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So what was the sin of Sodom? Homosexuality, as implied by our use of "sodomy" as a synonym for anal intercourse or any other sexual relations between two men? Or was the sin of Sodom being self-centered, cruel and inhospitable, and not specifically related to sexual practices at all? The story in Genesis describes all the men and boys in Sodom gathering together to attack and humiliate the strangers among them. Heterosexual rape has been used throughout history as an attack, a humiliation of enemies in war or "uppity women" in peace. Homosexual rape has also been practiced by men who are heterosexual by preference, as a way to shame the one attacked. This shaming works even in cultures that do not regard consenting heterosexual or homosexual relations as shameful; rape is a violation and a humiliation, no matter who practices it on whom. Jeremiah also condemns the Sodomites for adultery. Whatever the modern view of adultery, which may depend on what the definition of "is" is, in the traditional Jewish culture adultery was sexual intercourse, by a person who was married, with a person of the opposite sex to whom they were not married, in betrayal of vows to one's spouse, one's community, and one's God -- breaking the web that bound the society together. Adultery is often a sin of greed and self-centeredness, compatible with the character of the Sodomites as drawn in the Old Testament -- but it does not necessarily indicate homosexuality. Or is self-centeredness, rape, cruelty, adultery, promiscuity an inevitable counterpart to homosexuality? As recently as ten years ago, I believed that. I believed that Christianity called me to love homosexuals as people, but to reject their sins, which included homosexuality.
Approximate Word count = 1085
Approximate Pages = 4.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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