella can be found in fresh veggies and sometimes can't be washed away even in a special sink. The secret is to prepare all food properly according to scientific health principles, not religious ones.
Thanks for the good comments!
Austin - I love following the commentary sometimes. I have been to a lot of churches and the Catholic's Rituals are almost disturbing to me. It is almost cultish - sorry - I hope I don't offend anyone - but as a member of the church for a couple of years (forced in childhood) I attended regularly. So, I am just saying that when you repeatedly watch those rituals and hear the chanting - the prayers and repititions, hushed voices and hand shakes - sorry - it creeped me out a bit!
diogenes Level 7 Commenter 11 months ago
What all these rituals mean is that a huge percentage of the peoples of the world are clinically insane. Let 'em take the MMPI and just see! Damn! While I'm writing this comment I accidently spilled the salt...just toss a few grains over the right shoulder with the left hand to avoid bad luck...now, where wuz we?? Bob