[Vision2020] The Real Meaning of Sodomy

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Hail to the Vision:

The word "Sodomite" was coined by Peter Damien in the 11th Century and he defined as male-on-male sex.  Until Augustine the accepted understanding of the sin of Sodom was that it was as the abuse of strangers, neglecting the poor and needy, and the stigmatizing of outsiders.

I have posted my entire essay on sodomy previously (http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/sodom.htm), but let me just excerpt one passage about Jesus' views:

"Interestingly enough, Jesus did not interpret the sin of Sodom as sexual. First, Jesus says nothing specific about the sin of homosexuality anywhere in the Gospels.  He does of course speak of sexual sins, but all of us, regardless of our sexual orientation, commit a few of these.  Second, when Jesus instructs his disciples to preach in the towns of Israel, Jesus warns that those who do not receive them peacefully will be judged more harshly than the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matt. 10: 5-15)."

I will also quote one of my conclusions:

"The message for our time is that those who embrace those different from themselves, such as Abraham and Lot, are blessed, while those who discriminate against them, such as the Sodomites and Gibeans, should be despised.  I will let readers apply this biblical doctrine to contemporary America and discover to which group they belong.

At this point in time it would be futile to reject the sexual meaning of sodomy, but if the word “sodomite” should be reserved, if we should use it at all, for those who use sex to dominate, humiliate, and terrorize others. We should preserve and dignify the word “homosexual” for people who love others of their own sex, and our liberal democracy should protect their right to do so with the same tenacity that we do with any other fundamental human right."

I agree with Ralph Nielsen that many Christians ought to read their Bibles more carefully.

Nick Gier