-Bernard Knox
It could be said, I think, that myth is the only science and psychology of such a world, as well. Without modern instruments, and without thousands of years of documented research, the oral tradition of pre-literate cultures had to find ways to explain human actions and natural phenomena in a satisfactory way.
In Greek myth- and myths around the world, natural disasters- like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and famines- were often explained as divine punishment for human wrongs. The greater the disaster, the more egregious the human sin must have been. The process of creating these myths probably moved backward chronologically, from the disaster itself to the root cause of it.
Let's look at an example from the Judeo-Christian tradition:
The Biblical Story of Sodom and Gomorrah
What was the real life disaster?
What do you think was the sin of the men of Sodom?
This tendency to attribute disasters to human error has not disappeared with the modern age. Two days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, the Reverend Jerry Falwell appeared on the Christian Broadcasting Network's 700 Club with Pat Robertson, and made the following remarks regarding who bore at least part of the blame for the disaster:
"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"
41 comments:
Sodom and Gomorrah.
i think that God killed the city not only because the people in it were homosexual but also that they were willing to have sex with random people. the angels walked into the city and many of the people wanted to have sex with them, men and woman. This goes against the 10 commandments, His laws.
God loves everyone and everything, but he also punishes those who disobey. for example, if you had a daughter and she stole money from you, you would want to discipline her, but you wouldn't do it out of anger and want to avenge your money, you would discipline her out of love for her because you want her to learn. I know that these are 2 very different situations, but God gives second chances, He give a 1000 chances. God loves everyone and that is why he disciplines out of love and nothing else.
I think that god destroyed Sodom because 1. there was many homosexuals in Sodom, and 2. there wasn't one righteous person in the city of Sodom, they all wanted to "Know" the angels, and Lot insisted that the men have is two virgin daughters instead, the angels didn't think that was very fatherly.
Well, I'm not very well-read on the Bible, so I don't know too much. But I believe that God destroyed the city because they wanted to rape the angels and possibly because of the homosexuals. I say "possibly" because different people interpret the Bible in different ways, some people say the bible discourages homosexuality, whereas other say the Bible doesn't really have a (For lack of a better word) preference of people sexuality.
And so, depending on the writer of this story, it either was destroyed because of the rape aspect and of the homosexuals, or just because of the rape aspect. I suppose there are probably other reasons too though, because they wanted to destroy the city even before the men were outside Lot's door. The the citizens most likely did other sinful actions.
Therefore, I think that God destroyed the city because of the rape, POSSIBLY homosexuality, and other sinful actions committed by the citizens.
I think that God terminated the city because they were homosexuals. It states in the bible that relations are supposed to be between a man and a woman. Also, the people of the city wanted to commit adultery with anyone they saw, whether the person was an angel or a young virgin girl. The lords laws were broken and he had to regulate.
I myself, do not know much about the bible or the christian religion but I think that god destroyed the city because the people were violating one of the 10 commandments by wanting and attempting to commit adultery. These people wanted to rape the angels which was wrong, and in a way it can be committing adultery.
Also, since these angels were men and in the group of citizens were men I also think the city was destroyed because of homosexuality which is frowned upon.
Most of you, so far, seem to be in line with the traditional reading of the story, but it seems like there's a catch that no one's pointing out. Cody, you suggest that the angels disapproved of Lot's offering his daughters to the mob of men, but they don't indicate any disapproval in the passage. In fact, Lot and his family are the only people saved from the devastation of the city. Why does God reward Lot for this?
And Darian: to be perfectly legalistic about this, God has yet to deliver the commandments to the people at this point- we're still several generations before Moses.
Well I think the worst thing that God destroy Sodom because they wanted to rape an angel. I'm sorry but that is just despicable. I mean if you do something morally wrong, God would forgive, but you will be punished. But to do something like wanting to rape one of Gods holy figures is just wrong.
I agree with the idea that God destroyed the city because of the homosexuals at the time. All of the sexual activity that had been taking place in Sodom was out of control, and it was becoming the "normal" thing to do. Many people were being raped. I agree with Colton because the bible does seem to discourage homosexuality in a varietie of ways. There could have been problems in Sodom before hand, and the sexual activities taking place may have just given him a legitimate reason to destroy it.
To be honest, I can't find anything else in the text that would imply any other reason to burn the city down than the fact that the men were all homosexual, and they wanted to rape two angels, which is obviously a "sin."
But there is one part that I'm unsure about and I don't even know who they're referring to which is, ‘This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.’
Does that have anything to do with anything?
Even though I know a bit about the Bible and what it teaches, I think that the majority of the male Sodomites being homosexuals wasn't what really caused God to demolish the city. I think that it had to do with morals. One of the commandments states that people shouldn't be adulterous/promiscuous and breaking a commandment is a big deal in Christanity. The Sodomites were given options which I believe shows the God isn't hell-bent on causing despair. Offering the two daughters' virginity was God's way of persuading the Sodomites to do something that was still "bad" but wasn't as bad as breaking one of His laws.
