Damboyan silpojamies lopetti työnsä

Tämä on niin hienoa ja ihmeellistä! Me muutamme maailmaa! Kuten ennenkin olen todennut, niin tiedostan tottakai, että tämä työmme on globaalissa mittakaavassa häviävän pientä. Kuitenkin ajattelen, että jos toiminnallamme edes yksi tyttölapsi säästyy ympärileikkaukselta, on työmme ollut kaiken effortin väärti. Ja tuore Bezuneshin raportti kertoo, että kiitos tämän meidän työmme ei vain yksi vaan paljon enemmänkin tyttölapsia säästyy ja on säästynyt! Bezuneshilla ja Tesfayella on niin vahvat teologiset puheet kaikkea silpomista vastaan, että hyvin todennäköisesti moni poikakin on säästynyt samaiselta toimenpiteeltä.

Bezunesh ja Tesfaye ovat tällä kertaa olleet Damboyassa. Siellä, kuten meilläkin on meneillään kesäloma kouluista. Ja kesälomahan tarkoittaa siellä ympärileikkaussesonkia. Opetus tuli siis todella kreivin aikaan! Tällä kertaa opetusta oli seuraamassa myös yksi silpoja-ammattimies. Etiopiassa FGM on laitonta ja ammattisilpojat joutuvat sen takia toimimaan salassa. Tämä mies onkin pelännyt työnsä laittomuutta ja nyt kun hän vielä kiitos B&T:n opetuksen ymmärsi tekojensa olevan täysin vailla kristillistä perää (Etiopian monilla alueilla uskotaan silpomisen kuuluvan kristinuskoon) hän päätti lopettaa työnsä siihen paikkaan. Myös muut kuulijat päätyivät samaan tulokseen: teemme kaikkemme, että tämä loppuu!

Tässä Bezuneshin huolellinen raportti. Teologiasta kiinnostuneille lopussa vielä hieno syväluotaava yhteenveto B&T:n tämänkertaisesta opetuksesta. Raportissa oli mukana kuva kuulijoista, mutta en jostain syystä onnistunut saamaan sitä tähän mukaan. Yritän laittaa kuvan facebookiin sen sijaan näkyviin. EDIT: Taisin siltikin onnistua, vai näkyykö tämä alla oleva? :)








The sixth work report to ours Partners in Finland
Topic: Theological Reasons against FGM

Dear lovely sister Henrica how are you? We are very fine with our joyful work in Kambata area in Damboya. As we told to you last time this time teaching is about the theological reasons against FGM . So, we taught more than 60 people both male and female also among them were both educated and uneducated. We gave speech in Damboya city in Kale Hiywot Church for 4 days last month. In Kambata area this season is a circumcision season for both male and female because the school isclosed. So we take care for girls life by teaching key persons in the church, like church leaders, women coordinators, youth leaders, prayer groups, deacons, and choir leaders.

The response of our learners was very positive as we understood from their feedback. They said that people die for a long time without any understanding about this harmful practice of FGM. And they lost many children and mothers through this practice. So that, after this understanding they said they will try to teach the congregants in the church and everywhere to save girls from this dangerous practice. They asked us to continue our teaching among people. Also we make the agreement with them to continue our teaching with them.

Also we reach somebody through our teaching in Damboy who was a cutter man. He is educated but he is doing this practice on women. In Kambata area it is traditional way male doing the process of FGM. And the physicians are doing this practice in illegal way. So, this person says that he is doing this work for reason of money. He can get from one girl more than 50 birr and in summer season he could cut more than 20 girls. But now he is afraid for the law and the teaching of the church. There for after our teaching he decided to stop this work.

Dear if you want to know what we teach this time about theological reason against FGM here is our teaching. Please don’t be tired to read this long work report.

Theological Reasons Against FGM

In Old Testament (OT) circumcision was a physical expression of faith which distinguished those who belonged to the Lord from those who did not. God instructed Abraham to circumcise every male connected with him including slave born in his house who was not the offspring of him. This suggests that circumcision was not meant to be understood a sign of racial purity. It was a necessary mark a physical indicator of God’s people. It involved both the confirmation and taking possession of the covenant. It also functioned as God’s indispensable branding of his people without which a male would be cut off from the people of God. But in the Nwe Tesament (NT) it has no function for the physical expression of faith which distinguished believers and nonbelievers.

