Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jclark@sdcc6.ucsd.edu (John Clark) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Lot, his wife and their daughters( Was Re: I AM DISGUSTED!) Message-ID: Date: 26 May 91 06:55:47 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of California, San Diego Lines: 44 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) writes: + +I really don't think that Genesis means to imply that Lot's wife sinned +by looking back, and that as a result she was turned into a pillar of salt. There are a number of cases in the Bible wherein a person is struck dead for various infractions. As to the 'sinfulness' of these people, one can assume that the Diety would not strike non-sinners dead. +son-in-laws had to hurry out of town. Lot's wife turned to look back, +and in that moment of hesitation, she was lost. As for the details of the 'looking back' the Bible is silent on motive, duration, position. As for why Sodom was distroyed, one Christian told me that it was not due to the particular 'sins' involved but because, "everyone did that which was right in his own eyes". Now I can not find this seemingly 'biblical' quote which would verify this statement. Has anyone else heard this line of reasoning and have some supporting text for proof? The reason this fellow brought it up was in critique of the modern idea "well, we'll just do what we think is right". -- John Clark jclark@ucsd.edu [In Gen 13:13 it is simply said that the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. Sodom is referred to several other times in the Bible. In most of them it is simply an example of what will happen to God's people if they don't stop sinning. No specific sin is mentioned. In Ez 16:49 it is said that they had pride and prosperity, and did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things. In Wisd 19:13 they are condemned for their hatred of strangers. In Mat 10:14-15 (= LK 10:11ff) and Mat 11:24 Sodom is associated at least indirectly with not recognizing God's messengers (this would fit with mistreating the angels, and with the Jewish tradition that their sin was a failure of hospitality) Jude 1:7 refers to fornication and "going after strange flesh" (which has been taken to mean homosexuality, but seems like an odd expression for it. Boswell takes it as a reference to a Jewish legend that the women of Sodom had intercourse with the angels.) --clh]