Y,

Occam's razor! How about in the heat of the middle east, circumcised men suffered from less infections, and this was incorporated into the religion, as was not eating pork (dangerous without refrigeration) and marriage.

Notably circumcision has been adopted by many other cultures independently, mostly in hot areas.

>>Why assert some ancient middle-easterners had sophisticated knowledge of cancer where a much clearer motive is known?

The Jews wanted to isolate themselves and prevent mixing with the gentiles. Having a clear, inescapable bodily identification-mark is one way, another is to have strict dietary rules which prevents a Jew from eating with gentiles. Not being able to eat together reduces the risk of intermarriage.<<

I agree with Shadow Minister: occam's razor suggests enforced circumcision and bans on food like pork and shellfish were just sound public health measures for people living in tents in a desert thousands of years ago. And not because it prevented cancer: it was the bacteria you had to watch out for back then. Most people probably didn't live long enough to worry about cancer.

We've come a long way since then and invented marvelous things like refrigeration and condoms and showers so we can eat pork and shellfish and leave children uncircumcised without doing ourselves or them any harm. It then becomes a question of personal taste as to whether or not we do these things.

Cheers,

Tony