The plight of Lot amidst destruction in Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19

The men of Sodom, young and old, are an unruly, brutish lot. This chapter also contains the story cited most often by conservative Christians as their proof that homosexuality is a sin, and this story is an outright condemnation of LGBT relationships. Genesis 19 recounts a story of attempted gang rape of two outsiders.

Genesis 19:4-5, JPS They had not yet lain down, when the townspeople, the men of Sodom, young and old—all the people to the last man—gathered about the house. And they shouted to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may be intimate with them.”

Trying to appease the angry mob, Lot offers his virgin daughters to the crown as an alternative. Awww, what a swell dad. I am not sure why this reprehensible act gets swept so quickly under the rug.

What is left unsaid by conservative Christians, is the many different ways this passage can be interpreted. Where does it specify that the sin is homosexuality, or that the townspeople are all gay? In the ancient Near East, same-sex rape was used as a way to assert power and control over captured enemies. It was a war tactic, and it sounds more like that is what is going on in this chapter, not an angry, gay mob out to have joyful sex with anyone and everyone. The sin identified here could very easily be the act of rape and sexual assault, not being gay. The motivation of the Sodomites to degrade, humiliate, and sexually assault those they perceive as their enemies may be the motivation and underlying reason for the destruction of Sodom. Mob violence, not homosexual desire is at the root of Sodom’s demise.

Pillar of salt near the Dead Sea.

Lot’s wife

Genesis 19:26, NIV But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Not only is Lot’s wife left nameless (like so many other wives in the Old Testament), but her death is brushed aside in one sentence. She had to leave behind family, her home, and for just one second made a mistake. And becomes a pillar of salt, doomed for eternity as a symbol of indecision. In contrast, Lot so recently offered up his daughters to be raped, a much worse action in my opinion, and he gets off scot free.

There are a myriad number of myths and legends that sprouted up around the shores of the Dead Sea, and this appears to be one of them. The Dead Sea is one of the oldest lakes on earth. The eastern side includes mineral and hot springs, some of them with sulfurous odors. The shores of the Dead Sea contain layers upon layers of salt, and salt pillars have popped up from time to time, like this one:

In this rather magical environment, it is no surprise that legends would pop up to explain the strange geological occurrences in the region. The idea of humans being transformed into boulders and other natural objects also appears in numerous mythologies around the world. For example, Ovid’s tale about Baucis and Philemon contains many parallels to the story of Lot in Genesis 19.

In the Cave

Eventually, Lot and his daughters leave the small town of Zoar, and go to the mountains, living in a cave. If you thought the story was weird before this, be prepared for a whole new level of creepy. The daughter’s get their father drunk, sleep with him (he is unaware of this happening, apparently), and each conceive and give birth to a son. The eldest daughter’s son was the father of the Moabites, the youngest daughter’s son was the father of Ammonites.

This makes absolutely no sense, until you take a look at the archaeological record. The Kingdom of Moab existed along a mountainous strip of land in Jordan. During Biblical times, the nation was often in conflict with its Israelite neighbors, which could explain why an ancient Israelite text portrays Moabites as the result of an incestuous union. Ancient propaganda at its finest! Ammon could be connected to Amman, in Jordan. In the 13^th century BC, Amman was called Rabbath Ammon by the Ammonites, before it was conquered by the Assyrians.