What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Question:
"What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?"

Answer:
The biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah is recorded in Genesis chapters 18-19.
Genesis chapter 18 records the Lord and two angels coming to speak with Abraham.

The Lord informed Abraham that "the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous."
Verses 22-33 record Abraham pleading with the Lord to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah
because Abraham's nephew, Lot, and his family lived in Sodom.

Genesis chapter 19 records the two angels, disguised as human men, visiting Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lot met the angels in the city square and urged them to stay at his house.
The angels agreed.
The Bible then informs us,
"Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom
— both young and old — surrounded the house.
They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight?
Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.'"

The angels then proceed to blind all the men of Sodom and Gomorrah and urge Lot and his family to flee
from the cities to escape the wrath that God was about to deliver.
Lot and his family flee the city, and then "the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah —
from the LORD out of the heavens.
Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities..."

In light of the passage,
the most common response to the question "What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?"
is that it was homosexuality.
That is how the term "sodomy" came to be used to refer to anal sex between two men,
whether consensual or forced.

Clearly,
homosexuality was part of why God destroyed the two cities.
The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to perform homosexual gang rape on the two angels (who were disguised as men).
At the same time,
it is not biblical to say that homosexuality was the exclusive reason why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were definitely not exclusive in terms of the sins in which they indulged.

Ezekiel 16:49-50 declares,
"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.

They were haughty and did detestable things before me..."

The Hebrew word translated "detestable" refers to something that is morally disgusting
and is the exact same word used in Leviticus 18:22 that refers to homosexuality as an "abomination."

Similarly, Jude 7 declares,
"...Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion."

So, again,
while homosexuality was not the only sin in which the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah indulged,
it does appear to be the primary reason for the destruction of the cities.

Those who attempt to explain away the biblical condemnations of homosexuality
claim that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was inhospitality.

The men of Sodom and Gomorrah were certainly being inhospitable.
There is probably nothing more inhospitable than homosexual gang rape.
But to say God completely destroyed two cities
and all their inhabitants for being inhospitable clearly misses the point.

While Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of many other horrendous sins,
homosexuality was the reason God poured fiery sulfur on the cities, completely destroying them
and all of their inhabitants.

To this day,
the area where Sodom and Gomorrah were located remains a desolate wasteland.
Sodom and Gomorrah serve as a powerful example of how God feels about sin in general,
and homosexuality specifically.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Sodom-and-Gomorrah.html


Sodom and Gomorrah Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzVR5HTcR1I

Ezekiel 16:55
King James Version (KJV)

55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

My old theology professor explained the sin was the violation of the law of hospitality,

Exactly, just like it says in Ezekiel.

So the question then becomes, for those who want to answer...

If a homosexual couple gets married and the marriage bed cannot be defiled, is it still a sin?

I don't understand how loving someone can be a sin

Atimes i used to wonder how God feels,how full of grief He might be over what we have turned this world into! However we are living in the days of grace where God gives us time to repent but thats NOT a licence to sin... There is a terrible and fearful warning in Rev 22:11 "he that is unjust,let him be unjust still:and he which is filthy,let him be filthy still:and he that is righteous,let him be righteous still:and he that is holy,let him be holy still.
12 And, behold,I come quickly;and my reward is with Me,to give every man according as his work shall be."
Equally terrible and fearful is 2nd Thess 2:9-12 "...even him,whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;because they received not the love of the truth,that they might be saved.
11 and for this cause God SHALL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSION,THAT THEY SHOULD BELIEVE A LIE:
12 THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED WHO BELIEVED NOT THE TRUTH,BUT HAD....

Nor do I... But sit back, grab some popcorn, I'm sure someone will come along to tell us...

Yes it is!
Be careful not to just pick or choose a phrase or two from the Word of God
to support fleshly desires,
totally disregarding the context in which it is given by God.

A man-ordained...
[[["homosexual" marriage]]]

and what God declares
[[[a "defiled" marriage bed]]]...

does not compile; those two topics cannot be put together.

The topic of defiled "marriage" bed is declared from God...
God never ordained "homosexual" marriage.
Marriage is between a man and a woman.
Defilement happens... at the conception of a homosexual marriage.

(PLEASE,THIS IS CONTINUATION OF 1ST POST)

12...BUT HAD PLEASURE IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS"
Homosexualism,lesbianism and all forms of uncleaness are what brought about the destruction and damnation of sodom and gomorrah,and same judgement and wrath of God awaits those to whom such practices seemeth right but don't know that the end are of death..
Lets be weary of the DEVICES OF SATAN! God bless.

Very true,God never ordained or permitted homosexuality or same sex marriage,they are all defiling,fleshly lusts orchestrated by satan and his manipulative,seducing spirits and sexual demons.
2nd Timothy3:1-2 "This know also,that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 for MEN SHALL BE LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES,..."

Also Romans 1:26-32

Verse 32 hammers the nail.

"We ought to obey God rather than men."
Acts 5:29

God's arm cannot be twisted...
Man cannot force the hand or mind of God.

