Are Traditions and Customs Really Worth Keeping?

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Such a question willinevitably promote discussion, debate and perhaps some outrage at the meresuggestion. But, before I say my piece and invite your comments andcontributions, perhaps I should define the terms, so that we all know what we'rediscussing:
Tradition is defined asbelief, custom, etc., passed along from generation to generation by non-writtenmeans; those beliefs, collectively; established and accepted practice orcustom; principles held and generally followed by a branch of the arts, adoptedfrom and handed down through experience and practice; doctrine regarded as possessingdivine authority with no written evidence; the spoken messages of Christ andthe apostles, passed on by word of mouth through generations; words and actionsof Muhammad not incorporated in the Qur'an but transmitted orally before beingrecorded.
Custom is held to behabitual or common practice; a usual way of behaving; usage, fashion or habit; establishedusage which, because it has continued for a long time, has taken on the forceof a law or right.
The world is overrun withexamples of custom and tradition; many are religious in origin, others stemfrom early ignorance of certain realities, yet others have developed asresponses to threats from outside the boundaries set by those groups practicingthem. We, mostly, take such things for granted and promote their continuancewithout much thought for either their origins or their real social effects. So,is any harm done by such continuation? Is it possible that some customs andtraditions are not good things?
Let's look at some of themost popular and widespread. Christmas is almost on us. This celebration of thebirth of a notable prophet, a figure responsible for the formation of one ofthe world's great religions, is touted as a demonstration of love, generosityand general goodwill to all men. Peace and harmony are tied into the verymeaning of this tradition. So, can it be seen in any way as other than a goodthing?Well, the timing of theceremony, as most people are aware, is way off if it is an actual commemorationof the prophet's birth, since it's believed he was actually born in the summermonths. So, the first aspect I question is the lack of honesty in the dating.Of course, it's well known that the old Pagan ceremony that was traditionallyheld at the mid-winter point long before Christianity came on the scene, washijacked by the church in order to allow the celebrants to more readily acceptthe new religion. So, the timing of the celebration immediately takes on thenature of a con-trick, something devised to make more palatable a set ofbeliefs that were at variance with those of the people it was invented toconvert. Such trickery is hardly the way to promote a doctrine that purports tohave truth at its heart, I think.
In Islam, the position ofthe woman is traditionally that of subordinate; traditionally, though notaccording to the holy book of the faith. The Qur'an states quite clearly thatmen and women are of equal value and worth. However, the later commentaries,supposedly recorded as the words and actions of the prophet, Mohammed, are opento interpretation that women are rightly considered subordinate to men. Suchdowngrading of the gender would fit in well with the beliefs of a man broughtup in a brothel, of course. And they fit in well with the traditions of aculture which has regarded women as goods and chattels since the beginning ofrecorded history. One has only to look at the ethnic communities where Islamfirst developed and note the custom of awarding their leaders numerous wivesand concubines to see that the male attitude to the position of women in suchsocieties was less than generous. The Islamic belief that men who are martyredin the cause (whatever that cause may be determined to be) will be rewarded byan eternity in paradise served by anything up to 72 virgin maidens, indicatesthat women are seen as the playthings and servants of men. No such rewardawaits those women who sacrifice themselves to the cause, however. And,clearly, the fate of the 72 virgin maidens is hardly something to be relished. So,I question the custom and tradition held so dear by the sects of this religionin this regard.
The tradition of regardingpork as unclean, elevated to quasi-legal status in certain communities, stemsfrom early observations that pig meat can cause many illnesses. Of course, withmodern farming techniques and the knowledge that such meat must be well-cookedto avoid the problems, the risk has been reduced to similar proportions asthose of eating any other meat. But it's noteworthy that the ban on eating porkremains. It's been enshrined into the culture of those communities and is upheldas something positive simply on the grounds that it is customary, traditional.Another example of the religious authorities being unwilling to accept that thebasis for their laws might actually be questionable.
In certain parts of theMiddle East and Africa it's customary for young women to be circumcised. This,of course, is a euphemism for brutal damage to the victims genitalia. Thecustom, carried out without anaesthetic, involves the removal of the clitorisand, frequently, the stitching together of the labia minor to prevent penetration.This tradition, often continued and encouraged by the mothers of the victims,is designed entirely to serve the men of the communities. The thought behind itis that women will not 'stray' if there is little pleasure for them in the sexact. The victim's stitched labia are cut open once the woman marries so thather husband may penetrate her, regardless of any pain she may suffer. Thiscustom is defended by those within the community on the grounds that it is along held tradition. And, of course, it the combination of the status oftradition with subliminal brain-washing that allows the mothers to continue toperpetrate this violence on their daughters.
I could go on. There aremany examples of similar customs and traditions: wife burning at the death of ahusband, the disfiguring of women who refuse a suitor's advances, the killingof daughters who 'dishonour' a family by refusing to marry the chosen husband.All, of course, with serious consequences for those affected. There are also lessercustoms and traditions that do more subtle harm. The custom of the Abrahamicreligions in their elevation of commerce to the level of some sort of divinelyinspired activity, for example, has allowed business to proceed without anyreal concern about its effects on those who are less well off. And the customof giving at Christmas, whilst producing some very real generosity of spirit aswell as actual charity, has caused many millions to put themselves into debt inorder to avoid being thought either mean or too poor to give as much as theirneighbours.
So, to return to myquestion: is it possible that some customs and traditions are not good things? Ithink you'll know my answer, but I'm interested to learn yours. Are you willingto get involved in the discussion here? It's easy enough to make a commentbelow.