information:extraction
Christianity

Traditionally, circumcision has not been practiced by Christians for religious reasons, with the practice being viewed as succeeded by Baptism, with the New Testament chapter Acts 15 recording that Christianity did not require circumcision from new converts. Christian denominations generally hold a neutral position on circumcision for prophylactic, cultural, and social reasons, while strongly opposing it for religious reasons. This includes the Catholic Church, which explicitly banned the practice of religious circumcision in the Council of Florence, and maintains a neutral position on the practice of circumcision for other reasons. A majority of other Christian denominations take a similar position on circumcision, prohibiting it for religious observance, but neither explicitly supporting or forbidding it for other reasons.

Thus, circumcision rates of Christians are predominately determined by the surrounding cultures in which they live in. In some African and Eastern Christian denominations circumcision is an established practice, and generally boys undergo circumcision shortly after birth as part of a rite of passage. Circumcision is near-universal among Coptic Christians, and they practice circumcision as a rite of passage. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church calls for circumcision, with near-universal prevalence among Orthodox men in Ethiopia. Eritrean Orthodox practice circumcision as a rite of passage, and they circumcise their sons "anywhere from the first week of life to the first few year". Some Christian churches in South Africa disapprove of the practice, while others require it of their members.

Circumcision is practiced in some predominantly Christian countries and Christian communities. Christian communities in Africa, some Anglosphere countries, the Philippines, the Middle East, South Korea and Oceania have high circumcision rates, while Christian communities in Europe and South America have low circumcision rates, although none of these are performed out of perceived religious obligation. Scholar Heather L. Armstrong writes that, as of 2021, about half of Christian males worldwide are circumcised, with most of them being located in Africa, Anglosphere countries, and the Philippines.