Sodom and Gomorrah: Pick and Choose Essay

Throughout history homosexuality had been seen as a sin and a punishable action. In the bible, in

Sodom was told to be an evil place with many people working against god and so god sent 2 angels down to evaluate the situation

“Then [Abraham] said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak once more. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it’” (Genesis 19.32). Abraham was bargaining with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Carol Emshwiller didn’t start her writing until she was thirty, a mother, and married. Emshwiller, “was just learning the lessons of feminism on the front lines of domestic lines” (539). In Carol Emshwiller’s short story during the 1980’s “Abominable”, Emshwiller shows how men, in their sexual confusion, ethnic inexperience, and self-disasters, are not capable of understanding women and their needs, anger, and bitterness. The unnamed and self-styled man in the story shows his stereotypical, phallocentric attitudes to understand women becomes more humorous, rather than angry. From transforming the battle of sexes into the man’s search for an misleading species akin to

Imagine your hometown, whether it would be Rimersburg or Sligo. Now, think about all the bad things that happen in your place and how much yourself and others sin. Could you Imagine what would happen if it were to be flooded? Within the two stories “Genesis” and “Gilglamesh” there is a flood sent to erase sin and wickedness, but like always there are some similarities, just as there are always differences as well.

Reforming Sodom unravels the origins of homosexuality in relation to the Protestant Bible. White opens the reading by stating that the word “homosexuality” first appeared in the Revised Standard Version Bible in 1946. From this fact, we are left wondering why there was this change in verbiage and what did the Bible say prior to 1946. White seeks to answers these questions and in doing so, she challenges scholars to think critically about religious texts. Throughout, White exemplifies other works that align with her notion of sexuality and religion intertwining; Rebecca Davis’ My Homosexuality

Lot acted in ways that many today would consider horrendous, not righteous; however, his actions were justified and even expected during the time period he lived in. In verses five through eight of chapter 19 in Genesis, when the men of Sodom gather outside his house and demand for the travelers to be sent out to them, Lot instead offers his daughters to the mob. In today’s society, that action is horrible and immoral. During Lot’s time, it was honorable. Part of hospitality in that time period required the host to extend their protection to visitors, even at the cost of their family’s honor. By extending his protection, God considers him righteous and therefore saves him and his family from the destruction of Sodom.

The God of the Bible knew Sodom to be an extremely wretched place, and vowed to destroy it. Abraham pleaded with God to spare it, and God agreed that if there were 10 righteous people in Sodom, he would spare it. God failed to find any righteous people other than Lot and his family, therefore he began to destroy Sodom. God told Lot to run from the city and not look back. Lot took has family and fled, but his wife stopped and looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt.

LGBT acceptance has varied greatly over time in every culture in the world. For example, while it is commonly accepted that homosexual relations were common in Ancient Greece and Rome, the same cannot be said for the Middle Ages’ Holy Roman Empire. In American culture throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, sodomy was the phrase used to describe all “deviant” sexual acts. A homosexual lifestyle was unthinkable, mainly due to the high rate of Christians who devoutly believed in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. However people such as Walt Whitman, Charlotte Cushman, Emily Dickinson, Henry James, among others all achieved greatness in literature, the arts, and other fields, while also maintaining a secretive LGBT identity (Norton, 2004). To say that the proven biological inclinations of LGBT people is a “new” occurrence that exists solely due to societal acceptance simply contradicts historical evidence.

Sexual relations are a powerful and essential part of God’s intentions for defining humanity. God intended sexual relationships to be ideal for His creation. Therefore, Paul emphasizes the destruction sin distorts from the illegitimate use of the gifts from God. “Even their women exchanged natural sexual relation for unnatural ones…men also abandoned natural relations with women with lust for one another…men committed shameful acts with other men…” (Romans 1:26-27). They are of such importance that the Bible gives them special attention and counsels more restraint and self-control than with any other desire. Paul indicates one of clearest ways of society or a person in rebellion against God is the rejection of God’s guidelines for the use of sex. In Paul’s day, many pagan practices encouraged homosexuality, “men committed shameful acts with other men,” (Romans 3:27). Homosexuality is strictly forbidden in God’s Word (Leviticus 18:22). God does not obligate or encourage the degradation of this act in humanities relationships. Paul even states that the people were aware of their wrongdoings. “Although they know God’s righteous decree…they not only continue to do these very things but

There has been no mention in the Bible that says anything about gays, and let's talk about the fact that Christians, Catholics, Buddhist, etc are told from scripture that they are not to judge thy neighbor. I don’t mean to get extremely political when it comes to religion but instead of letting it divide us we should unite and focus on problems within humanity. People say that unity and peace are virtually impossible when that’s simply not the truth. In truth, we could have peace if people got together, accepted differences and stop being huge jerks to each

As they were fleeing Sodom, the Lord rains fire and brimstone out of heaven upon the city. The smoke of the burning goes up as the smoke of a great furnace. In one moment the fair vale, which had been as the garden of the Lord in beauty and fertility, becomes a desolation--a place never to be inhabited from generation to generation--a valley of desolation and of death.#

In order to answer this question we need to establish that it is a sin to be gay and that this is what the Bible

This can be clearly seen in the American view of sexuality as we base everything off the Judeo-Christian understanding of the world which, traditionally, has been against any form of sexual relationships that stray away from heterosexual relationships that are ordained in the Bible for procreative purposes specifically when God had told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply!” (Genesis 1:28) which has been used to tear apart any argument arguing in favor of pro-LGBT theology and arguments. In addition, Paradise Lost illustrates the author's fictional viewing of the events that place in the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, which discuss the origins of man, angels, the universe, and sin; the ultimate enemy against God and creation. Adam and Eve are forced to leave paradise and live on their own as a consequence for their rebellion against God and his will, which to every Christian, is very important especially in decision making and forming

Human suffering happens every day, everywhere, in many types and ways all around us. We do not always see it, but that does not mean it does not exist. When we do see it exist we commonly ask ourselves, "Does human suffering have meaning?" I can answer this question easily. Yes, it does have meaning. I can answer this because of the four readings we read. However, as I examine this question deeper I see that the four readings have different ideas on "meaning" or the reason for suffering. Looking at the definition of the verb (to) suffer, "feel or undergo pain; sustain damage or loss," we see that suffering is something that can happen because of more than one action. Each of the readings explained a different