The biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah was not about homosexuality. Originally, the tale was a warning about cruel leaders whose lack of compassion led those towns to their chaotic destruction.
Both Ezekiel and Isaiah explain the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah. Neither prophet even mention homosexuality. Ezekiel says:
“This is what your sister Sodom has done wrong. She and her daughters were proud that they had plenty of food and had peace and security. They didn’t help the poor and the needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49)
Isaiah condemns the showboat religiosity of his nation even while they mistreat the vulnerable:
“And when you spread forth your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:15-17)
Amazing isn’t it that so many have taken a story condemning mistreatment of the vulnerable, and used it to persecute the vulnerable?
If we understand the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a warning for our own day, we must realize the “sodomites” of our own day are not the drag queens, but the moralizing clergy who have used religion to take over our political processes;
-Not the wandering immigrants, but the entrenched patriots whose ethics begin and end at their own border;
-Not the poor, but the billionaires who hoard wealth that should be shared fairly with all; -Not those who believe in diversity, equity and inclusion, but those who see themselves as the model for all humankind and assume the right to dominate others, supposedly for their own good.