Liberal or conservative, promiscuous or devoted, what is your definition of "Sodomite," as it refers to behavior?
-
Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
-
Christian Forums is looking to bring on new moderators to the CF Staff Team! If you have been an active member of CF for at least three months with 200 posts during that time, you're eligible to apply! This is a great way to give back to CF and keep the forums running smoothly! If you're interested, you can submit your application here!
What's your definition of Sodomite behavior?
- Thread starter Polycarp_fan
- Start date
From MSN encarta dictionary.
That good enough?
sodomite
sod·om·ite [ sóddə mt ] (plural sod·om·ites)
noun
Definition:
an offensive term for somebody who practices anal intercourse
[14th century. Via French and late Latin< Greek Sodomitēs "inhabitant of Sodom" < Sodoma "Sodom"]
sod·o·mit·ic [ sòddə míttik ] adjective
sod·om·ite [ sóddə mt ] (plural sod·om·ites)
noun
Definition:
an offensive term for somebody who practices anal intercourse
[14th century. Via French and late Latin< Greek Sodomitēs "inhabitant of Sodom" < Sodoma "Sodom"]
sod·o·mit·ic [ sòddə míttik ] adjective
That good enough?
Upvote
0
What about throughout history til this very day? I was kind of hoping that a dictionary reference wouldn't be used, but that personal opinions would be.
Upvote
0
gwenmead
On walkabout
My personal working definition varies somewhat from the common or dictionary definition cited above. I consider "sodomite" behavior to be extreme, violent hostility towards outsiders. See Genesis 19 for details.
Upvote
0
Polycarp1
Born-again Liberal Episcopalian
Well, a strict definition would be "behaving in the manner of the inhabitants of an ancient city now located in the shallow waters at the southern end of the Dead Sea." Metaphorically, it is commonly used as an offensive term (and hence inappropriate on CF, as an insult) in the manner Washington described.
But we can do better than that, because there is a clear Scriptural definition of Sodomite behavior that does not depend on inferences of what was intended in one incident (in Genesis 19, of course). Here:
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. (Ezekiel 16:49-50a)
But we can do better than that, because there is a clear Scriptural definition of Sodomite behavior that does not depend on inferences of what was intended in one incident (in Genesis 19, of course). Here:
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. (Ezekiel 16:49-50a)
Upvote
0
Polycarp fan said:
From scripture it seems there is no question but that thee act of sodomy was anal intercourse.
(New International Version)
Gen 19: 1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning."
"No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square."
3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
To expand a bit on the history you were asking about: Gen 19: 1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning."
"No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square."
3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
words: Sodomy
Coined around 1050, "sodomy" is still used in some American states to refer to the crime of sex between two men, and sometimes to particular sex acts between men and women. Historically, its exact meaning has varied across time and place. Usually, it has referred to sex between men - especially anal intercourse - but in some countries at varying times it has also been applied to anal intercourse between men and women, sex between women, and even bestiality.
When St. Peter Damian coined the term in the 11th Century, he was naming a sin that had earlier been referred to only vaguely as the "sin of Sodom". Peter included masturbation as one form of sodomy - albeit the least serious - but this usage did not stick (see Onanism [masturbation] ).
The term is derived from the prototypical fire and brimstone story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis Chapters 18 and 19. It begins with a conversation between the Lord and Abraham. The Lord knew that Sodom & Gomorrah were peopled by wicked men, and he told Abraham that he was about to destroy them. Abraham pleaded on their behalf, and after arduous negotiations, the Lord agreed to spare the cities if just ten good men lived there.
To find out, the Lord sent two angels to spy on Sodom. They were greeted by Lot, Sodom's last good man. He invited them in and fed them, but before they could retire, the men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house and demanded that his guests come out that they might "know" them. The angels, aware that "know" meant sex, "smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness" but the men kept trying to get in.
The angels told Lot to flee because they would destroy the city. After a brief protest, Lot gathered his family and escaped. The next morning, Abraham rose early, and from a high vantage point, he saw the entire plain where Sodom and Gomorrah sat ablaze; "the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of the furnace".
