The People of Lot
The story of Lot (لوط, Lūṭ) from the Hebrew Bible, is also to be found in the Qur'an, albeit retold with a few differences. Amongst other things, the Qur'anic rendition links the destruction of Sodom specifically to the homosexual activities of its inhabitants.
Contents
Qur'anic Claims
The story of Lot is repeated several times in the Qur'an, most of which can be read here. For the purpose of this article, we will be going over the key points which are:
All the men of Lot became homosexual:
Homosexuality was something that did not exist prior to the people of Lot:
Lot's wife was said to be complicit with his people:
All were annihilated except for the family of Lot:
Well, almost all the family of Lot:
Lot also offered his daughters to the homosexual men:
Analysis
Homosexuality exists in low percentages
1. Scientifically it is impossible for all the men of the town to be homosexuals, as homosexuality exists only in low percentages, from 2-7%. These numbers are based on many scientific studies:
- ACSF Investigators (1992). AIDS and sexual behaviour in France. Nature, 360, 407–409
- Billy, J. O. G., Tanfer, K., Grady, W. R., & Klepinger, D. H. (1993). The sexual behavior of men in the United States. Family Planning Perspectives, 25, 52–60.
- Binson, D., Michaels, S., Stall, R., Coates, T. J., Gagnon, & Catania, J. A. (1995). Prevalence and social distribution of men who have sex with men: United States and its urban centers. Journal of Sex Research, 32, 245–254.
- Bogaert, A. F. (2004). The prevalence of male homosexuality: The effect of fraternal birth order and variation in family size. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 230, 33–37.
- Fay, R. E., Turner, C. F., Klassen, A. D., & Gagnon, J. H. (1989). Prevalence and patterns of same-gender sexual contact among men. Science, 243, 338–348.
- Johnson, A. M., Wadsworth, J., Wellings, K., Bradshaw, S., & Field, J. (1992). Sexual lifestyles and HIV risk. Nature, 360, 410–412.
- Laumann, E. O., Gagnon, J. H., Michael, R. T., & Michaels, S. (1994). The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Sell, R. L., Wells, J. A., & Wypij, D. (1995). The prevalence of homosexual behavior in the United States, the United Kingdom and France: Results of national population-based samples. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 24, 235–248
- Wellings, K., Field, J., Johnson, A., & Wadsworth, J. (1994). Sexual behavior in Britain: The national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles. London, UK: Penguin Books
These studies prove conclusively that the number of homosexuals in a society will not exceed 7%. Thus claiming that all of the people of Sodom became homosexuals is unrealistic, to say the least.
First to experience homosexuality
The claim that the People of Lot were the first to experience homosexuality is purely a myth. Homosexuality has been recorded in ancient cultures far before the time of Lot and Abraham (1948–2123 BC). For example the ancient Egyptians who existed 6000 years before Christ. Not to mention the Chinese and Indian cultures which existed 7000 years BC. There are many recorded tales which portray homosexuality, such as the story between Seth and Horus.
Thus the Qur'an is historically inaccurate when it claims that homosexuality did not exist prior to the people of Lot.
Lot's wife was complicit with his people
The claim that the wife of Lot was complicit with Lot's people is absurd, as homosexual men lust for men not women, so why would Lots wife be accused of being complicit with them? Muslims may claim they were bisexuals, but Allah clearly labels them as homosexuals.
Killing the people of Lot
Killing the People of Lot was unnecessary. If Allah left them alone, they would have been extinct in a matter of one generation. Exclusively homosexual activity, for quite obvious reasons, prevents giving birth to any offspring. Therefore, since all were homosexuals, none would have given birth. Eventually, the people of Lot would have disappeared without God having to commit genocide. If God was the homophobic author of the story, he could have simply left them to themselves, and it could have been construed as a wise lesson; you have the freedom to do as you please, but be prepared to bear the consequences.
Lot offers daughters to wicked men
Finally, why did Lot offer his daughters to wicked men? (Qur'an 15:67-71 and Qur'an 11:77-79)
In Islam, Lot is seen as a prophet and all prophets in Islam are supposed to be shining examples to mankind. So should we follow the example of Allah's prophet and offer our daughters to wicked men? Must all Muslims offer their daughters to homosexuals? What if the wicked man is a bisexual? He will take the girl.
Conclusion
Scientifically, historically and morally, this story makes little sense. It is one of many tales within the Qur'an which openly denies modern scientific knowledge and documented history, and by doing so, it proves the author of those verses was ignorant of reality, thus proving the verses were not divinely revealed.