Homosexuality is an act of evil not love. It's a sin and will ever remain a sin cos God doesn't switch standard. He is no respecter of man.

What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?


It was immorality.
People didn't follow God's law.

Ezekiel 16:49-55
New International Version (NIV)

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. 51 Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done. 52 Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

53 “‘However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, 54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. 55 And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.



Jeremiah 8:8
New International Version (NIV)

8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?

HATE THY NEIGHBOR

Contents
Excerpt: Sins of Sodom


(endnotes omitted)
Growing up, I was repeatedly taught in church that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as punishment for homosexuality. Indeed, even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary indicates that the word “sodomy” derives from “the homosexual proclivities of the men of the city [of Sodom].” The belief that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexuality has been passed on for generations, reflexively and with little inquiry. Contrary to popular opinion, the widespread homophobic understanding of the story is not supported by the story itself, or by the various passages throughout the Bible that mention it.

The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah

We are first introduced to Sodom in Genesis 13, where the people of the city are described as “wicked” and “great sinners against the LORD.” No information is provided, however, regarding why the people are believed to be wicked sinners. In the next chapter of Genesis, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned as having been involved in various wars, and the names of their kings are identified as Bera (“in evil”) and Birsha (“in wickedness”), respectively. Again, however, no information is provided regarding the nature of the “evil” or “wickedness” in either city.

The story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is set forth in Genesis 18 and 19. The story begins with God and two angels stopping by for a meal at the home of the first biblical patriarch, Abraham, in Canaan. After their visit, God and the angels depart for Sodom and Gomorrah. As they leave, God tells Abraham why the trip is necessary:

‘How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.’
Yet again, neither the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah, nor their “grave sin” are explained. The passage concludes with a rather lengthy negotiation between God and Abraham, during which God agrees to spare Sodom if at least ten righteous people are found in the city. Abraham was likely concerned about the fate of the city because his nephew, Lot, lived there.

As the story continues, the two angels meet Abraham’s nephew as soon as they arrive in Sodom. Lot happens to be sitting near the gates of the city when the visitors arrive, and he treats them hospitably by inviting them to stay in his home for the night, and by providing them with a feast for dinner. After the meal, the following horrifying events unfolded:

[T]he men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.’ Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, ‘I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.’ But they replied, ‘Stand back!’ And they said, ‘This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near the door to break it down. But the men inside reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door.
The passage continues with the angels directing Lot to flee Sodom with his family. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is then described as follows:

[T]he LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
I should point out here that, contrary to the biblical authors, I do not believe that the cities were destroyed by God (if they existed at all) as punishment for any particular sin or sins. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was written long before people understood the scientific reasons for natural disasters. Ancient cultures operated under the assumption that all calamities, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, famine, etc., could only be explained as divine punishment for human misdeeds. Nevertheless, for purposes of discussion, I assume that the cities were destroyed by God, as set forth in the Bible.

While many Christian leaders assert that homosexuality brought upon God’s wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah, this conclusion is simply not supported by the story itself. The story describes the Sodomites’ gross lack of hospitality, and their desire to dominate and humiliate strangers. It is not a story about sex per se, or about “homosexual proclivities.” According to the narrative, all of the males living in Sodom surround Lot’s house, and ask him to bring out his two male visitors “so that we may know them.” While the crowd’s specific intent toward Lot’s guests is unclear, it is pretty obvious that they do not have a meet-and-greet in mind. Lot’s plea that the Sodomites act not so “wickedly” shows his understanding that the crowd’s intent toward his guests is not benevolent. Indeed, most biblical scholars agree that use of the phrase to “know them” means that the men of Sodom sought to dominate and humiliate the visitors by raping them. As we will see in chapter 3, Lot lived in a culture that had an extremely hierarchical view of sex, and it was not uncommon for men to rape their male enemies in order to effectively reduce them to the inferior status of women. The Sodomites clearly had such violence in mind when they descended upon Lot’s home. This conclusion is supported by the threat of the mob that they would “deal worse” with Lot than with his guests, and by Lot’s offer of his two virgin daughters who have not “known a man” to all of the men of Sodom to do with “as you please.” In making this offer, Lot adds, “do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof,” and he seems determined that no harm of any kind––gang rape or otherwise––would come to the honored guests in his home. (Lot is clearly less concerned about protecting his virgin daughters.) By no stretch of the imagination could it be said that the men of Sodom were seeking an amorous and consensual same-sex encounter with Lot’s visitors.

