(This post is for men 18 and over. If that’s not you, you might like this article about a puppy and a kitten instead. Seriously, do yourself a favor and move along. Nothing to see here.)
A medical professional has reviewed this post for accuracy.
Let’s get right to the point!
These 10 things (in no particular order) are some things we men learn throughout life. With today’s edgy comedy and open Internet, we don’t have to be taught them – they have permeated our culture, becoming the subject of conversations as early as school age.
Some people are even seriously affected by these. Hordes of both secular and Christian blog posts and books have been written about ways to cope with these “facts of life.”
One or two might not match your experience, but you will recognize most of these as common knowledge. And to be honest, they're not all about sex – but there is definitely something that ties all 10 of these together (other than being the raw material for hundreds of today’s sitcom jokes).
Can you figure out the common link shared by all 10 of these “facts of life”?
- Common ED. As men get older, sensitivity decreases, leading to a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction. (Just watch a few commercial breaks, and Pfizer will try to sell you some Viagra.)
- Middle school embarrassment. When a young man hits middle school, he begins to experience terribly embarrassing, unprovoked physical arousal nearly every class period. (This will, to a lesser degree, apply throughout life.)
- Newborn boys sometimes have great difficulty latching (breastfeeding).
- Men have lower pain tolerance. (Mythbusters even tested this one).
- Many couples have problems with dryness, chafing, and pain, requiring various lubricants and/or behavior modifications. (Occasionally in absurdly large quantities, as Amazon's recent Prime Day humorously demonstrated.)
- Men can generally only experience one orgasm, losing sexual interest afterwards. (Multiple orgasms is a female thing, isn't it?)
- There's often little room for gentleness. (Men are known for being rough, right? To be satisfied, the husband may prefer – or even need – activity that is anything but gentle.)
- 5 to 20 percent of boys and men experience meatal stenosis (closing of the hole), sometimes requiring corrective surgery. (This can even require multiple corrective surgeries in adulthood. And as Jimmy Kimmel recently quipped, "It's a horrible process by the way – a horrible, horrible process.")
- Common discomfort. Underwear fabric needs to be as soft as possible, and even then, discomfort is common. (To help remedy this problem, special ointments and artificial protective coverings are sold and sometimes even prescribed by doctors for both boys and men.)
- Some men have tight skin, making arousal always painful or at least uncomfortable.
So, did you get it? What’s the common link?
These 10 ‘facts’ aren’t even supposed to be facts. The world as God designed it doesn’t look like this.Click To TweetFirst, let me point out that these “facts of life” aren’t supposed to be facts. In fact, the world as God designed it doesn’t look like this – even in its fallen state. We cause these things. These are manmade.
These are things we do to our children.
Surprising, I know, but true. These aren’t “facts of life” for most Christians worldwide – only a small percentage of Christians, mostly in the USA. And they actually weren’t “facts of life” for Old Testament Jews, either, nor for most other peoples.
Understandably, virtually all medical organizations around the world say that we should not take steps to make these “facts of life” true for our sons.
After all, if I were handed a checklist asking which of these things I want for my son (and his future wife), of course I would check none of them, right?
But many Christian parents in the USA do check all of these points. They may not even know it, but they are saying, “Yes – we want these things for our son.”
That’s right – each point above is caused (or significantly worsened) by modern male circumcision. Skim through those “facts of life” again. But how?
They’re consequences of circumcision.
They’re things we actually choose for our sons when we choose the knife. When we choose to remove body parts God designed for protection and comfort.
Should we be doing these things to our sons? Should we be doing these things to their future wives? Should we be modifying God’s design in this way He has never authorized? If so, why?
P.S.
So what are things normally like? Most Christians around the world don't practice circumcision, and the circumcision OT Jews practiced was far less extensive than the modern American form and didn't hurt function. So, as a rule, both Christians and Jews retained God's design, which means:
(contrast this list with the previous one)
- Much lower risk of ED.(?)
- Fewer embarrassing moments.(?)
- Better rates of attachment.(?)
- Better pain tolerance.(?)
- Lower need for lubricants etc.(?)
- Multiple climaxes are more common (and more satisfying).(?)
- Loving, gentle activity is enjoyed by both husband and wife.(?)
- No meatal stenosis.
- Less picky garment needs and less discomfort.(?)
- No painful erections.(?)
- 2016 Report: Little Images reaches thousands - January 2, 2017
- The most widespread abuse in the American Church - October 26, 2016
- Why are Christians cutting their baby girls? - October 6, 2015
Sarah Silcox Martin says
So much truth!!!! Excellent article.
Brooke Light says
Rebecca Odom Rossi if I haven’t shared this page with you yet, I am now. I’m sure you’ll dig it.
Ashley Hernández says
I really like this article, thank you for sharing!
Jennifer Keune Reed says
I love the way you put all of these together in one article. It’s so hard to explain all the consequences of circumcision to friends before they force this permanent body modification onto their son.
These people don’t realize what actually happens when you alter the form and function of a sexual organ!!!
Ky Coster says
Millyy Clark read this
Johannes Menzel says
I really like how this is presented
concerned cynic says
I am an intact American, married for 26 years to the only person with whom I have been intimate.
5. My wife has always used a bit of KY, condom or no condom. This does not bother me at all.
6. I am not multi-orgasmic. My wife says that every multi-orgasmic man she dated, was intact.
7. I try to be gentle, and cannot stand what is referred to by the slang term “jackhammering”. I suspect that intact men are less likely to jackhammer. Because intact men feel more, they slow down. This is why intact does not give rise to high rates of premature ejaculation.
8. Meatal stenosis was often mentioned in the medical literature of the 1980s and 90s, as a common complication of routine infant circumcision, and bris. The literature this century has been silent about this topic, a silence I deem suspect.
9. As a young man, I tried going through the day with my foreskin retracted and my glans in constant contact with my underwear. That was distracting and stimulating. But I did not read that this was a bad thing to do until I was well into my 30s.
10. When I was a teen using locker rooms every week, I saw that some boys had penises having no slack skin whatsoever. I wondered how it was possible for them to become erect. Only 40 years later did I begin reading (in social media) that this is indeed a real complication of routine infant circumcision, especially the way it was practiced before the 1980s. It is not at all evident how much can be cut off at the start of life, without impairing sexual function in adult life. A sad problem is that many American parents demand that an infant or toddler son be recircumcised if his glans is not fully exposed at all times (what I call the proper American penis).
Laurel says
I cannot help it, but I am so angry with my mother-in-law for having my husband circumcised. He has scarring, ended up having to get stenosis surgery when he was a toddler (and totally remembers it) and has mild erectile dysfunction. The worst part is the pounding during sex. It hurts tertibly. Sometimes he can get through without pounding, but usually he can’t…and it hurts. He also requires verbal stimulation and I sincerely believe it is because of his reduced sensation. I love him so much and we have a wonderful life together, but I truly wish there was something that could be done. I know he could have his skin stretched, but he doesn’t perceive a problem and doesn’t want to do that.
Thankfully, after doing the research during my 1st pregnancy, he heartily agreed to leave our boys intact.
Still, I truly wish his parents had known better. They had no right to do something that would so drastically impact MY sex life.