The fact that the men they wanted to rape were angels made the act even more offensive. These are God's holy messengers and humans have no right to tarnish and violate them.
Honestly, I know nothing about the Bible except for this story that you just had us read. The writing's style was sort of different than I was used to, but I think God destroyed the village because it was implying that God disapproved of the rape and homosexuality. Although in the past around the Oedipus times that man on man love was considered "the best", perhaps when religion is taken into hand the viewpoint changes, and in this case God doesn't like it. Also, morally (in my view) the thought of wanting to rape and not caring about the victim isn't right at all, so that's another reason why God destroyed the village.
Perhaps God destroyed the city because the people did not see the wrong in rape, rather than homosexuality. I don't know much about the Bible, but maybe in this case God cares more about one's moral thoughts rather than what gender one sleeps with. Everyone interprets everything differently though.
Just morally, forced rape is an absolute wrong. The city was erased for what God believed was wrong, which isn't something that can be given to us easily, and why there's wars and stuff which argue over morality and interpretations.
So he burned the village for the rape thoughts and how they didn't regret them (until fear is present or something), is my thought.
God punished the men of Sodom for the simple reason he gave: because there were not even five righteous men in the city. The angel (or God) told Abraham that he would destroy the city if there were not 50 righteous men.
The number dwindled to five righteous men, and even that low standard was not met by Sodom.
So, like he said, God punished the city. As a Christian, I must say that God does keep all his promises. Not that destroying Sodom was exactly said as a promise, but he definitely said that he would destroy the city.
Kind of got off topic there, but to sum up;
Sodom's sin was not being righteous and being faithful to God.
God destroyed the city of Sodom because the people of the city were unrighteous. All of the men of the city wanted to know, or have sexual intercourse, with the angels that had just entered the city to visit Lot. Rape is a sexual immorality, and God clearly states in the Bible that sexual immorality is a sinful nature. God punished the city of Sodom because they were sinful and unrighteous, wanting to rape and have sex with those of the same gender. Even when Lot offered his daughters, the people of Sodom rejected it and only wanted the angels. Secondly, God promised Abraham that he would not destroy the city if he found ten righteous people. However, the fact that all the men of Sodom, both young and old, wanted to know the angels clearly shows that they were immoral. Therefore God punished Sodom because of their unrighteousness and the fact that they wanted to rape the angels, who were male.
I think that God decided to kill the city because 1. homosexuality, 2. lust, and 3. morality. Homosexuality is not something is taken with open hands very easily and is also against the religion. When Lot refuse to let those men, who were filled with lust, come in take the angels, he did something that was very wrong and dishonorable of a person who considers themselves a father, and welcomed them to take his daughters instead.
God saw that there wasn't a single person here who lived their life morally without lust or greed, but I think that he only let Lot go because Lot had help by sheltering the angels or else Lot would've been among the people destroyed.
In my opinion I think God burned the city well because for one people in the city were homosexuals and two because everyone want to sleep with the angels. So because of this God want to punish them so they could then relize what they did. at least that what it seems like
I think that God punished the city was because the men there didn't care about anyone. They just wanted to have sex with the angels. By wanting that, they are practically asking to have sex with the children of God because the angels were sent down by him. They didn't need to know who the guys were or what they were, the men from the city had one objective, to have sex with the angels. That disobeys the 10 commandments which were made by God. If the men from the city did not want to have sex with the angels, I'm pretty sure God would not have punished them because they would be loyal. According to the passage, Lot was loyal to God, that was why he escaped while everyone else was stuck in the city.
I think that God killed the people of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the sim of homesexuality. In the people God says that its not right to be gay. But the people wanted to rape the "shiny people" which were angels. So since they disobeyed what God says they were punished and God destroyed their town.
I think God killed the city because of the homosexuality and the adultery committed. Lot offered his virgin daughters to the angel to have sex with. This action most likely made God angry and therefore he chose to punish the city by killing everyone.
i think that god killed everybody in the city because the people in the city were homosexual.
The sin that the men of Sodom had was the sin of homosexuality. God sent his angels to Sodom to destroy it, but he told Abraham that if there was ten righteous people in Sodom then he would not destroy it. When the angels came to Sodom and Lot even offered to give up his two virgin daughters instead of the angels the men still wanted to "know" the angels. So greed was also one of the sins of the men of Sodom. Then God brought down the punishment of brimstone and fire, which could translate into a volcanic eruption in the real world.
I think that god destroyed the city because there was very many homosexuals who would have sex with anyone including the angels and it says in the bible that a relations are supposed to be between a man and a woman. I also think that he destroyed the city because one or more of the ten commandments were broken. I think that lot was forgiven because he did not let the men rape the angels.
I think the sin of the people was greed and homosexuality. I also think part of it was because of the fact that they wanted to have sex with gods angles. God did what was best for his people. He wants the world to be a loving, happy place but the greed and selfishness of the people began to overthrow gods influence. Therefore he punished them by destroying the city.
I would also like to point out that Sodom had problems before this occurred. Im sure god tried to fix things without being so harsh but obviously no one was listening. He destroyed the city as a last resort.
