Whether you call it felony child abuse, a gross misinterpretation of the Hebrew Covenant of Circumcision or a father’s foreword thinking to reduce his son’s risk of contracting the HIV virus by 50% while increasing his need for a tetanus shot by 100%, a North Carolina Man has been accused of circumcising his sons with a utility knife.

Caldwell County Police are investigating John Eric Marlowe on possible charges of felony child abuse for removing the foreskin of two of his son’s with a Stanley Retractable sometime between 2005 and 2006. Marlowe, who is currently serving a 105 day prison sentence for assault on a female and child neglect, has a history of child neglect most recently by going to Myrtle Beach with one of his two wives and leaving his 11 children home without adult supervision.

Besides the chutzpah this sterilization candidate demonstrated in mutilating his sons with a box cutter, I was struck by the uncomfortable parallels between his actions and the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. Bear with me here. From the article, “Investigators learned from Marlowe’s two wives that Marlowe circumcised two of his sons eight days after they were born with a utility knife”

From the Book of Genesis, “…Throughout all generations, every male shall be circumcised when he is eight days old.” Not to mention that it also states that the infant's father is commanded to perform the circumcision himself.

Coincidence? Probably, but I’ve seen lawyers invoke Freedom of Religion for less. Personally, I’d go after Home Depot as an accomplice for encouraging such behavior with their slogan, “You can do it. We can help."

The important thing is that medically the children are fine and that they won’t experience a reduction in sexual pleasure when they’re older.