by artempress » Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:11 pm
There was also a very interesting "Mysteries of the Bible" episode I watched a long time ago that talked about the subject of Lot, and it spoke of the culture of the time, where the safety of one's guest and the hospitality towards them was extremely important. Life was very difficult back in those times and survival in the harsh desert climates demanded a cultural system in which a man showed hospitality towards travelers and was responsible for their safety while they stayed in his household, as he might need to rely upon the same hospitality later.
Thus, the real sin that the denizens of the city practiced in was the disregard for their fellow man. Everyone was out for himself, and the reason why they came upon Lot's house and demanded he give them his guests were because they wanted to rob and rape them. Lot's offering of his daughters instead was his attempt to protect his guests, which was more important than the safety of his own family (plus in ancient times most women were treated like commodities. By today's standards, Lot'd get his daughters taken away by protective custody, but I digress). I've never thought that the main sin was homosexuality, as being gay does not mean one is going to force themselves upon another person. I think there is a better correlation between the men who demanded Lot hand over his guests and prison rape. Rape is about imposing one's dominance over another, and that's what the men in Sodom were after. They were threatened by the holiness of Lot's guests, and when an insecure person feels threatened, they tend to strike out at what they fear.
I believe the sins of Sodom were more complex than what Fundamentalists like to claim. I believe it was considered evil because there was no respect and brotherly love extended towards thy neighbor, which was a HUGE biggie in the culture of that world during that time. It was a dangerous place where crime was rampant and no one cared for one another, to the point where they openly tried to attack Lot because he showed kindness and hospitality toward guests. That's why God burned the city to the ground. Not because of butt sex, but because it was a city full of Assholes, aka Detroit
(if any of you are actually from Detroit, I swear I'm just joking and I'm sure there are more than 10 decent people out there. But seriously, that town has gone down the tubes in later years).
