Indianica:
"jag tror det började göras av hygienskäl va?"
Nej. Till skillnad från de flesta andra i tråden så har du inte läst t.ex. de senaste 10-15 sidorna eller har någon kunskap om det.
I Gamla Testamentet (som alla tre abrahamiska religionerna kommer ifrån) sade gud till Abraham att pojkar skall omskäras. Där har vi grunden till varför judar och muslimer utvecklat traditioner där de stympar sina barn.
I USA var det Kellogg's (ja, han som "uppfann" cornflakes) som kämpade för att använda omskärelse som en moralisk handling i syfte att motverka onani.
Här är en del information (från engelska wikipedia):
The origins of the practice are lost in antiquity. Theories include that circumcision is a form of ritual sacrifice or offering, a sign of submission to a deity, a rite of passage to adulthood, a mark of defeat or slavery, or an attempt to alter esthetics or sexuality.
Catholic, Protestant, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity do not prescribe circumcision. The first Church Council in Jerusalem decided that circumcision was not a requirement (Acts 15), and St. Paul warned gentile Christians against adopting the practice (Galatians 6:12-16, Philippians 3:2-3).
The origin of circumcision in Islam is a matter of religious and scholarly debate. It is mentioned in some parts of the Hadith, but not in the Qur'an. Fiqh scholars have different opinions about circumcision in Shariah, depending on which Hadith are accepted and how they are interpreted. According to some it is recommended (Sunnah); according to others, it is obligatory.[25] Some have quoted the Hadith to argue that the requirement of circumcision is based on the covenant with Abraham.
In the late Nineteenth Century, doctors and others advocated circumcision to prevent masturbation, which was then considered sinful and harmful. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg recommended circumcision of boys, writing: "A remedy for masturbation which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision.... The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering anaesthetic, as the pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment." (Kellogg, 1888) As late as 1936. L. E. Holt, an author of pediatric textbooks, advocated male and female circumcision to prevent masturbation.