Common Myths About the Bible – #1

Myth #1:

Sodom was destroyed primarily because the city was full of homosexuals.

Although Sodom is mentioned many times throughout the Bible, there is no passage that indicates the people of Sodom were homosexuals. Jude 1:7 states that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah "indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire," but the passage does not specify what the exact nature of their sexual immorality was. The Bible passage that most clearly indicates why Sodom was destroyed is found in Ezekiel 16:

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it." – Ezekiel 16:49-50

As in Jude 1:7, the "abomination" is not specified. Many different things prohibited by Mosaic law were labeled abominations. However, the abomination mentioned in Ezekiel 16 likely refers to Genesis 19, the famous original narrative about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Genesis 19, two angels (appearing to be men) entered Sodom and were given lodging by Lot, a righteous man. In the evening, "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'" (Gen. 19:4-5, NIV). Lot refused to hand over his guests to be gang raped, so the mob tried to break down his door. The angels protected Lot's household by striking the people outside with blindness. The angels then urged Lot to leave the city immediately, as God had decided to destroy the whole region with fire from heaven.

Why the mob wanted to rape the newcomers to Sodom is never explained. The passage does not say that the mob consisted of homosexuals, nor does it say that the mob wanted to rape the men for sexual pleasure. Gang rape is more often for the purpose of intimidating and asserting dominance over the victims.

While there is no conclusive Biblical evidence that Sodom's sin was homosexual lust, the Bible is clear that the people of Sodom tried to gang rape newcomers to their city, were prideful and haughty, and lived in abundance while neglecting the poor. It was because of these sins that God destroyed the city.

Why have so many Christians tried to make this a story about homosexuality? Why do some Christians still use the word sodomite as a derogative term for homosexuals? The answer is likely Biblical ignorance, more than anything else. Regardless of your theological viewpoint, we should all be able to agree that the Biblical narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah is not about homosexuality, and the derogatory word sodomite is not only extremely offensive and unloving, but also Biblically incorrect.



Bible verses quoted from the ESV, unless otherwise specified.
Painting: The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah (1852) by John Martin.