GOD, SODOM, EZEKIEL & THE POOR

I was just listening to a local religious AM station and there was a sound byte from a pastor claiming that the Psalms state that the real sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was neither lust nor abominable actions, but pride, idleness, wealth and not giving to the poor and needy. It wasn't in Psalms, but from the prophet Ezekiel. Here are several translations of the relevant verse.

(All citations from Crosswalk, a great Bible resource)

EZEKIEL 16:49

(New Revised Standard version)

49 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.

(New American Standard version)

49 "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, R472 abundant R473 food and careless R474 ease, but she did not help F187 the poor R475 and needy.

(New King James version)
49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

(Douay-Rheims version)

49 Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance, and the idleness of her, and of her daughters: and they did not put forth their hand to the needy, and the poor.

(New International version)
49 "'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.

(New International Reader's version)
49 "Here is the sin your sister Sodom committed. She and her daughters were proud. They ate too much. They were not concerned about others. They did not help those who were poor and in need.

I sometimes quote these verses from Acts of the Apostles

(New Revised Standard version)

4:32
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

4:34
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.

4:35
They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

to prove to the fundies that the social welfare state IS Christian and I usually get the reply that the verse refers to personal voluntary donations, not mandates from the state.

The fundies are wrong again about the state not being involved in welfare:

(New Revised Standard Version)

Deuteronomy 26:12

12 When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they may eat their fill within your towns,

The point of all this is to show that the fundies are not the final source of Biblical interpretation and that they often ignore clear Biblical meanings, especially if those meanings aren't part of the Republican Party Platform. I've picked two issues to illustrate this: homosexuality and welfare and I'm sure there are many more.