The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah

Reflections by Patrick Welsh taken from the blog "Libre Theology", 3 June 2012, freely translated by Adriano C.

Christian fundamentalism, to condemn homosexuality and qualify people with sexual diversity as degenerated and sins, almost always refers to the history of the destruction of the cities of Sodoma and Gomorra (Gn 19). Reading this passage, a clear results that the two angels sent by God and hosted by Lot, unjustly suffer the harassment of the population of Sodoma. An in -depth reading of the Bíblic text, however, reveals that they are not victims of a homosexual minority, but of the general population, both men and women.

The literal interpretation of the text can lead to a dilut (erroneous) that all the males of the city of Sodom were homosexual because the text says: "All men surrounded the house, from the youngest to the oldest" (Gn 19, 4). However, the use of the word "men" in pearly biblical texts presupposes the totality of men and women, and this underlying this multitude, which threatened the angels and Lot, was composed of men and women.

In some translations of the Bible we want to represent this reality with the use of a more extensive language and this text reads: "All men surrounded the house, the whole population, from the youngest to the oldest". It is therefore inappropriate to conclude that Sodom's "sin" was homosexuality and that for this reason it was destroyed by God.
Rather, this interpretation arises a question: this interpretation reflects the spiritual morality of those who wrote it, or is it a misrepresentation of the same, based on prejudices and ignorance of those who wish to promote their homophobic and male -dominated program?

Continuing in reading, the same text strongly draws attention to the offer made by Lot to rap the multitude :: "I have two daughters who have not yet known a man; let them take them out and do them what you like" (Gn 19, 8). What a barbarity, what a model of father! (Furthermore, strangely it seems that he had not noticed that the group of molesters was made up of people all homosexuals).
If on the basis of this biblical text the condemnation of homosexual people is supported, the same logic and argument of interpretation would justify the rape of women as a morally acceptable practice. Do not do it would be extremely hypocritical and the people and religious institutions that promote discrimination against homosexuality so much should consider the rape of women as a biblically authorized behavior.

The sin of the people of Sodom is not in their homosexual practices (in every society, in every country, homosexuality has always existed), but rather in their attitudes of intolerance and inhospitable towards people different from them. This leads them to discriminate, marginalize and rape the rights of other human beings from other places, with other customs, other physical aspects and other forms of thought and to be (such as Lot and the two angels). In the case of sodomites, sin is not homosexuality but the lack of hospitality.

Those who judge and condemn people from sexual diversity, raping their human dignity, fall into the same hypocrisy and look more like people of Sodoma than to the angels of Lot. They would therefore deserve the same treatment and punishment that was imposed on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Using the Bible as a weapon to disqualify people from sexual diversity and plan for them a kind of second or third category citizenship is an attack on their human rights.
Therefore, any right (to life, education, health, protection, political participation, a family) is denied to a person because of his sexual orientation or identity of sex is a serious violation of their human rights.

In the middle of the 21st century, using the Bible and manipulating faith to justify homo-lensfobic homo-lens-free prejudices is an infamous expression of hospitality. Rather, the Bible should be used to preach love and not to sow hatred that encourages acts of discrimination and violence against people from sexual diversity.

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Original text: El Pecado de Sodoma y Gomorra