The story of Sodom and Gomorrah has often been used by religious right wing individuals to condemn progressive and liberal ideas. The story has been used in reference to homosexuality, however nowhere in this story is homosexuality even mentioned. Sodom is just described as a city filled with sin.
The type of destruction in Sodom and Gomorrah that God causes can also be related to the Tower of Babel. These are two instances where God shows how powerful he is.
Prior to the destruction Abraham begs God to spare the city if he finds ten righteous men:
"'Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.' He answered, 'For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.'" (Gen:18.32)
Unfortunately ten righteous men are not found. God allows Lot and his family to escape before the destruction. This is slightly disturbing since moments earlier Lot had offered up his two virgin daughters.
LOT'S WIFE
"Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." (Gen:19.24 - 26)
This is one of my favorite stories I know from the Bible. As far as Literary Criticism goes it is a beautiful metaphor about letting go. After Lot's wife has looked back and turned into a pillar of salt she remains that way forever. (There is a stone they believe to be her to this day) It is interesting that there is only one line devoted to this tragic moment.
It's also interesting to look at salt and it's connection with water. The ocean is filled with salt and when people cry their tears are salty. Perhaps the entire line is a metaphor and she did not physically turn to a pillar of salt but instead did so emotionally.
How could you not look back at the home that God was destroying?
This fascination with "looking back" has been explored in other ancient stories as well. Most famous is "Orpheus and Eurydice". Upon leading his lover Eurydice out of the underworld, Orpheus looks back to see if she is still there - the one thing the lord of the underworld told him not to do - and she gets sucked back into the underworld.
Here is a link to that story:
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/eurydice/eurydicemyth.html
ONE MORE THING...
Something that struck me as disturbing and perhaps misrepresented were the verses where Lot's daughters get him "drunk" and have sex with him.
"'Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the world. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father.'" (Gen:19.31 - 33)
And that's exactly what they did.
1) There is a town just down the way called Zoar according to earlier passages where these two could choose to procreate.
2) Isn't "uncovering your father's sex" a sin?
3) I think it's important to look at the likelihood of this being written down by a woman. At this time most stories were told orally and were later written down. Therefore, it is very possible that the story had changed in some ways. Just a thought: Perhaps the girls didn't get their father drunk. Isn't it possible that he got drunk and raped them? Then, after, told the story differently? I'm not saying their is a right or wrong answer, but I think it's important to look at everything with a grain of salt. Pardon my pun. : )
I've attached a video from one of my favorite musicals. It's written by Tony Kushner, music by Jeanine Tesori. The show is called Caroline, or Change and it centers around a single mother during the time of JFK's assassination, struggling to make ends meet because of her place as a black woman as well as her emotional prison due to her torn relationship with her ex husband. The show references the story of Lot's Wife numerous time and this song is given that very title:
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