In OT circumcision has a significance (Jer.9:25 and Deut.30:6). Jeremiah saw physical circumcision as the external act which has no spiritual significance if there is not accompanied by obedience to Lord. He didn’t give much credit for its importance on spiritual life of the person whether he is physically circumcised or not. According to the theology of Jeremiah, practicing physical circumcision cannot make Israelites better than Egyptians, Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites unless they are uncircumcised in heart. In OT physical circumcision was a putting off of a part of the flesh as a symbol of covenant relationship of God’s people with a holy God.

In the time of NT Jesus was circumcised a physical circumcision (Luke 2:21) as a reference to his atoning death in which he condemned sin in the flesh (Rom.8:3) and nailed legalism to the cross (Col.2:14). Christians are circumcised only symbolically in Christ (Col.2:11) and also Paul warned the Christians who regarded circumcision within the value of spiritual virtue, that thereby they made themselves debtors to do the whole and Christ should profit them nothing (Gal. 5:2-3, 12). For this outward circumcision, which is unaccompanied by any spiritual change, Paul uses the term concision in (Phi.3:2) or mutilation to denote the zealous advocated of circumcision. Generally in NT circumcision has no spiritual value.

The Significance of Circumcision in Judaism

Circumcision has ritual, metaphorical and ethical significances in the Pentateuch. Ritual significance was the sign for the particular covenant between God the family of Abraham (Gen. 17:11) and serves as an instrument through which the covenant maintained from generation to generation (VV.10-12). On the other hand it was the means of assimilating within the covenant those who were not related to Abraham biologically (vv.12-13). As the sign of covenant, circumcision served to remained Abraham and his descendants of the covenant promise of seed. The covenant is not just with Abraham but with his whole group and his descendant’s male. The divine promise and human obligation were transferred to the future generation by means of circumcision.

Though female circumcision is practiced among some people, the OT specially emphasizes the necessity for man to participate in religion (Ex.23:17, 34:23, Deut. 16:16). It is impossible to suggest the females are outside the covenant that was given to Abraham but they are part of the covenant. To take part in this covenant, circumcision is not needed for female. But circumcision is needed in the OT only for males. Additionally God didn’t say that my covenant will continue only with the circumcised generation. What can exclude females from God’s covenant Abraham’s generation since they are part of Abraham’s generation and they are the seed of circumcised males (Gen.17:10). The instruction about male circumcision in the old legal code is on the eight day the boy is to be circumcised (Lev.12:3) but the females are not included in this legal code of circumcision.

Metaphorical significance is applied to other parts of the human anatomy, such as heart (Lev.26:41, Deut.10:16, 30:6, Jer.4:4, 9:25-26), the lips (Ex.6:12,30) the ear (Jer. 6:10), and to the initial harvests from fruit trees (Lev. 19:23). It refers to the state of circumcision in Rom. 2:25-28, 3:1,4:10, 1Cor. 7:19,Gal. 5:6and Col. 3:11. Uncircumcised heart is one that is incapable of understanding of fulfilling God’s requirements. Likewise, uncircumcised lips are unsuitable channels for divine communication. Similarly, uncircumcised fruit unsuitable for use. Circumcision was a necessity metaphor in order to in experience Yahweh’s blessing. To illustrate the heart attitude Scriptures writers use the verb to circumcise. The circumcision of the flesh is a physical sign of commitment to God. Deuteronomy particularly is fond of the spiritual usage of the verb to circumcise. Circumcise your hearts, therefore and do not be stiff-necked any longer (Deut.10:16, 30:6). Jeremiah took over this usage: "circumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your heart..." (Jer.4:4). All the metaphorical significance doesn’t symbolize FGM.

The ethical usage of circumcision was in some measure an extension of the metaphorical usage eg. Israelites in order to be uncircumcised is unwillingness to love God and to obey His commandment of Circumcision (Deut.10:16-17 and 30:6-7) and to submit to His ethical requirement (Lev.26:40-41). Jeremiah underlined that uncircumcised heart was in reality to be no different from surrounding peoples who merely practiced physical circumcision (Je.9:24-26). Within the Pentateuch there may have been a more direct connection between ritual and ethical connotations.

