Friday, April 1, 2016

Gays Sodom and Homosexuality


Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
John Martin 1789-1854

Sexual Exploitation

The biblical story of Sodom found in Genesis 19 is a story about men seeking sex. And it’s a story about a gross violation of the way one ought to treat guests.

For centuries people interpreted the story as being about men who wanted to have sex with men. Based on the story, such men were known as sodomites and laws were established in various places prohibiting male-male sex labeled as sodomy. But Bible scholars make important points about this text that many people either ignore or fail to consider, which is why I include them here.

Who is a Sodomite?

Just wondering… I turned to an American dictionary to check on current usage. Sure enough, sodomite is still a word used in the traditional way: “a person who has anal sex with another person: someone who practices sodomy” (Retrieved April 1, 2016  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sodomite


Briefly, the Sodom Story

Genesis 19 records the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Two angels visited Lot in Sodom to warn him of the pending destruction. Showing hospitality, Lot offered his home.  But the men of the city came to the house and demanded sex with his guests. Lot protested and offered two virgin daughters instead. Lot and his family were saved by the angels and the city was destroyed.

What’s sex got to do with Sodom?

Of course the story included a demand for sex. But what’s the point of the story? Was Sodom destroyed for the voiced intent to have sex with Lot's guests?

God considered the city wicked and already planned to destroy the city before the angels visited it (Genesis 13:13 and 18:20). Asking for people to sexually abuse is surely an example of their depravity but it does not appear as the primary reason for the destruction.

Isaiah Chapter 1 condemns the people of Judah for sins like those of Sodom but does not mention same-sex activity.

Jeremiah 23:14 condemns the prophets of Jerusalem for sins like those of Sodom but does not mention same-sex activity.

 Ezekiel explains the sin of Sodom as a failure of hospitality (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

Matthew 10: 5-15. Jesus uses Sodom as an example of punishment upon those who do not welcome his disciples.

2 Peter 2:6-9.  Readers are warned to avoid the sins of Sodom, which included sexual sins and other acts.

Jude (6-7) warns of punishment by reference to the angels and Sodom and sins of immorality as well as going after strange or different flesh. Knust (2011) takes this to be a reference to Genesis 6:1-4-- the story about the sons of God having sex with the daughters of men-- the mixing of humans and angels.
   
How Many Sodomites were Homosexual?

Why ask? Well, people have linked the word sodomite with the people of Sodom as if all the men of the town were attracted to men. The Genesis text identifies those present at Lot’s house as all the men of the town. In the U.S. population, about 4-5% identify as LGBT. Of that a smaller percentage would be gay or bisexual. Though arguably not definitive, it seems unlikely the entire village was occupied by gay men.

And consider, why would gay men want to have sex with women? Observe that Lot offered his daughters to the men of the city.


What’s going on in this story?

Think about how you feel when you read it. Can you imagine that scene at Lot’s house? He tries to fend off gangsters who threaten him so they can rape his guests. Then Lot offers his daughters to the would be rapists.

This story is about rape. If you even feel some sense of disgust, then the story has offered a moral lesson. The men of Sodom violate all sense of decency and respect. Sex is a weapon. Sex is a part of what they do to destroy the lives of others.

And who can imagine a loving father willing to hand over his daughters to the rapists? Not only are men degraded but women, as if often the case in history, are treated like bargaining chips—there is no humanity for them.

THOUGHTS

I understand the desire of Christians to be faithful to scripture. Yet I get concerned when people get lost in a forest of words and miss the pain and suffering of real people—ancient or contemporary.

Times have changed. A more flexible group of Christians has emerged—those who respect the biblical texts but don’t ignore science and reason. Still others look for ethical principles that transcend ancient tribal cultures.

Some embrace a loving God and seek ways to love others. And some will choose their words carefully so they can show hospitality rather than rejection; Kindness rather than hatred.

It doesn’t mean there are no rules. It means the Sabbath was made for man. And woman. Rest becomes a principle. And being guided by love, compassion, humility, gratitude, and other virtues allows people to embrace those in pain and stand against those who would exploit, damage, and harm the neighbors in one’s life.

Afterword

The beliefs of translators influence their choice or words. You will find sodomites in the King James Bible. The selection of adequate American words for ancient Hebrew words is not an easy task. For more about word choices for Sodom and sodomites see Coogan (2010)

Cite the blog post

Sutton, G. W. (2016, April 1). Gays, Sodom, and homosexuality. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://dividedchristians.blogspot.com/2016/04/gays-sodom-and-homosexuality.html 


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Post Notes

For more on rape and sexual assault, which harms so many women and men see MedlinePlus.

Anti-sodomy laws in the USA. The US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a sodomy law in Georgia in a 1986 ruling, Bowers v. Hardwick.  In Lawrence v. Texas, (2003) the U S Supreme court found a Texas anti-sodomy law unconstitutional.

There’s a similar story to the Sodom story found in Judges 19 often referred to as a Levite and His Concubine.

Coogan, M. (2010). God & Sex. NY: Twelve. Click for a Time Magazine interview with Michael Coogan.

Knust, J. W. (2011). Unprotected texts. NY: HarperOne. Website for Jennifer Knust.

This post is an update of one I wrote in 2013.

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