The Similar Story of the Traveling Levite

The book of Judges describes a very similar account of townsmen attempting to rape a male visitor, and a review of that story is instructive with respect to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. According to Judges, a Levite traveled with his servant from Ephraim to Bethlehem to recover the Levite’s concubine who had fled from him and returned to her father’s house. Chapter 19 describes the horrifying events that took place on their journey back to Ephraim. In the midst of their journey, the trio stopped to rest in the city of Gibeah, where an old man offered them a meal and a place to stay for the night. As occurred in the story of Sodom, the meal was disrupted by an angry mob that appeared at the old man’s door. The following passage describes the appalling events that followed:

While they were enjoying themselves, the men of the city, a perverse lot, surrounded the house, and started pounding on the door. They said to the old man, the master of the house, ‘Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may have intercourse with him.’ And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, ‘No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Since this man is my guest, do not do this vile thing. Here are my virgin daughter and his concubine; let me bring them out now. Ravish them and do whatever you want to them; but against this man do not do such a vile thing.’ But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine, and put her out to them. They wantonly raped her, and abused her all through the night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. As morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. In the morning her master got up, opened the doors of the house, and when he went out to go on his way, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. ‘Get up,’ he said to her, ‘we are going.’ But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out for his home. When he had entered his house, he took a knife, and grasping his concubine he cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.
This delightful tale contains several important similarities to the story of Sodom. First, it provides yet another example of the shockingly low status of women in this culture. For instance, the old man offers both his own virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine to the mob outside, indicating that the mob could “[r]avish them and do whatever you want to them.” As with Lot, the motive of the old man appears to be to prevent his male guests––the Levite and his servant––from being the victims of violence, such as gang rape. (Apparently female family members and visitors did not enjoy the same protection or hospitality as their male counterparts.) In their jockeying for “Man of the Year” honors, the Levite would not be outdone. He doesn’t merely offer his concubine to the crowd, but grabs her and throws her outside. The fact that the men of Gibeah “wantonly rape” her clearly demonstrates that the men were not seeking an amorous sexual encounter, but rather to dominate and humiliate.

Believe it or not, the story takes a turn for the worse! Because Gibeah is a Benjaminite town, the rape and murder of the Levite’s concubine results in a civil war in which tens of thousands of Israelites are slaughtered. In response to the atrocious acts of the men of Gibeah, the other eleven tribes of Israel go to war against the tribe of Benjamin, and nearly obliterate it––only 600 Benjaminite men survive. While many people assert that the destruction of Sodom is proof of God’s hatred of homosexuality, I have never heard anyone suggest that God’s support for the war against the Benjaminites is proof of his hatred of heterosexuality. Punishment for homosexual rape cannot be considered a condemnation of homosexuality any more than punishment for heterosexual rape can be considered a condemnation of heterosexuality.

Clearly the authors who wrote the stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and of the traveling Levite lived in a very different time, and had moral sensibilities that were very different from our own. I doubt that those who believe that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah permits fervent homophobia in our culture are equally fervent in their support of men who protect themselves and their male visitors from attack by offering up their daughters or concubines to a mob of strangers to be gang-raped. In any event, it is quite clear that neither story is about sex per se, but about using it (or threatening to use it) in an appallingly violent fashion.

Biblical References
to the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

In attempting to determine why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it is helpful to consider the other twenty references to the story throughout the Bible. Although each reference uses the story as a symbol of the devastating magnitude of God’s wrath, not one of them indicates that the destruction of the cities had anything to do with homosexuality.

[The remainder of this chapter analyzes the general and direct biblical references to the destructiion of Sodom and Gomorrah, including Jesus' remarks on the topic.]

Conclusion

Biblical authors appear to have believed that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for any number of reasons, including, for example, lack of hospitality to strangers, oppression of the poor, pride, arrogance, idolatry, murder, adultery, neglect of children, violence, rape, and/or sex with angels. It seems fair to assume that if Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed as a result of homosexuality, Jesus or the biblical authors who mentioned the story would have made this connection. There is absolutely no indication that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of consensual homosexuality. The most that can be said about the story of Sodom with respect to homosexuality is that the story condemns same-sex gang rape. Just as the brutal gang rape of the Levite’s concubine in Judges is no reflection on consensual heterosexuality, so the threatened gang rape of two men (or angels) in Sodom is no reflection on consensual homosexuality.

Ironically––and tragically––it seems that those who use the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to condemn homosexuality commit some of the very sins for which God is said to have judged those cities so harshly. Homosexual people have been disowned by families, fired from jobs, denied housing, insulted by Christian leaders and other public figures, beaten, and even killed––for no other reason than being attracted to members of the same sex. This is the sort of oppression, lack of hospitality, and violence that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah seems to denounce. Those who condemn and persecute homosexual people may well be the real “sodomites.”

Nice try!

The Mosaic Law has two explicit citations on homosexuality.

Leviticus 18:22 says,
"You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female. It is an abomination."

Leviticus 20:13 says,
"If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman,
both of them have committed a detestable act. They shall surely be put to death.
Their blood guiltiness is upon them."


Jude 1:7,
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha,
and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication,
and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.



Peter wrote that Lot was "oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men,"
and "by what he saw and heard...felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds."
These people were "those who indulged the flesh in its corrupt desires and despised authority"
(2 Peter 2:7-10).

And yet again....

Jeremiah 8:8
New International Version (NIV)

8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?

How can you say you have God's law?
(that passage is from the Bible, you do know that, right?

Romans 1

17, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19, Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20, For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22, Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24, Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25, Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26, For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27, And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28, And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29, Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32, Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Cerise, You could have stopped at #17, I'm happy right there.

I can understand why you posted the rest though.

feeling love is not sinful

having sex can be