Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Sodom and Gomorrah, and gay marriage

Sodom and Gomorrah weren't destroyed because there were homosexuals there. They weren't destroyed even because all but five of the men who lived there were gay. (As a point of order, I feel I must point out that we don't know how many men and women who lived there were gay. The Bible doesn't address it.)

Here's what God provides as the reason for Sodom's destruction, as recorded in Ezekiel 16:48-50.

48As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49"'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
50"They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen."
If homosexuality is the "detestable" practice in question, I think it's worth noting that it's the last of several reasons given for God's judgment, after sins like arrogance, gluttony, apathy and indifference to the plight of the poor. In fact, pride is mentioned twice -- cf. the "haughty" charge -- suggesting that was the main offense.

Even looking at the Genesis account of Sodom's sin in the case of the angels who visited Lot, you can see this. Yes, the Sodomites tell Lot to bring the men out so that they can lie with them, but that's not just gay sex -- that's gay rape, a wholly different matter from consensual sex, and certainly in line with a charge of cruelty to foreigners and strangers.

There's a Talmudic tradition that explains neatly what a sodomite is. The man who says "What's mine is yours, and what's yours is yours" is a saint. The man who says "What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine" is a simpleton. And the man who says "What's mine is mine and what's yours is yours" is a sodomite.

If we're concerned about God judging America, perhaps we need to be less concerned with how non-Christians behave in their bedrooms, and start thinking more about how our own behavior within the Church squares up against God's standards and the call Christ puts on those who presume to call themselves his followers. The harshest words in Scripture aren't for the unbelievers or those outside the Kingdom of God. It's for those of us who identify ourselves by his name and claim to be part of the kingdom.

1 comment:

JJ said...

I realize I am over a year late to this party, but I just found your blog today.

As someone who is trying to figure out this whole "Gay Christian" thing, I've been doing a lot of reading recently (both from the conservative side, and from the liberal side) trying to figure out what the Bible actually says about homosexuality... it wasn't until I started reading that I realized that people (actual, semi-intelligent people) actually used the Sodom and Gomorrah story to condemn gays. I grew up in the church, as a gay person and never once made that connection. It was always a story about violence and rape to me, not homosexuality. It's been a bit of a rude awakening to realize that people see gang rape and homosexuality as the same thing.

Anyway, I'm still reading my way through your blog. Enjoying it so far. :)