Angela Merkel intervenes over court ban on circumcision of young boys (in Germany)

[Douglas Carpenter]

79. describing male circumcision as maiming or mutilation is cynical and disingenuous to the extreme

I do not wish and and I will not support empowering the state to control every little private matter of family and religious life. Given that Jews and Muslims have and do still suffer persecution in the Western world - I do not wish to see created any additonal points of antagonism with either community on a matter held sacred to Muslims and Jews and fundamental to their identity.

Where else do we go with this? Do we ban religious teaching to children because they are too young to decide for themselves and some children grow up to resent their religious background? Do we ban exposing children to sports because they are too young to decide for themselves and it might facilitate certain values that the children may later come to reject? I do not favor going down this road to tyranny.