Last week, the official X account of Israel promoted an upcoming four-day LGBTQ+ pride festival in June at the southern region of the Judaean Desert near the Dead Sea,
"Pride rises at the lowest place on earth," the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted. "This June the Dead Sea becomes Pride Land, the biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East."
There is no need to fact check that claim; homosexuality is a capital offense in most other Middle East countries.
Also, this will not be the first time homosexuals will have gathered at the Dead Sea, as this location has traditionally been considered the site of Sodom, Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain that God destroyed with fire and brimstone because of their rampant sexual perversion, according to Genesis 19.
"This is mocking God," Dr. Alex McFarland asserts. "While I really doubt fire will rain down from heaven, what these people are doing, they're compounding their damnation."
Organizers say they will transform the area into a 24-hour city with 15 hotels, beach facilities and a central performance arena. The event will also purportedly provide "family-friendly" areas with activities for children and workshops for families.
Meanwhile, McFarland points out that God says homosexuality is wrong in all contexts, and he has a message for anyone planning to attend this event:
"Rather than celebrating debauchery, they should be repenting and turning to God, who, at least for the moment, is mercifully offering forgiveness."
Homosexuality is condemned in the Jewish scriptures, called the Tanakh, which we know as the Old Testament. McFarland says observant Orthodox and Conservative Jews consider homosexuality a sin, but Reform and secular Jews allow it.
"One might be an ethnic Jew, a cultural Jew, even supportive of the modern state of Israel, but not necessarily be spiritually Jewish," he notes.
The Christian Post points out that the "Pride Land" event comes as Israel attempts to revitalize its flagging tourism amid the war against Iran and its proxies in the region. The U.S. State Department has advised Americans to avoid the country because of ongoing threats and civil unrest.
