Sodomy And The Bible

Whenever amateur Bible thumpers seek to prove that homosexuality is wrong, they turn to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the book of Genesis. God destroyed the entire city because of sodomites. Sodomites are homosexuals. Ego, God hates fags! Right.

The only problem with this brilliant deduction is that equating "sodomites" with homosexuals is a relatively recent invention (see [ambiguous: Sodomy]), and it did not originally mean "homosexual". It meant someone who lived in Sodom.

Secondly, the idea that what the Sodomites were doing that was so offensive to God was homosexual intercourse is an even more recent notion. In fact, throughout the Middle Ages it was believed that gay sex was but one of the wicked indulgences of the Sodomites. Bestiality, fornication, you name it—they were thought to have done it.

But religious scholars, reading over the various translations and transliterations of the Bible have drawn a totally different conclusion as to what the real Sin of Sodom was. Ready for this? It was being inhospitable to a stranger. Apparently it all revolves around the passage where the locals come pounding at the door urging Lot to throw out his guest "so that we may know him". Understand that by this they meant "know" him in the "biblical" sense, i.e. they wanted to hump his booty. In some places in the Middle East it was the tradition to ass rape the new guy just so that he felt cowed and humiliated.

Lot of course was horrified by this turn of events and, feeling obligated to protect the man whom he'd taken into his home, he did was any godly man would do—he offerred up his two daughters, so that the crowd might rape them instead. What? Yes. So clearly we should all emulate the godly heroes of the Bible. Or not.

Most likely Lot felt that if someone were going to be raped, it would be less humiliating for a woman to submit to a man than for a man to submit to another man. The hebrews being a patriarchal, warlike tribe, they considered male effiminancy to be thoroughly revolting and disgusting. Why it was almost Babylonian.

Speaking of the Babylonians, some scholars believe that a good deal of the Bible's negative spewage about men who lay with other men as with women (especially in the book of Leviticus, which dealth with religious purity issues) was not so much about homosexuality per se as it was a reaction to the religious practices of the Babylonians. Specifically, the fact that in Babylong (and other parts of the Near East) the priests dressed in women's clothes and had anal sex with with male worshippers. Feminist religious historians cite this as an attempt for the patriarchal religions to take control from female priestesses in cultures that still venerated female fertility Goddesses.

The Jews, followers of the male God Yahweh, were to purify themselves of all allegiance to foreign "idols" ("Thou shalt have no other god before me."). Hence all such goings on were forbidden to them.

Some scholars point out that it really doesn't matter—to Christians at least—what is says in the Bible's Old Testament. They claim that St. Paul absolved Christians of the need to adhere to the ancient Hebrew purity laws (hence Christians can eat pork, go uncircumcized, etc.). Titus 1, verse 15 15: Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

St. Paul, who was responsible for the few passages in the New Testament condemning homosexuality, was heavily influenced by Greek Stoic philosophers. They argued that sex, even in marriage, prevented a man from concentrating on higher philosophy. Thus you find him advocating celibacy as a virtue. Some early bishops, exaggerating St. Paul’s views, argued that only virgins would be saved. Then in the 5th century, Augustine, a scholar from North Africa who converted to Christianity after at least one lustful involvement with another man and a long-term extramarital relationship with a woman, worked out a church policy on sexual matters. Augustine argued that sex was acceptable within marriage only for purposes of procreation. For the most part, homosexuality and adultery were considered equally offensive sins. But enforcement rarely went beyond penances imposed by a Church confessor — for example, fasting or saying prayers.

o o Origin of the term in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

o Various passages used as evidence that “sodomites” = fags and that God hates fags.

o Linguists and alternative historians take a peek at relevant passages.

o Lots of mincing of words versus literalists who see “their” version of the bible as the only “true” version. (Unnatural acts – God saving the gentiles is supposed to be an unnatural act too.)

o Not convincing that homosexuality is okay in Old Testament.

o Christians told by Paul not to worry about the codes of the Old Testament except for a specific list – which does not include homosexuality – because… [?]

In his letter to Titus, preaching the message of Christ on the island of Crete, Paul sharply criticizes all who mislead would be converts into believing they must observe Jewish purity laws and customs—most specifically circumcision. (Titus 1, verse 14) advises that people should not give heed to Jewish folk tales or "fables" and to the "commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Meaning, say biblical scholars, that

· Christianity and Fag Hate

o Beyond the bible – gay marriage in medieval times

o Changes in attitude toward gays, women’s rights, sex, etc.

o Victorian definitions of sexual norms and of sodomy vs being homosexual.

Fred Phelps

Sodomy Scripture In The Bible