Theologically man is God’s steward on the overall creation of the earth. This idea in his relation to the world and his own life is inherent in the creation history. Stewardship may refer to God’s provision for Christian’s age (Eph.3:9). According to the explanation of Luther, the confession of God as creator implies that the same God created me, my body and my soul, upholds me with his Power. The first article of Apostolic Creed implies that the man is created to be steward of all creation without any exempted part of creation. Everything that man’s possesses, body and soul, all with which he has been provided, it is a gift from the hands of the creators. Whatever he does is, but an answer to God’s dealing with him. Therefore we are living life accountability. As a Christian we should have to respect the gift of God’s dealing with him. FGM is hurting the body of human being. Christians should stand against this harmful practice as God’s stewards for their body and all creation.

Being uncircumcised for woman is not unwillingness to love and to obey His covenant. But it is obeying God in order to do not, what God didn’t command in his word. FGM is not Gods commandment like circumcision of males was God’s commandment in OT. We can develop theology from the textual stand point, but we cannot from inexistence. What the Bible Says for Some Specific Reasons of FGM
The common reason given for FGM is that it insures the wifes faithfulness to her husband and to preserve girls virginity. According to this view circumcision is a tool to control women’s sexual desire. O’Donovan criticized this view by saying female virginity and faithfulness are considered to be important standard to maintain while it is silently accepted that men will be free to seek additional sexual partners when they desire. But the Bible does not make distinction between adultery and fornication (Ex.20:14; Heb.13:14). This understanding makes wife as a tool for her husband. In the Bible both of woman and man are created for the purpose of faithfulness to rule and subdue creatures (Gen.2:26-28). Also God pays an attention to the entire parts of the human body but not only to some part of our body. We are stewards of God’s creation including our body.

FGM considered as an issue of acceptance by the adults of clan. This view is centered on the cultural understanding of marriage. Cultural acceptance by itself is considered as very important. But the Bibles teaching about marriage is different from social belief. Marriage is an institution created by God from the very beginning (Gen.2:21-25). Physical harm and abuse may affect the marriage between husband and the wife. Therefore, FGM have to be stopped. Wenham proposed a strategy to abolish FGM. He said that restricting circumcision to men is of a peace with this attitude. We also support his view since FGM is not the only issue of women. It is also the issue of the whole community. Therefore, it is impossible to abolish it without the support of men.

The two arguments to abolish FGM are the argument from the silent and the argument from the creation. Argument from the silence is a strong argument which shows that the Bible is silent about the practice of FGM. But the second argument is that God made everything good including those parts of women that are important for child bearing and a healthy relationship within marriage. This argument is weak, because male circumcision is not instituted on the spot of creation. And God didn’t institute male circumcision to modify what is not good but for to make covenant relationship with human being.

In general, there is no evidence to support FGM. So we will stand against the harmful practice of FGM through the word of God and within the theological teaching.

Finally, we concluded our teaching by saying if we die tomorrow; we will struggle today to abolish this harmful practice of FGM from Christian community as well as non believers.

We wish all the best for you and your life. God bless you!

Please suggest if do you have any comment on our work report and our theological reasons against FGM. We wait the readers comments, it help us to improve our next time teaching.

                                                     -Bezunesh & Tesfaye

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Kerroin Bezuneshille rahatilanteestamme. Hän otti asian rauhallisesti ja sanoi tuttuun tapaansa, että ei haittaa, työ kyllä jatkuu vaikka mikä olisi. Tilillämme on nyt n 800 euroa, ja laitan nyt hänelle sen verran menemään. Alkujaan sovimme, että kahden henkilön 3kk-palkka olisi yhteensä 1400 euroa, ja että siihen pyritään, mutta jos ei aina onnistu, niin maksan sen minkä voin. Mutta kyllä kahdeksallakinsadalla eurolla saadaan paljon hyvää aikaiseksi! Kiitos jokaiselle! <3