Contemporary theologians interpret the biblical text in a variety of ways - maybe it was just part of the origin myth of the Hebrews - but St. Peter interpreted the text literally. It was sodomy, sexual desire between men, that destroyed the "cities of the plain".
source
AndCoined around 1050, "sodomy" is still used in some American states to refer to the crime of sex between two men, and sometimes to particular sex acts between men and women. Historically, its exact meaning has varied across time and place. Usually, it has referred to sex between men - especially anal intercourse - but in some countries at varying times it has also been applied to anal intercourse between men and women, sex between women, and even bestiality.
When St. Peter Damian coined the term in the 11th Century, he was naming a sin that had earlier been referred to only vaguely as the "sin of Sodom". Peter included masturbation as one form of sodomy - albeit the least serious - but this usage did not stick (see Onanism [masturbation] ).
The term is derived from the prototypical fire and brimstone story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis Chapters 18 and 19. It begins with a conversation between the Lord and Abraham. The Lord knew that Sodom & Gomorrah were peopled by wicked men, and he told Abraham that he was about to destroy them. Abraham pleaded on their behalf, and after arduous negotiations, the Lord agreed to spare the cities if just ten good men lived there.
To find out, the Lord sent two angels to spy on Sodom. They were greeted by Lot, Sodom's last good man. He invited them in and fed them, but before they could retire, the men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house and demanded that his guests come out that they might "know" them. The angels, aware that "know" meant sex, "smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness" but the men kept trying to get in.
The angels told Lot to flee because they would destroy the city. After a brief protest, Lot gathered his family and escaped. The next morning, Abraham rose early, and from a high vantage point, he saw the entire plain where Sodom and Gomorrah sat ablaze; "the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of the furnace".
Contemporary theologians interpret the biblical text in a variety of ways - maybe it was just part of the origin myth of the Hebrews - but St. Peter interpreted the text literally. It was sodomy, sexual desire between men, that destroyed the "cities of the plain".
source
Sometimes men just push the Lord too far. This time the evildoers are the denizens of Sodom, a city on the plains of Jordan near the Dead Sea. We arrive in the neighborhood with Abraham, who, after being chosen by God to beget a "great nation," leaves his home in Mesopotamia for a new land to the west (Genesis 12 and 17). Abraham settles in the hills of Canaan, but his nephew Lot prefers the urban culture of the plains. So he pitches his tent in Sodom -- a poor choice, as it turns out, since "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly" (Genesis 13: 13).
Exactly what manner of sinners they were we must infer from J's hints, which are pretty much limited to one verse (Genesis 19: 5). There, as two visitors (angels in disguise) dine with Lot, the men of Sodom circle the house. "Where are the men which came in to thee this night?" they want to know; "bring them out to us, that we may know them."
Now, we all know what they mean by "know," and so did Lot. Rather than allow guests to suffer such indignities, he offers his two virgin daughters in the angels' stead. The mob isn't having any of this, however; they begin breaking down Lot's door, until the angels reveal their identity by striking the perpetrators blind. But Lot's manners do confirm the angels' opinion of his "righteousness."
From this one incident derives the English usage of "sodomy," "sodomite," etc.,
source
(All emphases mine)Exactly what manner of sinners they were we must infer from J's hints, which are pretty much limited to one verse (Genesis 19: 5). There, as two visitors (angels in disguise) dine with Lot, the men of Sodom circle the house. "Where are the men which came in to thee this night?" they want to know; "bring them out to us, that we may know them."
Now, we all know what they mean by "know," and so did Lot. Rather than allow guests to suffer such indignities, he offers his two virgin daughters in the angels' stead. The mob isn't having any of this, however; they begin breaking down Lot's door, until the angels reveal their identity by striking the perpetrators blind. But Lot's manners do confirm the angels' opinion of his "righteousness."
From this one incident derives the English usage of "sodomy," "sodomite," etc.,
source
Therefore, I see no reason to regard it any differently than as defined in MSN encarta dictionary.
Upvote
0
Robbie_James_Francis
May all beings have happiness and its causes
It's about as relevant as my definition of the n-word. I don't use it, because I live in the 21st century and I'm not a bigot.
Upvote
0
On a slightly, not related at all note, is it common knowledge that describing someone's appearance as 'oriental', is offensive? I may or may not have been using that word all my life without realising, until someone picked me up on it recently. 
