One day three angels appeared to Abraham disguised as travelers along the road and while one, the Lord, stayed behind, the other two angels went to Gommorah to observe the "poor" behavior of the citizens. God told Abraham that he was going to destroy the two cities because of their wicked behavior (I see no limit on vengeance in sight...) though the kind Abraham begged God to spare the cities if at least fifty "righteous" people lived there. Eventually after skillful manipulation on the part of Abraham, God agreed to spare the cities if only ten "righteous" people lived there. When the two other angels arrived in Sodom after a long journey, Lot, a relative of Abraham, met them at the gates to the city feeding them and housing them during their time in Sodom. During their stay with Lot, the men of the town came banging on the door demanding to have sex with the two angels (...sodomy...) and when Lot refused even offering his two virgin daughters to the crowd in respect to the angels, the angels blinded the mob leading Lot's family out of the city though Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of stone when she disobeyed the angels and looked back at the city. Following the departure of Lot and the angels, God destroyed the two cities for their aggressive behavior.
Until I actually read this story, I firmly believed that the Old Testament directly stated that homosexuality was a horrible practice. Now I realize that God punished the citizens for attempting to rape the two angels, not just wanting to have sex with them. Maybe there is some back story, but I think there is a lot less proof now in the Bible for the banishment of non-heterosexual behavior. Anyway, we all feel we have been a victim of unfair punishment at the hands of an authority figure. I believe people have a natural tendency to want to abuse their power for their own gain but usually there is some justification for a strict punishment though it may not always be clear at the time.
Lot's wife immortalized in salt...
http://www.swirlingandmarriage.com/pillars-of-salt-what-a-waste-of-time/
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