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Thanks Sheri, first I have to round this mini series up ;-) Fortunately there are actually very few bits in the Bible that make reference to homosexuality at all - so it is a manageable task. But it also shows how out of proportion the topic is blown by many Churches, there are 66 books in the Bible and perhaps a dozen verses / mentioning of homosexual behavior. It really shouldn't be such a huge topic!

I'm so looking forward to what you come up with though. This is going to be epic!

Thank you very much. The family trees look wonderful too.

You are so right - I only went on about the fate of Lot's wife since you did mention the question regarding whether or not these events actually happened in history. It is worth another article - Go for it! You're on a roll.

Yes, that is a main difference between the Jewish interpretation of the story and the one many fundamentalist Christians have as I have pointed out further down in the article. But this misinterpretation has even found its way in many European languages (sodomy ect). Thanks for commenting and confirming the Jewish point of view - in the end this story is part of the OLD Testament - the Jewish Bible so to speak.

As for Lot's wife and her fate, I cut the story deliberately off before that point because it has nothing to do with the question about the actual sin(s) of Sodom and Gomorrah. That would be material for another article ;-)

Oh yes, there are still many families around, both religious and not-religious ones, that have plenty of children for various reasons. And also yes to your second point, many of my LGBT friends that are now in their 60s or even 70s tell me that marriage was recommended to them as a 'cure' for their sexual orientation. Along the lines of 'marry, have a few children and you get over this', needless to say it didn't work out very well.

This is a lovely article.

I was surprised to see in your title the linkage between homosexuality and the Sodom and Gomorrah story. The way we always learned the story was that their sins were many - and I agree with your explanation that the crime related to Lot's guests was the intended rape that had nothing to do with homosexuality or sexuality at all, but with power and domination,
It is true that hospitality to guests is a fundamental aspect of Middle Eastern culture. There are cultural aspects to visiting and hosting that took me awhile to learn after I moved here.
Back to Lot: In fact, a pillar of salt stands near the southern reaches of the Dead Sea, and it is a tourist attraction, named "Lot's Wife".
There is some evidence that at the time of the story, the entire plains where the Dead Sea now is was a very fertile agricultural area and then an earthquake destroyed it all - the timing fits.

thanks! appreciate the comment :) I'm writing an article right now comparing CB radios to FB, both are social networks in different ways, old school and new- it was spawned out of a conversation tonight with Michelle.

Excellent tips - you have a few seconds to catch their interest or they're gone. You do this well.

Back to you, Sam - While the Earth is certainly well enough populated (too much), looks like some relaxation on that point is in order. But religious families still have up to 13 kids each. So contemporary situations do not seem to make a dent in their perceptions. And, of course, many people know that homosexual men and lesbian women get married and have kids to satisfy family expectations and have a love relationship with a member of their own sex on the side to fill in the empty spaces. Sad. Maybe one day we'll get it right.

This will be a great test of my "on the fly" skills, Im going to have to learn and burn at the same time.. thank god for youtube :)

Thanks a lot Thamisgith, yes, some people can get very emotional about Leviticus 18.22 ;-)

Great article. An emotive subject very well analysed and beautifully presented.

@Seraphic - You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@Sheri_Oz - How was your volunteering experience in Africa? I'm sure that must have been amazing! Fantastic.. There are a few places offering these opportunities which I believe you should take up if you've got the chance.