Upvote
0
On a slightly, not related at all note, is it common knowledge that describing someone's appearance as 'oriental', is offensive? I may or may not have been using that word all my life without realising, until someone picked me up on it recently.
It is?!? Huh, when did that happen?
Upvote
0
Upvote
0
On a slightly, not related at all note, is it common knowledge that describing someone's appearance as 'oriental', is offensive? I may or may not have been using that word all my life without realising, until someone picked me up on it recently.
From a 2002 article in the Philippine News by Cherie M. Querol Moreno,
Washington State Illegalizes O Word
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Anyone who studied Asian American history knows that the word Oriental conjures up images of people less than savage as the term was used in Europe and then the United States in the last three centuries. And now the state of Washington has officially acknowledged the term as derogatory and offensive and banned it from all public text.
Asian rather than Oriental will be used to refer to the people of the racial category in all government statutes, codes, and regulations, even if many unknowingly interchange the O word with the term Asian, and that covers anything Filipino American.
Oriental will be stricken from all government documents here beginning July 1, 2002, thanks to state Senator Paul Shin, key sponsor of Senate Bill 5954 or legislation Updating Obsolete Language. First introduced in February 2001, the bill was passed in the state Senate and House in March 2002. Governor Gary Locke, the first governor of Asian descent on the mainland, signed it April 2.
I cannot tell you how proud I am of our state for finally passing a law that simply says Washington will no longer tolerate offensive words in our laws and regulations, Shin, a Democrat representing Edmonds and the only Asian Pacific American incumbent in the Washington State Senate, told Philippine News.
When used to describe inanimate objects, oriental is the appropriate adjective, such as oriental rug or oriental jewelry. In reference to the people and the culture, oriental is fraught with negative stereotypes ascribed to Asians by westerners.
The word oriental carries with it racist overtones and anyone who thinks that those offended by it are just hypersensitive do not understand the implications of what it means to be stereotyped, Washington Rep. Velma Veloria told PNews.
The Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language in its updated revised deluxe edition defines the term as pertaining to or characteristic of the Orient or the East, belonging to a geographical division comprising Asia and the Malay archipelago or a native or inhabitant of the orient. Printed in 1996, the entry does not indicate the term as offensive.
Originally meant from the direction of the rising sun, according to Shin, the term has absorbed the connotations of centuries of colonialism and oppression.
Shin explained why he first proposed the legislation in February 2001: Beginning in the 17th century, the British empire popularized the use of the word Oriental, which was a western way to refer to someone from east of London. Use of this pejorative word is no longer appropriate when referring to people.
Many Asian Americans are unaware that the term Oriental is offensive because the term is often used in their home countries to refer to its citizens, the Philippines included, especially because the Philippines is also known as the Pearl of the Orient. In Europe and the United States, however, the term acquired a Eurocentric depiction of the worst of Asian habits and lifestyles. Hence the word Oriental was spoken with derision.
[MORE FOLLOWS]
SOURCE
I have never heard of the word used deriisivel,y and tend to think there has been more made of it here than is warranted. OLYMPIA, Wash. - Anyone who studied Asian American history knows that the word Oriental conjures up images of people less than savage as the term was used in Europe and then the United States in the last three centuries. And now the state of Washington has officially acknowledged the term as derogatory and offensive and banned it from all public text.
Asian rather than Oriental will be used to refer to the people of the racial category in all government statutes, codes, and regulations, even if many unknowingly interchange the O word with the term Asian, and that covers anything Filipino American.
Oriental will be stricken from all government documents here beginning July 1, 2002, thanks to state Senator Paul Shin, key sponsor of Senate Bill 5954 or legislation Updating Obsolete Language. First introduced in February 2001, the bill was passed in the state Senate and House in March 2002. Governor Gary Locke, the first governor of Asian descent on the mainland, signed it April 2.
I cannot tell you how proud I am of our state for finally passing a law that simply says Washington will no longer tolerate offensive words in our laws and regulations, Shin, a Democrat representing Edmonds and the only Asian Pacific American incumbent in the Washington State Senate, told Philippine News.
