Anyone who had even the slightest exposure to discussions about the morality of homosexuality has certainly heard the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is the sins committed in Sodom, referenced in Genesis 19, that are most often used by preachers and the religious right as the foundation for their attempt to show that God hates GLBT people. That mindset is why homosexual sex is sometimes referred to as "sodomizing" and there are still some anti-sodomy laws on the books in some parts of the United States that makes homosexual sex illegal.
This piece, written by Miguel De La Torre, is a clearly stated, concise explanation of the TRUE story of Sodom. Here are a couple of key quotes:
"Commenting on Sodom's sin, the prophet Ezekiel (16:49) wrote that Sodom's iniquity was the city's unwillingness, due to pride and haughtiness, to share their abundance with those who were poor and marginalized."
"Nowhere in the Bible where Sodom's wickedness is mentioned is homosexuality ever listed as being the cause for God's wrath. The crime of Sodom and Gomorrah, as elucidated by the scriptures themselves, is described as being a lack of justice done in the name of the "orphans and widows," the biblical euphemism for the disenfranchised. "
Using the latter description, there are a lot of Sodomites sitting on the Republican side of the isle in Congress and wagging their fingers as "evil homosexuals" behind pulpits in front of television cameras.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Unfortunately, progressive theologians feel it necessary to ignore the central event in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, as if that were the only way to prove the story isn't a condemnation of homosexuality. It's not the only way. If you think all homosexual men are rapists, then the story condemns homosexuality. I believe this story condemns the hatred of homosexuality. How? Think about it. What kind of men get victimized by rape in modern society? Men believed to be weak. Men believed to deserve punishment. Men who are Gay or who are perceived to be Gay. As it is in modern times, so it was in ancient times! The androgynous angels who visited Sodom were undoubtedly perceived to be eunuchs (the ancient term whose meaning was closest to what we now call homosexual men) and targeted for that reason. Eunuchs were hated by the so-called "normal" men of that day, just like Gay men are hated now. The sin of Sodom that called down God's wrath was an attempted Gay bashing . . . so we can't actually talk about that story without talking about homosexuality. We just need to start talking about it in the right way.
ReplyDeletehttp://christthegaymartyr.blogspot.com/
To me, the Sodom and Gomorrah story represents males using sex to dominate others, such as what happens to new prisoners and what also happened to many butch lesbians during the late 60s and early 70s when they were harassed by law enforcement and subjected to brutal humiliation at the precincts. It has nothing to do with homosexuality whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteLulu, I agree with you, except in one respect. The Sodom story does indeed have to do with homosexuality. It has to do with the hatred of perceived homosexuality, or of deviation from what was considered the norm. Then as now, men who deviated in appearance or manner from the accepted concept of masculinity are targeted . . . and angels from Heaven DO deviate in that way. They are androgynous beings.
ReplyDelete