I grew up in a very religious and very conservative area, I was never taught that the bible was a hundred percent literal and that most of the bible was cobbled together by using various accounts and retellings. The priest that we had in religious studies even told me that I shouldn't take the bible so seriously, when I asked him if Sodom and Gomorrah could happen again.
Important Soddom and Gomorrah note: the crime of the Sodomites wasn't gay sex. It was violating sacred hospitality. Once the Messengers were invited in to Lot's house they were his guests. According to an ancient and sacred law that was once nearly universal and still applies across much of the world, once you invite a guest in to your home you are absolutely responsible for their safety, comfort, and wellbeing. In a time without cops when roads stretched through long areas of wilderness and banditry was a constant threat this sacred hospitality was important in ways that are difficult to explain to most Westerners. It was one of the foundations of civilization.
According to the law of sacred hospitality Lot had to do anything he could to defend the Messengers from the mob. And I really, truly mean anything. It's that important.
The crime of the Sodomites was attacking people who were guests in their town, who had been invited in to one of their neighbor's homes as guests and were under his protection. This was once of the worst crimes you could commit short of patricide. Like just a shocking violation of all norms and customs.
The Hellenic Greeks had a whole aspect of Zeus called Zeus Xenia, Xenia being derrives from the same root used in "Xenophobia" and meaning strangers. Essentially "the Zeus of stranhers", who looked after travellers and ensured that the laws and customs of hospitality were observed.
It's a really good example of the cultural context of a passage being lost or ignored as centuries or millenia pass. The idea that any stranger could knock on your door and request food and shelter and that you would be obligated to take them in probably sounds insane to most Westerners, but that's how large parts of the world used to work, and as I mentioned some places still do.
Based on your use of the word "priest," is it safe to assume you grew up either Catholic or Anglican? Because that's definitely not the sort of messaging you receive in a Baptist church around here.
I grew up in a very religious and very conservative area, I was never taught that the bible was a hundred percent literal and that most of the bible was cobbled together by using various accounts and retellings. The priest that we had in religious studies even told me that I shouldn't take the bible so seriously, when I asked him if Sodom and Gomorrah could happen again.
Important Soddom and Gomorrah note: the crime of the Sodomites wasn't gay sex. It was violating sacred hospitality. Once the Messengers were invited in to Lot's house they were his guests. According to an ancient and sacred law that was once nearly universal and still applies across much of the world, once you invite a guest in to your home you are absolutely responsible for their safety, comfort, and wellbeing. In a time without cops when roads stretched through long areas of wilderness and banditry was a constant threat this sacred hospitality was important in ways that are difficult to explain to most Westerners. It was one of the foundations of civilization.
According to the law of sacred hospitality Lot had to do anything he could to defend the Messengers from the mob. And I really, truly mean anything. It's that important.
The crime of the Sodomites was attacking people who were guests in their town, who had been invited in to one of their neighbor's homes as guests and were under his protection. This was once of the worst crimes you could commit short of patricide. Like just a shocking violation of all norms and customs.
The Hellenic Greeks had a whole aspect of Zeus called Zeus Xenia, Xenia being derrives from the same root used in "Xenophobia" and meaning strangers. Essentially "the Zeus of stranhers", who looked after travellers and ensured that the laws and customs of hospitality were observed.
It's a really good example of the cultural context of a passage being lost or ignored as centuries or millenia pass. The idea that any stranger could knock on your door and request food and shelter and that you would be obligated to take them in probably sounds insane to most Westerners, but that's how large parts of the world used to work, and as I mentioned some places still do.
Can you share some sources on this? I'd love to pass an article or two along to my "not homophobic, just religious" sister.
Based on your use of the word "priest," is it safe to assume you grew up either Catholic or Anglican? Because that's definitely not the sort of messaging you receive in a Baptist church around here.
Lutheran, but yeah.