Your comments on the Sodom narrative in Genesis reminds me of the words of the prophet Ezekiel:
"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy." (16:49)
It amazes me when I look around at our society and see that we, too, are so self-oriented that it is acceptable to seek one's own personal satisfaction instead of being called to uphold and respect the basic human dignity of others who were created in just as much of the image of God as we were. There really is no limit to what we will allow ourselves to do for personal pleasure and satisfaction.
The more I study, the more firmly convinced I become that the sin of Sodom was that they were able to look at their fellow man (and woman) and see them as objects, not brothers and sisters. It makes me wonder, how far off are we?
The outpouring to Haiti has been touching. We can be so generous when we get the picture of the extent of suffering. We can be calloused to suffering of others closer to us--the day to day struggles of the working poor, for example.The comment by a South Carolina politician recently about children who get free and reduced lunch stung because the tone of the remark reduced them to less than human. Metaphors matter when leaders speak and teach. If he had spoken in a kind tone regarding the challenges of cultivating dependency, the offense would not have been so great. Contempt for the poor violates the Spirit of Scripture.
1 comment:
There was an interesting story on the news last night regarding a homeless man who has been living in the Pyramid unbeknownst to anyone. They called the police and interviewed people and ran him out. The Pyramid sits empty and is costing the taxpayers millions per year. They did say that he was not arrested and the police took him to a shelter. You are so right when you say that we are blinded to the needs next door.
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