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How do Fundies explain... Lot's Daughters


homeschoolmomma1

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How do Fundies explain parts of the Bible, such as in Genesis when Lot's daughters sleep with him and have 2 sons? I reread that in the Bible and God doesn't seem to be upset by it. They of course got Lot drunk because he never would have slept with his daughters without an altered state.

 

I would love to know from former Fundies. In my short time wanting to be a fundie my kids were too young to read that to

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That story was skipped over for a loooooong time and then I was taught that their children were cursed and they probably lived the rest of their lives shunned by society. So that was God punishing them.

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That story was skipped over for a loooooong time and then I was taught that their children were cursed and they probably lived the rest of their lives shunned by society. So that was God punishing them.

I find that interesting, considering that one of the sons born of the incest, Moab, was an ancestor of King David. (Another ancestor, Perez, was born as the result of his mother posing as a prostitute to have sex with her father-in-law.)

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I recall something about how that was in the time not so far removed from the creation so that incest wasn't a problem yet. Just like it was okay for how Cain and Abel got their wives, you know?

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How do Fundies explain parts of the Bible, such as in Genesis when Lot's daughters sleep with him and have 2 sons? I reread that in the Bible and God doesn't seem to be upset by it. They of course got Lot drunk because he never would have slept with his daughters without an altered state.

I would love to know from former Fundies. In my short time wanting to be a fundie my kids were too young to read that to

When I was Christian, I explained it as god not judging everything reported in the bible. Some things were reported that happened with no explanation about how god felt. However, I was certain that god did condemn incest, he just didn't speak out against it in this one issue. When I reread the story as a nonbeliever I found the entire story sort of humorous.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are really, really, really evil but Lot-a wealthy man- can sit at the city gates without getting hassled. If it is such a crappy town, did he need guards? The angels, who were sent by a god that knows the future, just waltz into this dangerous city without any regard for how their actions will affect poor Lot. They could have come in any disguise. Considering that god knew what would happen, why didn't he make them take the form of two ugly, old, smelly people?

When they reach Lot's house every male in the city shows up to rape the newcomers. No, it isn't just a band of thugs. The bible says that ALL the men of the town show up. So, the same guys that it was safe enough for Lot to sit with during the day, turn into insane rapists at night. What were they wererapists? Did the moon affect them? Why were they peaceful during the day and violent at night?

Lot-who is called righteous-offers his virginal daughters to be raped. What the hell? How is that righteous? Thankfully, the angels step in and blind the men. The town was going to be destroyed, why not kill the men? Why blind them instead? And when they run away---why couldn't the angels transport them away--they tell the family not to look back. Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Looking back is worse in god's eyes than offering your daughters up to a band of horny, were rapists.

Of course the angels do not inform Lot and his daughters that the world isn't ending. God knows everything. He could have had his messengers to inform the girls that they didn't have to have sex with dad.

The daughters get the father drunk more than once. After the first time, why didn't Lot say, "Ewww....I'm not drinking again."

The entire story is one mess of crazy.

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It was skipped over until I was an adult and then the discussion in class had basically three viewpoints:

1. God punished their family for generations.

2. Incest wasn't a problem because it was so close to creation.

3. Neither of those is true, and we won't know the "real" answer until we're in heaven so stop thinking about it.

We were supposed to pick one that "sounded right" after a lot of prayer, but were pressured that 3 was the right one.

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When I was Christian, I explained it as god not judging everything reported in the bible. Some things were reported that happened with no explanation about how god felt. However, I was certain that god did condemn incest, he just didn't speak out against it in this one issue. When I reread the story as a nonbeliever I found the entire story sort of humorous.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are really, really, really evil but Lot-a wealthy man- can sit at the city gates without getting hassled. If it is such a crappy town, did he need guards? The angels, who were sent by a god that knows the future, just waltz into this dangerous city without any regard for how their actions will affect poor Lot. They could have come in any disguise. Considering that god knew what would happen, why didn't he make them take the form of two ugly, old, smelly people?

When they reach Lot's house every male in the city shows up to rape the newcomers. No, it isn't just a band of thugs. The bible says that ALL the men of the town show up. So, the same guys that it was safe enough for Lot to sit with during the day, turn into insane rapists at night. What were they wererapists? Did the moon affect them? Why were they peaceful during the day and violent at night?

Lot-who is called righteous-offers his virginal daughters to be raped. What the hell? How is that righteous? Thankfully, the angels step in and blind the men. The town was going to be destroyed, why not kill the men? Why blind them instead? And when they run away---why couldn't the angels transport them away--they tell the family not to look back. Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Looking back is worse in god's eyes than offering your daughters up to a band of horny, were rapists.

