Sacred Insights: Biblical Reflections on Circumcision, Intersexuality, and Religious Pluralism in Politics - Free Report

Since circumcision was a practice given to the Jews by God as a symbol of Abraham and his progeny being set apart as "God's people," why do you think God did not provide such a symbol for the women?

Women were part of Abraham's covenant with God. First, God changed Sarah's name to the same as that of Abraham. God promises Abraham that he will be fruitful and become the future of many nations. The only way Abraham would become the father of many nations is by Sarah, giving birth to many sons. Therefore, God set women aside as child-bearers in the covenant. Maybe male circumcision was a way of including the males physically in the covenant the same way women fulfill the promise of bearing life through physical ways.

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Is it possible that the so-called "female circumcision" was begun for female equality, or do you think it was invented for other primary reasons?

Female circumcision did not begin because of female equality. Traditionally, women were treated as inferior to men. Therefore, if practicing circumcision would make them equal to men, it would not have been allowed in the first place. I think female circumcision was begun to prevent women from having multiple sexual partners by removing the sexual parts stimulated like the clitoris. The circumcision would also prevent girls from engaging in premarital sex.

In light of the New Testament and other modern-day considerations, what place, if any, do forms of circumcision have today?

Paul says that being circumcised did not have any significance to a person's salvation. This information was against the Christian tradition where gentiles were supposed to be circumcised before converting into Christians. Paul claimed that he was called to work among the uncircumcised. He claims that even Titus, a gentile, had not been forced to be circumcised (Smit, 2017). Therefore, according to the New Testament, male circumcision should not be compulsory. Only those who are willing to take part in it should be circumcised. Female circumcision, on the other side, is not mentioned in the New Testament or any other place in the Bible. Therefore, Christians should not practice female circumcision.

How can we best make sense of and address the intersex experience biblically? How could we create safe, loving spaces for these individuals and their experiences in our church communities?

The Bible says that everyone is wonderfully and fearfully made in their unique way. The Bible also says that people are made in the image of God. people who are intersex should be treated as people who are fearfully and wonderfully made according to the image of God. Society and the church should accept these people because they had no choice but were born that way. Children who are intersex should not be subjected to unnecessary surgeries. These children should also be left to decide where they will fit rather than forcing them to fit in a particular gender. For example, when a mother forces their transgender child to wear dressed and they do not want.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada adopted a report known as the church and the people who are transgender or intersex. This report discussed how it could accommodate people who are transgender and intersex in their churches. The report says that the phrase welcome all is not valid if transgender and intersex people are not received in churches. Other churches should follow this example and lead the community in accepting transgender and intersex people in their midst without any discrimination (The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 2017).

Volf notes that some people feel that the public (political) realm should remain strictly secular and uninfluenced by religion. Others feel religion represents our highest values and obligations, and therefore it should rule over the political realm (Volf calls this religious totalitarianism). Summarize.

Some people feel that politics should only be guided by human reason alone without being influenced by any religion. Over the last few centuries, Some countries have forged these secular states in the West. People from different religions have different beliefs and are guided by their traditions and sacred texts. These differences make it difficult for politics to be influenced by religion. People from different religions may fight as everyone wants their beliefs to be superior to others (Volf, 2011, p. 9). The fear of some people imposing their religious beliefs and acts on people from other religions makes many people suppress religious voices from politics and the public square.

Some people, however, argue that religious people should bring their visions about life to public life and politics. Volf thinks it would be oppressive if religious people were prohibited from sharing their minds in public realms. Militant Islam, Sayyid Qutb being their figure of representation, shows how religions would behave if allowed to reign freely. However, Volf argues that Sayyid Qutb represents a considerable misunderstanding of religion.

Volf himself offers a different option, a political and religious pluralism. Briefly summarize his position and why he feels it is biblical.

Volf argues that Qutb is in a position that is a combination of religion against culture, also known as sectarian, and religion transforming culture, also known as a political activist. Qutb is in this position aiming at achieving the identity between culture and religion. Volf states that culture and Christian faith are not related, and the relationship between religion and culture is very complicated. The alternative offered by Volf tries to know how the malfunctions of the Christian faith occur in the world and how to curb these malfunctions, the primary concern of Christians when it comes to living, and how followers of Christ realize their vision of living in today's world (Volf, 2011, p.18).

References

The ethical life: Fundamental readings in ethics and moral problems. (2020). Oxford University Press, USA.

Kristof, N. D., & WuDunn, S. (2009). Half the sky. Vintage.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada. (2017). THE CHURCH AND PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSGENDER OR INTERSEX. https://presbyterian.ca/wp-content/uploads/

The-Church-and-People-who-are-Transgender-or-Intersex-1.pdfSmit, P. (2017). In search of real circumcision: Ritual failure and circumcision in Paul. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 40(1), 73-100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142064x17723488

Volf, M. (2011). A public faith: How followers of Christ should serve the common good. Brazos Press.