For many people considering having their sons undergo a posthectomy (modern circumcision) they want the son to look like the father.

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The Father Son Relationship

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There is no other relationship quite like that which can and should exist between a boy and his dad. It can be one of the most nurturing, joyful relationships in life, one that can have a profound impact on who boys become and also on who dads become. Russel M Ballard Fathers and Sons

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Undeniably a strong father son relationship is of immense value. We should analyze how posthectomy influences that relationship.

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Study Questions:

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For Sons

• Do you feel like your relationship with your father is affected because of the appearances of your genitalia?

• Would your relationship be better if you had other surgeries to make your young appearance match his? ie. pubic hair grafts, hair dying or chin augmentation.

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For Fathers

• Fathers have a strong biological desire to know that their kids are theirs. Thus, they have a strong desire that their children resemble them. Could the desire to have a son posthectomised (circumcised) be a misplaced manifestation of this desire?

• Do you consider yourself informed enough about posthectomy (modern circumcision) solely because you yourself are posthectomised (circumcised)? What new things have you learned about circumcision?

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Cosmetic Surgery

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Recognize that this rationale over appearance means posthectomy (modern circumcision) is cosmetic. In other words, this rationale unavoidably advocates for posthectomy (circumcision) as a cosmetic surgery.

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The Church has no official position on cosmetic plastic surgery in general, but Church leaders have taught principles that can guide us in such matters. New Era

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In terms of preoccupation with self and a fixation on the physical, this is more than social insanity; it is spiritually destructive … . And if adults are preoccupied with appearance—tucking and nipping and implanting and remodeling everything that can be remodeled—those pressures and anxieties will certainly seep through to children...  At some point the problem becomes what the Book of Mormon called “vain imaginations.” Jeffery R. Holland

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Study Questions:

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• When is cosmetic surgery good? When does it become "vain imaginations"?

• Might one consider Biblical circumcision non-cosmetic because it did not alter appearance as much?

• Do adult "pressures and anxieties ... seep through to children" with posthectomy? If so, what?

• Is posthectomy (circumcision) a fixation on the physical or appearances?

• If you don't think that posthectomy (circumcision) is a cosmetic surgery, is it therapeutic?

• Is this focus on physical appearance a fixation? If it is a fixation, does this cultural fixation on sexual appearance contribute to the pornography epidemic?