Of course the angels do not inform Lot and his daughters that the world isn't ending. God knows everything. He could have had his messengers to inform the girls that they didn't have to have sex with dad.

The daughters get the father drunk more than once. After the first time, why didn't Lot say, "Ewww....I'm not drinking again."

The entire story is one mess of crazy.

Also, weren't his daughters engaged or whatever? There was part of the story where he went to get their boyfriends or whatever to escape with them but the boys refused. If everyone in the town was a rapist wasn't he already turning his daughters over to bad men regardless? I asked about this and was given major side-eye and told "ask God after you're dead."

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The entire story is one mess of crazy.

Also, weren't his daughters engaged or whatever? There was part of the story where he went to get their boyfriends or whatever to escape with them but the boys refused. If everyone in the town was a rapist wasn't he already turning his daughters over to bad men regardless? I asked about this and was given major side-eye and told "ask God after you're dead."

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That story is just shocking and awful...WHAT KIND OF PSYCHOPATH IS GOD ANYWAY???????

Many conservative Christians don't read their holy text or if they do read it, they quickly skim over the unattractive parts. Other, more liberal Christians, view the stories as metaphors and not actual facts.

The story of Lot is one of my favorite because it is so improbable and crazy.

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How do Fundies explain parts of the Bible, such as in Genesis when Lot's daughters sleep with him and have 2 sons? I reread that in the Bible and God doesn't seem to be upset by it. They of course got Lot drunk because he never would have slept with his daughters without an altered state.

I would love to know from former Fundies. In my short time wanting to be a fundie my kids were too young to read that to

I'm not a fundie, but do know the story.

Farther on, when you get the parts of the Old Testament that secular historians consider to be more historical accounts, you see that Moab and Ammon are states in conflict with the Israelites. The Lot narrative, therefore, provides a backstory to the relationship with these nations, establishing both a connection (cousins of the Israelites) and a reason for them to have gone bad (since the text literally calls them a bunch of bastards). Their actions are meant to be somewhat understandable in the context of events (ie. thinking that the world had been destroyed and that it was up to them to repopulate it), but still to indicate a certain level of moral degeneracy and thus a tainted legacy. It's not supposed to be seen as a good thing.

Later, the Book of Ruth provides the backstory for why it's okay for King David to have a Moabite great-grandmother.

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Farther on, when you get the parts of the Old Testament that secular historians consider to be more historical accounts, you see that Moab and Ammon are states in conflict with the Israelites. The Lot narrative, therefore, provides a backstory to the relationship with these nations, establishing both a connection (cousins of the Israelites) and a reason for them to have gone bad (since the text literally calls them a bunch of bastards). Their actions are meant to be somewhat understandable in the context of events (ie. thinking that the world had been destroyed and that it was up to them to repopulate it), but still to indicate a certain level of moral degeneracy and thus a tainted legacy. It's not supposed to be seen as a good thing.

This. When we had fundie Bible lessons, it was understood that these were enemies of Israel, abominations. All the slaughter and pillaging of evil nations was OK because it stemmed from stuff like this.

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Later, the Book of Ruth provides the backstory for why it's okay for King David to have a Moabite great-grandmother.

Although the Book of Ruth wasn't written explicitly for that reason. The line about David being her descendant was tacked on at a later time to make it topical.

Edited for formatting

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Yes, this - also, the Davidic lineage is problematic. There's Ruth the Moabite but also that little debacle with Tamar and Judah. The Bible likes usurping traditional roles to demonstrate the power and grace of God. Hence the younger son often usurps the older son (think Esau and Jacob) but also collectively: the 'small' Israelite nation versus big, powerful Egypt. Showing that King David came from a 'troubled' lineage is to show God's redeeming involvement history. I also think that, more positively, it's a lovely commentary on lineage ultimately being irrelevant to what we can achieve based on our own integrity.

There's lots of stuff in the Bible/Old Testament (and New Testament) that would or should trouble fundies. More so than Lot and his daughters. Plenty of vocal, assertive women, plenty of love, lust, sexual violence or just... violence. But lots of beautiful stuff too that totally challenges a conservative paradigm: stuff about equality, about social justice, about freedom, about aiding the poor, widow and orphan, about loving the stranger. It's hardly a Republican text! :)

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So, the same guys that it was safe enough for Lot to sit with during the day, turn into insane rapists at night. What were they wererapists?

You owe me a new computer. Mine is covered in Pepsi.

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