According to one of the Stories in the Book of Genesis, two angels were sent By God to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of the sins of their inhabitants. Only Lot along with his family was to be spared, but while making their escape, Lot's wife, ignores the angel's warning not to look back, Turns into a pillar of Salt.
Before this incident, Abraham, pleaded with God, to spare the cities of Sodom n Gomorrah and God said that he would spare the cities, if he could find 10 righteous men in Sodom. God then sent 2 male angels to Sodom. they were greeted by Lot, and were taken into his home. Later that night, The Men of Sodom gathered outside Lot's house and demanded that lot should bring out the men, so that they may KNOW them.
The verse, KNOW THEM, is supposedly to have sexual meaning. Lot then tries to give the men, his virgin daughters, to spare the angels from the wrath of the men of Sodom. But they wanted the angels. The angels, then struck the men causing blindness, and lot was asked to take his family and leave the town, for it was to be destroyed.
This story is used to persecute homosexuals. however, this is a story of ATTEMPTED GANG RAPE, not 2 MEN HAVING CONSENSUAL SEX. Moreover why would Lot offer his virgin daughters, if all the men in the town were gay?
This is a practice that wicked men did to travelers. A similar story is there in Judges 19:13-27, In this story, a Levi and his concubine were travelling and stopped at a town called Gibhia. While they were there, an older man, gave them a place to stay for the night. During the night, a group of men, came to the levi and demanded to have sex with him, but the Levi gave them the concubine instead. The men gang raped her all night till dawn.
This story tells that the men of Sodom were not labelled as they are today and many of them were what we would call Bisexual today.
So Why did God Destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?
The Bible gives us many reasons, and it is NOT because of Homosexuality. In Ezekiel 16:48-50 says the sins of Sodom were Pride, Gluttony, they didnt care about others, they didnt help the poor and needy, They were haughty and did abominations before the Lord. The abominations done by the People of Sodom are not clearly mentioned in the Bible...
In Jeremiah 23:13-14, it says that men of Sodom committed ADULTERY, and lived a lie, The helped the hands of evil-doers. Adultery by definition is Sex with a married woman. Once more stating that the men of Sodom were not homosexuals.
Jude 1:7 states that The men of Sodom went after strange Flesh. Once again a direct reference to the angels. Strange flesh cannot mean men, so this passage makes a reference to angels.
the NIV says that men of Sodom gave them upto sexual immorality and perversion. (NOTICE THAT NIV CONTAINS NO MENTION OF STRANGE FLESH WHICH IS IN KJV). sexual immorality is Not defined in the Bible as Homosexuality, but refers as a blanket term to many of the sexual sins like Bestiality, adultery, rape, Incest, etc.
Jesus himself mentions Sodom and Gomorrah in Matthew 11:20-24. Here he says that Those who reject the Truth of Christ, will be punished more harshly than the people of Sodom.
In Conclusion, the sins of Sodom were not that they were homosexuals, But according to the Bible, because they were:
> Arrogant
>Overfed and unconcerned
>Didnt help the poor and needy
>Committed sexual immorality and Adultery.
>Tried to rape travelers who came to their city.
So, why is Homosexuality Linked?
Asside from the story of men trying to gang rape the travelers, the word SODOM, SODOMY and SODOMITE have been wrongfully Linked.
Sodom- Was the Place that was destroyed by God.
sodomy- means anal sex between 2 men, and was coined somewhere in the 13th century. This word is nowhere in the bible.
Sodomite- By definition DOES NOT mean a resident of Sodom, but was translated from the hebrew word QUEDESH, which means Shrine prostitute.
Here are some passages, where The word Sodomite is Used:
Deuteronomy 23:17 "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite (QUEDESH) of the sons of Israel..."
1 Kings 15:12 "And he took away the sodomites (QUEDESH) out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made."
2 Kings 23:7 "And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove."
Many Christians have Purposely added mis-interpretation to the story to take out their own Prejudice.
So Lets Recap the points:
> The Bible never talks about Homosexuals in Sodom.
>The bible never talks about Long loving committed gay relationships in Sodom.
>The bible NEVER SAYS THAT HOMOSEXUALITY WAS A SIN IN SODOM NOR DOES IT TELLS THAT HOMOSEXUALITY WAS THE REASON FOR ITS DESTRUCTION.
>Sodomite in the Bible, always refers to shrine prostitution.
>Sodomy is not a word from the bible and was coined sometime in the 13th century.
The reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is actually faintly present in the Book of Enoch and Genesis 6. In Genesis 6:2, it says that the sons of God (Angels) had sex with the daughters of Men. for this very reason God decided to destroy men from the face of the world in Genesis 6:7. So, the actual and the most prudent reasons for the destruction of Sodom, were because the men of Sodom were so wicked that they tried to gang rape the angels, who were as quests in their cities...
So. the reason for Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is NOT at all HOMOSEXUALITY, in any perspective, But was Pride, gluttony, inhospitality, helping the hands of evil doers and most of all, Men trying to break the law of God and trying to GANG RAPE the sons of God.
Comparing a story of Attempted gang rape of angels to modern day Long loving monogamous homosexual couples is both absurd and illogical.
