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| 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).
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.
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.
See
Pew research for some data and discussion of measurement difficulties. Bob Seidenstickeralso covers the point
about percentages.
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
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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Twitter @GeoffWSutton
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