Apr 15, 2011 | Jay Michaelson, author of God vs. Gay: the Religious Case for Equality, looks at the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah and what it really has to say about human morality.
As both a gay rights activist and religion scholar, Michaelson is uniquely positioned to tackle the contentious "God vs. Gay" divide. The author underscores that the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament both emphasize the importance of love, compassion, and equality. From this starting point, Michaelson offers a progressive take on gay rights--arguing that the moral principles in these texts favor acceptance of gays and lesbians, outweighing the handful of ambiguous verses so often cited by conservatives. In arguing that politically and spiritually the God/gay split must end, this book will stimulate a long-overdue dialogue on an urgent issue.
In the Book of Genesis, God punishes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone as punishment for their sins. Is the story just a cautionary tale, or did these cities really exist? To find out, Josh Bernstein travels to the southeastern edge of the Dead Sea to examine the archaeological record. In Jordan, he studies the charred ruins of Bab-Edh-Dhra and Numeira - thought by many to be the real Sodom and Gomorrah; he harvests pure sulfur and turns it into brimstone (then tests the material to see how powerful it is); in Israel, he scales a cliff to measure one of the greatest earthquakes to ever hit the region; finally, standing atop Mt. Sodom, he stands beneath a pillar of rock salt named "Lot's Wife," after the spouse who dared to gaze back on the handiwork of God.