When used to describe inanimate objects, oriental is the appropriate adjective, such as oriental rug or oriental jewelry. In reference to the people and the culture, oriental is fraught with negative stereotypes ascribed to Asians by westerners.
The word oriental carries with it racist overtones and anyone who thinks that those offended by it are just hypersensitive do not understand the implications of what it means to be stereotyped, Washington Rep. Velma Veloria told PNews.
The Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language in its updated revised deluxe edition defines the term as pertaining to or characteristic of the Orient or the East, belonging to a geographical division comprising Asia and the Malay archipelago or a native or inhabitant of the orient. Printed in 1996, the entry does not indicate the term as offensive.
Originally meant from the direction of the rising sun, according to Shin, the term has absorbed the connotations of centuries of colonialism and oppression.
Shin explained why he first proposed the legislation in February 2001: Beginning in the 17th century, the British empire popularized the use of the word Oriental, which was a western way to refer to someone from east of London. Use of this pejorative word is no longer appropriate when referring to people.
Many Asian Americans are unaware that the term Oriental is offensive because the term is often used in their home countries to refer to its citizens, the Philippines included, especially because the Philippines is also known as the Pearl of the Orient. In Europe and the United States, however, the term acquired a Eurocentric depiction of the worst of Asian habits and lifestyles. Hence the word Oriental was spoken with derision.
[MORE FOLLOWS]
SOURCE
From Random House's page on "Sensitive Language"
Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin
Some words and phrases that refer to racial and ethnic groups are clearly offensive. Other words (e.g., Oriental, colored) are outdated or inaccurate. Hispanic is generally accepted as a broad term for Spanish-speaking people of the Western Hemisphere, but more specific terms (Latino, Mexican American) are also acceptable and in some cases preferred.
Avoid This Oriental, Asiatic
Use This Instead Asian or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, Korean [/b]
source
I'd side with Random House on this. "Oriential" is not offensive, but simply "outdated or inaccurate."Some words and phrases that refer to racial and ethnic groups are clearly offensive. Other words (e.g., Oriental, colored) are outdated or inaccurate. Hispanic is generally accepted as a broad term for Spanish-speaking people of the Western Hemisphere, but more specific terms (Latino, Mexican American) are also acceptable and in some cases preferred.
Avoid This Oriental, Asiatic
Use This Instead Asian or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, Korean [/b]
source
Upvote
0
Wiccan_Child
Contributor
- Mar 21, 2005
- 19,419
- 673
- Faith
- Atheist
- Marital Status
- In Relationship
- Politics
- UK-Liberal-Democrats
In modern discourse, the word "Sodomite" refers to "one who engages in sodomy"; that is, anal sex.
Upvote
0
wanderingone
I'm not lost I'm just wandering
- Jul 6, 2005
- 11,090
- 932
- 58
- Faith
- Lutheran
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
Who uses "sodomite" in conversation? Generally I interpret it to mean someone who participates in anal sex - a word in my experience used only as an attempt to insult- it does not surprise me to see a Phelps follower use the word (for example) but it does generally surprise me to hear it anywhere else.
Since I have no way of knowing who does or doesn't why would I run around using the word? It refers to a specific sexual activity and I'm not inclined to label people based on what they did the last time they had sex (especially since I hope not to be up to date on most people's recent sex acts)
Since I have no way of knowing who does or doesn't why would I run around using the word? It refers to a specific sexual activity and I'm not inclined to label people based on what they did the last time they had sex (especially since I hope not to be up to date on most people's recent sex acts)
Upvote
0
cantata
Queer non-theist, with added jam.
- Feb 20, 2007
- 6,215
- 683
- 38
- Faith
- Humanist
- Marital Status
- In Relationship
- Politics
- UK-Liberal-Democrats
Although I've never heard or read the word "sodomite" in erotica, in media where the theme is that anal sex is particularly erotic because because it's just so dirty and wrong, I've seen it described as sodomy or sodomizing. How pleasant it is to see prudishness turned on its head!
Upvote
0
Robbie_James_Francis
May all beings have happiness and its causes
I'd like to thank fundamentalists for the word 'fornication' too...most of us just have sex, but fornication makes it sound so much more exciting.
Upvote
0
Similar threads
- Locked