I think God destroyed the city because it was full of lust. The people in the story gave me an impression that they were desperate, so much they would want relationships with male angels. I don't think God cared for the homosexuality, because I believe He loves everyone the same, in spite of what the bible might say. Truth be told, I haven't read the bible, but I do go to church.
I also think the city was destroyed because of moral reasons. Who in their right mind would want to have sex with angels. That crazy, their divine beings. It would be like trying to rape a little child. I don't think it has anything to do with homosexuality.
I read the comments that others have posted, and I have to agree somewhat on what they're saying. I do go to church sometimes, not really, and read the bible is someone tells me a verse I should read up on. But, I believe God abolished the city because of the situations that were happening. They were sinning by going against what God thinks of marriage. Man and woman should only be married. So this contradicted his attributions with marriage. But it wasn't just the homosexuality that God sent the angels upon us to destroy the city. but because of the rape.
I believed that God punished the city simply because of the fact that he didn't find 50 righteous men. God said he would destroy the city if he didn't find them and he stayed true to his word. The homosexuals, being that that is a sin, and the wanting to have sex with the angels contributed to God's actions also. The people of the city were making immoral decisions.
I think fire rained down on Sodom because of the men. I don't even begin to know why they would want to rape an angel, but i guess they wanted to. So thats bad and god definatly doesn't like men rapeing angels and offered women.
I believe that God punished the city of Sodom because of, not just the homosexuality of the people, but the sexuality in general. Most citizens of Sodom were extremely focused on sex, consented or not. Though the ten commandments were not in place at this time, I think that God knew that adultery was wrong before it was announced to the people.
These comments are really really really interesting. I agree with Darian, to a certain point. I don't think God killed the city because the people in it were homosexual, but because they were willing to bang every person. Yet at the time maybe it is because the people were homosexual it makes sense because considering the time this was at, it's the most logical explanation. So maybe to the fact that they were homosexuals willing to bang every person was the reason God killed the city.
I think that God Punished Sodom not just because of the homosexuality but just the sex of everyone. God is supposed to love everything
I think the only reason God sent flames down to Sodom and Gommorah from the heavens is because of the fact that the men there were reprehensible people who wanted to rape the Angels that came to the town. I don't believe that homosexual activity that was going on there had anything to do with God's reason for his punishment on the towns. I can't honestly believe that God would condemn the people because of the homosexuality since it was big in ancient times and I suppose the rape and unrighteousness of the people was enough reason for what happened.
From the passage that you had us read, I don't believe that God destroyed the cities because of homosexuality. I think he did it because the entire city had turned their back on him. He sent the angles to save the few good people from the sharing the same fate as the rest of the city. Not only were the good people saved but they were also shown the magnitude of the condition the city was in. With what they have seen, they will spread the word. Which is more than likely what God wanted.
I think the reason God destroyed the city was because of the homosexuals which God discouraged and because of the people who were willing to have sex with the angles which are considered holy. And God Told Abraham he wouldn't destroy the city if he could find at least 10 people who weren't sinners, but he couldn't so God kept to his promise and the whole city was demolished.
I'm not one for religion of any sort, but I'll just give my opinion on the text at hand. From what the passage says god rains down fire and brimstone from the heavens upon the city. Most would say this is because the morals of the city were bad, i.e. some were homosexuals, and some had just indulged in too much sex. But mt my question is why would god do this. These people didn't know what they were doing was wrong, this happened roughly 500 years before the ten commandments were given to man kind. My question is why would a loving and caring god destroy two entire cities for breaking a rule that they didn't even know existed. Just my opinion.
I think that God destroyed the city because there was nobody righteous in the city. The only good person they found was Lot. The people didn't care that the two men were angels, they wanted to have sex with them anyways. So I think it didn't really have anything to do with homosexuality.
I thin God ruined the city do to the fact on how the city wanted to rape the angel. Where one angel was claimed to be God. Another one could be on homosexuality. In the bible it states that it should be a man and a women. One more thing can be that they could not find a religious person.
I think the sin of the men was not being hospitable.
personally, i think that if you set the fact that they were homosexuals and that they wanted to rape the angels (cause we know thats part of it) there's another reason God burnt the city to the ground. I think Megan already touched on this but I agree with her so its okay :) The angels (God) told Abraham that if he could find five righteous men in the city, he would spare it. When those five were not found, God followed up on his promise. He is a God who keeps his promises.
I also agree with Darian. God punished the city because he wanted to teach His children a lesson. He loves everyone and He is a forgiving God but there are also consequences for disobeying Him. He is considered our Heavenly Father and, just like our earthly fathers, when we do something wrong, they punish so that we can learn not to do that again.
I think that God destroyed the city because the people were homosexual, and disobeying God, and sinning. For whatever situation there is, if you are sinning or going against God, He will punish you for the wrong you are doing. But no matter what, God loves you.
I see in peoples comments how they are talking about him loving everybody the same and how how he shouldn't be mad or anything. He does love everyone equally so much, but when u are sinning, yea he still loves you, but God is just very angry for what you have done.
Post a Comment