"Why are you standing by a salt pillar ?!" This angry exclamation has long been firmly entrenched in the speech of many. Where did the phrase "salt pillar" come from? From the bible. And today we recall this biblical parable. We answer the question of why the Lord punished Lot's wife. And along the way we find out whether a person can become a salt pillar.
Some real story
There is a mountain on the coast of the Dead Sea. It extends several kilometers above it. And this mountain is called Sodom. It is a symbol of the city destroyed by the Lord several thousand years ago.
As we remember, Sodom and Gomorrah are two ancient cities. They are mentioned in the Bible. The inhabitants of these cities were more like cattle than people. Of course, their behavior, and not appearance. They are mired in debauchery and shamelessness. In Sodom and Gomorrah, intimate relationships flourished between men. The degree of debauchery was so great that the Lord decided to wipe these cities off the face of the earth.
It is known that now at the bottom of the Dead Sea are the ruins of these cities. And the mentioned mountain is just called one of them.
There are a lot of salt pillars on the mountain. And one of them resembles a female figure dressed in a cloak. This pillar is called - "Lot's Wife." Of course, this is not the same woman. If only because the pillar reaches a height of 12 meters. But this phenomenon makes one think about something.
Turn to the bible
Let us recall the parable of the transformation into the salt pillar of Lot's wife. As mentioned above, the Lord decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, Uncle Lot, tried to save the inhabitants, asking God for mercy on the cities. And the Lord agreed, if at least ten righteous are found in them.
There were none. Then God with the help of angels warned the righteous Lot about the impending punishment of the cities. Lot was told to leave. And he didn’t look back.
The righteous himself, his two daughters and his wife left Sodom. But Lotov’s wife could not stand it. She looked back. And immediately Lot's wife turned into a salt pillar.
Why did this happen? And why did the Lord forbid the righteous and his family to look around? Let's get it right.
Leaving go
The wife of the righteous Lot turned into a salt pillar. Why? For what?
The fact is that when the angels took the family out of the city, one of them ordered not to look back: "Save your soul, do not look back." That is, Lot and his family were given a test commandment to clarify whether they are attached to Sodom or not. Lot and his daughters walked forward without looking back. And the wife of the righteous violated the command given by the angel. She wanted to say goodbye to the city. And the woman turned around, throwing a farewell glance at him. And froze forever, becoming a salt pillar ...
It turns out that the mother of the family felt sympathy. The question is - to whom? To corrupted people mired in their own sins? To those whom the Lord himself did not regret and destroy? Where there is empathy, there is affection. Lot’s wife’s soul remained in the city, she was attached to Sodom.
Even now, these days, we say: do not look back. Why? Because the past interferes with the present. It prevents you from moving forward, attracting a person to yourself. And the person remains attached to what has passed. Lives, in fact, illusions. But you can’t do this. Where there is a connection to the past, there is no development and a sober sense of oneself here and now.
A believer should not have a past and a future. In religious circles they say that yesterday passed, and tomorrow has not yet arrived. Do you have today? So live today.
What does science say?
Is the transformation of man into a salt column real? Thirty years ago, in 1988, an American scientist proved that it was real. Lot's wife was killed by the greenhouse effect. And it happened instantly.
How did it all go? From the fire destroying Sodom, there was a very strong stream of hot air. And the carbon dioxide content in it was just off scale. A combination of calcium and carbon dioxide occurred. And Lot's wife turned into a salt pillar. In fact, it is the result of instant crystallization of calcite.
We know from the Bible that fire and brimstone came down upon the city. And here, too, is a little incomprehensible. How so? Fire came down from the sky ... Nowadays, given certain types of weapons, this is still real. But we are talking about ancient people.
Science provides an explanation for this fact. The fact is that Sodom and Gomorrah were at the junction of tectonic plates. A powerful earthquake occurred, the plates parted. And under them were the "reserves" of methane. He had the ability to tear pillars out of the ground. Accordingly, when the crust was broken, methane simply “flew up”. And it turned out a deadly firework. By the way, sulfur balls - the consequences of it - and to this day can be found in the territory where the dead cities were once located.
Conclusion
In the article, we recalled a parable from the Bible about the salt pillar, which became the wife of Lot. They found out why such a fate befell her. And finally, they discussed whether, from a scientific point of view, such a transformation is possible. It is real, as it turned out. Which once again proves the truth of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ.