There is a meme going around about the sin of Sodom.
In case you ever wondered what the actual sin was, the Bible is clear.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2016%3A49-50&version=NIV
Ezekiel 16:49-50
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:(A) She and her daughters were arrogant,(B) overfed and unconcerned;(C) they did not help the poor and needy.(D) 50 They were haughty(E) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.(F)
Read full chapter
Cross references
Ezekiel 16:49 : S Isa 1:10
Ezekiel 16:49 : Ps 138:6; Eze 28:2
Ezekiel 16:49 : Isa 22:13
Ezekiel 16:49 : S Ge 13:13; 19:9; S Jer 5:28; Eze 18:7, 12, 16; Am 6:4-6; Lk 12:16-20; 16:19; Jas 5:5
Ezekiel 16:50 : Ps 18:27
Ezekiel 16:50 : Ge 18:20-21; S 19:5
See also (from Wikipedia):
Jeremiah 23:14,[Jeremiah 23:14] where the sins of Jerusalem are compared to Sodom and are listed as adultery, lying, and strengthening the hands of evildoers;
Amos 4:1–11 (oppressing the poor and crushing the needy);[Amos 4:1–11];
Ezekiel 16:49–50,[Ezekiel 16:49–50] which defines the sins of Sodom as “pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and did toevah before me, and I took them away as I saw fit.”
See also their gross breaches of the law of hospitality https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/people/related-articles/hospitality-in-the-hebrew-bible?fbclid=IwAR1jfoDzfjPc9BCUlNY1l_TH3ehQYzaUZ6ueUE7T52Evxntqh8l80huTSwU
Again, from Wikipedia summaries of Jewish texts:
“… classical Jewish texts as stressing the cruelty and lack of hospitality of the inhabitants of Sodom to the “stranger”.[43]
The people of Sodom, Gomorrah and two other cities [Admah and Tzevayim] were seen as guilty of many other significant sins which brought about their destruction.[44][45]
Rabbinic writings affirm that the Sodomites also committed economic crimes, blasphemy, and bloodshed.[46]
Other extrabiblical crimes committed by Sodom and Gomorrah included extortion on crossing a bridge/or swimming a river, harshly punishing victims for crimes that the perpetrator committed, forcing an assault victim to pay for the perpetrator’s “bleeding”[47] and forcing a woman to marry a man who intentionally caused her miscarriage to compensate for the lost child.
Because of this, the judges of the two cities were referred to as Shakrai (“Liar”), Shakurai (“Awful Liar”), Zayyafi (“Forger”) and Mazle Dina (“Perverter of Justice”).
Eliezer was reported to be a victim of such legally unjust conduct, after Sarah sent him to Sodom to report on Lot’s welfare.
The citizens also regularly tortured foreigners who sought lodging. They did this by providing the foreigners a standard-sized bed and if they saw that the foreigners were too short for the beds, they would forcibly stretch their limbs but if the foreigners were too tall, they would cut off their legs (the Greek myth of Procrustes tells a similar story).[48][49]
As a result, many people refrained from visiting Sodom and Gomorrah.
Beggars who settled into the two cities for refuge were similarly mistreated. The citizens would give them marked coins (presumably used to purchase food) but were nonetheless forbidden, by proclamation, to provide these necessary services.
Once the beggar died of starvation, citizens who initially gave the beggar the coins were permitted to retrieve them, provided that they could recognize it.
The beggar’s clothing was also provided as a reward for any citizen who could successfully overcome his opponent in a street fight.[50][47]
The provision of bread and water to the poor was also a capital offense (Yalḳ., Gen. 83).
Two girls, one poor and the other rich, went to a well, and the former gave the latter her jug of water, receiving in return a vessel containing bread.
When this became known, both were burned alive (ib.).[51]
According to the Book of Jasher, Paltith, one of Lot’s daughters, was burnt alive (in some versions, on a pyre) for giving a poor man bread.[52] Her cries went to the heavens[47]”
https://news.ecu.edu/2021/10/07/biblical-burning/?fbclid=IwAR1uL445J9xdLpgAo0sNcSReP1gmUGNEYnWSFh3y8pTFhNlaSDhVcHvzxss for more on the destruction of Sodom.
I’m by no means downplaying the depravity of Sodom, but there is a lot we can look at and reflect on ourselves if we don’t ignore the prophets and simplify Sodom to a narrow criticism.
- 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.
What about Sodom do you see in today’s world?
————————————————————
Comment I received just now:
My purpose is not to elaborate on sexuality in the Bible or the modern day, although some explicit discussion will be required to explain the Sodom narrative. Rather, I intend to demonstrate that the primary concern of the story is to model and contrast Abraham’s hospitality and care for the stranger and the foreigner with the deliberate and extreme mistreatment of the stranger and the foreigner by the inhabitants of Sodom. The abusive sexual nature of the mistreatment, in the ancient mind, would have been subsumed under the crime of inhospitality.”
https://publicsquaremag.org/faith/abraham-and-the-stranger-at-sodom-and-gomorrah/?fbclid=IwAR2ctGRDtPSS81icoTqzXDEMklPfi6OgnHo4m9dLuAsIdsM9wgIPpI0uxm4
Wheat & Tares 
The COJCOLDS is obsessed with sex. That is why 95% of LDS would associate the sins of Sodom exclusively with sexual sin, contrary to the evidence. And that is also why most LDS believe that sexual sin is 2nd only to murder (ignoring other sins that Alma was also referencing when discussing Corianton’s conduct). It’s really kind of ironic when you consider the eventual sexual behavior of the BOM’s author, but that’s another topic. And to this day, our LGBT friends have to dodge all kinds of toxicity because the Brethren simply can’t reconcile two men or two women engaged in sex. It’s just too much to accept.
OT God making a little more sense now, but kinda wish I hadn’t read that, quite distressing.
What do I see in Sodom in today’s world? Everything listed as sin mentioned. But I also think that the world on the whole has become more moral by many estimations. The one thing that doesn’t make sense to me is how so much of the LDS culture worships the rich as if they are job creators who can do no wrong and blames the poor. Given everything Jesus and Old Testament writers said on the subject, I would say that the LDS culture has strayed.
One thing that never made sense about this is that Abraham couldn’t find ten righteous people in the city. If the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was that they didn’t take care of the poor, why couldn’t Abraham find any righteous poor people? Were they equally guilty?
Kamron2–they (the poor) had all been killed or run out of town. That is why Abraham could not find them.
So how could the Sodomites stay wealthy without a poor class to exploit?
JLM, like Spain after the conquest was flooded with riches but they flowed away as easily as they had come.
Just this year the 1650 BCE extreme destruction of Dead Sea cities by fire coming from the sky was confirmed. The description of the destruction in Genesis seems to accurately described by witnesses. See the link for thorough research into this event.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97778-3
My take on the sin of Sodom is that such an impressive natural disaster generated stories that blame the victims of this natural event–they were probably normal people. When a slightly smaller disaster in Tunguska, Russia in 1909 caused similar natural destruction and killed some reindeer herders, no one thought to blame the reindeer herders for their sins because we are in the modern world. When the Chelyabinsk meteor exploded over Russia in 2013, no one blamed the residents of the city for their sins when their windows broke and they were injured by the glass. Because we are in the modern world. The right thing to do to victims of natural disasters is to help them and if they can’t be helped, then to honor their memories.
plvtime, you’d think that people in the modern would stop blaming other people for natural disasters. Unfortunately I have not found that to be the case. I remember the year when Florida was hit by four hurricanes, my mother-in-law blamed LGBTQs. I have heard many other members attack LGBTQs and their allies and supporters as the ones to blame when a natural disaster strikes.
A Dream Scenario: Our Prophet stands up in the next session of General Conference and gives a sermon on this enlightened, accurate view of Sodom’s real sins, and states that we as God’s chosen covenant people must avoid the same mistakes. He then proceeds to give a five-point plan for revised Church spending and encouraging member participation to more fully pursue the fourth mission of the Church: to assist the needy and poor. As an important side note, he mentions that our prior teachings/understanding concerning Sodom and its immoral, homosexual culture are not supported by biblical study and research, and that we are to cease using that story in support of any justification for discrimination or condemnation.
Hey, a boy can dream, can’t he?
After my comment above I recalled what really happens in General Conference is the Prophet stands up and gives an erroneous interpretation of the meaning of the name “Israel,” based on two unnamed “scholars” and no citation in the footnote except to reference the LDS Bible Dictionary. This to lay out the argument that we should do everything the Church tells us.
Sigh.
Extra reading:
https://religionnews.com/2021/03/29/the-mormon-israel-and-the-problem-with-let-god-prevail/
Yesterday, listening to an episode of Cold Call—a podcast by the Harvard Business School—my 11-year-old daughter was shocked to learn that in parts of America it is illegal to be homeless and that some (mainly black) people have been arrested for “walking without a purpose”.
I agree with John W that the world, in many estimations, is getting better. But we have work to do. And reading this post made me ask myself, have I done any good in the world today?
This is a much better interpretation. There is so much excellent biblical scholarship out there and while the Old Testament is still nuts there is a lot that’s more applicable and beautiful than the version I learned growing up – such as this clarification.
Yes Josh H, although I think Mormons come by it partly as part of our Puritan American heritage – apparently Americans are just obsessed with sex and American Christians in particularly with purity culture etc etc. So it’s not *just* Mormons.
But a conversation going on currently on another blog re polygamy (and certain commenters’ absolute insistence that eternity is all about reproduction) is reminding me of how interconnected our theology, even our version of the afterlife, is with heterosexual sex. And that’s weird. Really weird.
As a sundayschool teacher I have hypothesised many times that I believe that spirit children are not birthed, but formed and probably heterosexual sex is therefor not necessary nor practised in the CK.
I was always met by blank faces of the males and little sparkly eyes of the females.
One of the most prominent themes throughout the OT is prophets calling out people for not taking care of the poor. I wish we emphasized it more.
If you haven’t discovered him yet, I’d highly recommend checking Benjamin Spackman ‘s current blog, or his old posts at Times and Seasons, where he gives out recommendations for current Biblical OT scholarship. He was on the same forum as me years ago, and is one of the people that made sure my faith transition was a journey instead of a crisis.
Elisa, I saw you pushing back on J***’s assertions at the aforementioned blog – you’ve got more patience than me. I was just about ready to reach through my screen and smack him upside the head with his constant “Yes, but….” It’s so disheartening to see some of the male comments in the bloggernacle when women’s issues come up.
And I’ll second my assertion that it’s not just Mormons that are obsessed with sex. Years ago, I stumbled across the blog “To Love, Honor, and Vacuum” by Sheila Gregoire, an evangelical. She’s been writing about creating healthy, mutual sex within Christian marriages for a long time and through her I learned that as messed up as we Mormons are in our teachings about sexuality…..ugh. It could be worse. A LOT worse. In the last year she’s started taking on the big guns in the evangelical publishing world for their horrible teachings about sex. She did a massive, soon-to-be-peer-reviewed study of 20,000 women and found that, guess what? When you preach that all men lust, but all women MUST be sexually available no matter what, there are higher instances of sexual pain and emotional pain for women and less pleasure. It’s both wonderful to see her message growing and extremely frustrating to see the crap way she’s being treated by these male authors.
More must be done to help the poor. $100B would go a long way.
The whole homosexual bit in the Sodom story is so silly:
1 – Presumably angels that *poofed* themselves into Sodom could just *poof* themselves out to avoid unwanted sexual advances.
2 – I’m also guessing that angels can handle themselves in a fight, even if they weren’t issued a flaming sword for this particular mission.
3 – The best alternative is to offer your 12-year-old daughter up f0r sex instead?
Proof texting at its worst.
The world has been concerned about inequality for years. The church, and particularly conservatives don’t agree. Christ was concerned for the poor, not the rich and powerfull.
I don’t understand why poor and middle class conservtives support redistributing income to those who already have plenty. But have derogatory terms for redistrbuting toward the needy. Hopefully will have some explaining to do come judgement time.
Angels means messenger, you’re reading what’s not in the text.
The term “angel” is translated with different meanings, depending on the language. The Chinese Bible was translated from the original Greek and Hebrew, and the Chinese term literally means, “one who is sent.” So I think JPV’s point is well-taken.
The issue about the meaning of the word angel discussed in the three previous comments speaks to the long time insistence that we use the KJV version of the Bible when other new, updated, and sometimes more accurate translations of the Bible exist. The long time insistence of use of the KJV has been something I have not understood when many better options are available that would go a long way in helping us to better understand and derive meaning from some fascinating stories in our biblical heritage.
While the meaning of the word angel may be up for discussion, BeenThere’s point is still relevant for a group that often emphasizes miracles. It’s a serious problem in the story that he points to and one that deserves examination.
@Stephen R. Marsh
Thank you for this post. I find value in recognizing the social justice teachings that are sprinkled liberally throughout the Old Testament. I have hope that it can gain traction, and increased recognition among religious peoples that social justice has been inherent in Judeo/Christian teachings since their inception.
And are from God.
Jeremiah and Jesus both identify social justice as a nation’s responsibility (Jer 5:29; Matt 25:32).
@MTodd
What is that episode of Cold Call called?
A related topic is sundown towns (worth a Google search to understand). Sundown towns had laws, some more explicit than others, making it a crime for Black or other minorities to be there after dark. Or to own property within their boundaries. There are thousands of these cities and towns spread throughout the US (but few in the south).
Here are a some links:
https://www.uuworld.org/articles/was-your-town-sundown-town
https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/state-map/
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-07-26/former-nevada-sundown-town-stands-by-siren-amid-reckoning
These are not that long ago.
@Arganoil
It is ironic (at best) that we can have an expansive and endless view of the eternities, but still seemingly hold to an image of women always being 9 months pregnant. I guess there are limits to our imagination.
@Sasso
Here’s a link to the cold call episode:
https://overcast.fm/+HR2KVkMAg
It’s called Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States
While I love Stephen’s explanation of the “sin of Sodom,” there is so much wrong with the OT story that I’m sure there are simpler ways to encourage Christians to help the poor. With the Sodom allegory you have to deal with mass killing, mass destruction, vengeful God, pillar of salt, etc.
On W&T and T&S there have currently posts and comments relating “valuable” lessons from the OT. For example, there are ongoing discussions related to the role of Eve in the Fall. Whether it’s Eve or Noah or Lot or Jonah or who ever, the OT isn’t worth the effort. There is too much baggage.
It’s clear from Christ, King Benjamin, St Francis, Sister Eubanks, Mother Teresa, et al, that the heart of Christianity is assisting the poor. Loving your neighbor. Equality and respect for all.
@Roger Hansen
If there were a chance of the Old Testament somehow being forgotten, I think your point might be stronger. King Benjamin is in the Book of Mormon, which contains a few doozies, as well.
A significant slice of religious people (LDS included) look to the Bible as a source of truth and wisdom. Pointing out strengths it contains may help, isn’t likely to hurt.
In my view, anything that encourages people to treat others better, not accept the myths of poverty that are perpetuated, improve biblical interpretation, etc. is a step forward.