The real sins of Sodom and Gomorrah

[dfnj]

There's a lot speculation that the real sins of Sodom and Gomorrah where lack of compassion and gluttony:

"Jewish texts as stressing the cruelty and lack of hospitality of the inhabitants of Sodom to the "stranger"."

"Sodomites believed that "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours", which is interpreted as a lack of compassion."

"In another incident, Eliezer, Abraham's servant, went to visit Lot in Sodom and got in a dispute with a Sodomite over a beggar, and was hit in the forehead with a stone, making him bleed. The Sodomite demanded Eliezer pay him for the service of bloodletting, and a Sodomite judge sided with the Sodomite. Eliezer then struck the judge in the forehead with a stone and asked the judge to pay the Sodomite."

Ezekiel 16:49, several interpreted translations. It's interesting how varied the translations are listed below.

New International Version
"'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

New Living Translation
Sodom's sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.

English Standard Version
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.

New American Standard Bible
"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.

King James Bible
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn't support the poor and needy.

International Standard Version
Look! This was the sin of your sister Sodom and her daughters: Pride, too much food, undisturbed peace, and failure to help the poor and needy.

NET Bible
"'See here--this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
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.

Jubilee Bible 2000
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the afflicted and needy.

King James 2000 Bible
Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

American King James Version
Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

American Standard Version
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance, and the idleness of her, and of her daughters: and they did not put forth their hand to the needy, and to the poor.

Darby Bible Translation
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters, but she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

English Revised Version
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom; pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

World English Bible
Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, this hath been the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, Arrogancy, fulness of bread, and quiet ease, Have been to her and to her daughters, And the hand of the afflicted and needy She hath not strengthened.

Ezekiel 18:7
He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked.
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I think the main message of Christianity is we should have more compassion helping people we disdain for whatever predjudice we may have against them.

I think we live in time of massive inequality and poverty. It seems to me that our country is kind of in an immoral place like Sodom and Gomorrah. If the values of Christianity are supposed to be reflected in our politics I don't see it. Here's a speech from 1936 Democratic convention. Many people believe the Federal Reserve contracting the money supply between 1929 through 1934 by 2/3s caused the massive amounts of misery that was experience. Without a sufficient quantity of money for the exchange of goods and services massive suffering was the result. Why would the bankers reduce the money supply by 2/3s?

"An old English judge once said: 'Necessitous men are not free men.' Liberty requires opportunity to make a living - a living decent according to the standard of the time, a living which gives man not only enough to live by, but something to live for.

For too many of us the political equality we once had won was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor - other people's lives. For too many of us life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness.

Against economic tyranny such as this, the American citizen could appeal only to the organized power of government."

Is our country, and maybe the whole World, a modern day Sodom or Gomorrah?

[Audie]

The Bible says the poor will always be among us.

Communists tried "equality". Then the only motivator was terror.

S and G appear to be of an allegorical nature anyway, no trace of either has been found.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Sodom & Gomorrah's sins were bad manners, bad attitude and pride. Nothing new here.

I don't know how sodomy was named after Sodom but I would guess that it has to do with a superficial reading of some verses in Genesis, chapter 13.

FL