re homosexuality bryan whitsell whitsebd nextwork rose hulman edu wrote recently an e mail to me mentioned technically the messengers aren t even human so it can t be a case of homosexuality even of rape the jude reference to sodom is also meaningful only in the context of the sodomites lust for the other flesh of angels again application to homosexual behavior in general or to the position of gay christians is largeely specious are angels flesh no i feel that this is saying that it was because of their lust after other men who are flesh or of this world what are other opinons on this i haven t heard much about this verse at all bo reike in the anchor bible volume on james peter and jude points out that all the examples given in this section of jude are distinguishing the elect from apostates not just the wicked in general hence those who were delivered from egypt but did not follow moses and by extension god the apostate angels and sodom and gomorrah quoting reike fornication may here as often in the new testament refer to idolatry while flesh as in i pet denotes human society and its violent attempts at self exaltation sodom and gommorrah represent the leaders of apostasy and the surrounding cities correspond to their followers p there is no inherent reason to read this verse as literally referring to actual sexual lust for alien flesh nor is it inherently necessary to understand it as referring to homosexuality outside of the circular reasoning that has already concluded that the sin of sodom is the sin of homosexuality the only place that the sin of sodom is specified and not merely inferred is in ezekiel this was the guilt of your sister sodom she and her daughters had pride excess of food and prosperous ease bit did not aid the poor and needy they were haughty and did abominable things before me therefore i removed them when i saw it for the same reason overliteralizing the text your correspondent s suggestion that the reason the passage doesn t deal with homosexuality is because the guests were angels and not men is just silly there are much more solid reasons for pointing out the irrelevance of the sodom passages for dealing with homosexuality per se revdak netcom com
