--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At least when the Emperor Justinian, a…" description: "\"At least when the Emperor Justinian, a sky-god man, decided to outlaw sodomy, he had to come up with a good practical reason, which he did. It is well ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/gore-vidal-466_areas_at-least-when-the-emperor-justinian-a-sk_2224490.jpg" --- # At least when the Emperor Justinian, a sky-god man… ![“At least when the Emperor Justinian, a sky-god man, decided to outlaw sodomy, he had to come up with a good practical reason, which he did. It is well known, Justinian declared, that buggery is a principal cause of earthquakes, and so must be prohibited. But our sky-godders, always eager to hate…” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/gore-vidal-466_areas_at-least-when-the-emperor-justinian-a-sk_2224490.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/gore-vidal-466_areas_at-least-when-the-emperor-justinian-a-sk_2224490.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/gore-vidal-466_areas_at-least-when-the-emperor-justinian-a-sk_2224490.jpg) > “At least when the Emperor Justinian, a sky-god man, decided to outlaw sodomy, he had to come up with a good practical reason, which he did. It is well known, Justinian declared, that buggery is a principal cause of earthquakes, and so must be prohibited. But our sky-godders, always eager to hate, still quote Leviticus, as if that looney text had anything useful to say about anything except, perhaps, the inadvisability of eating shellfish in the Jerusalem area.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Justinian used a bizarre natural disaster claim to justify banning sodomy, showing how authorities invent pseudo‑scientific reasons to enforce moral laws. **In simple terms:** Leaders sometimes create false reasons to restrict behavior. Key Takeaway Question the stated reasons behind moral legislation. Themes authority morality science religion Mood skeptical critical inquisitive Type historical political satirical When to use this quote - historical lawmaking - modern policy debates - religious censorship - public health rhetoric Key Concepts legalism mythmaking Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies cling to mythic explanations? - How can we demand evidence‑based policy? A Different Perspective Such justifications often ignore real causes and can be disproven. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Emperor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Jerusalem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerusalem/) [Justinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justinian/) [Leviticus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leviticus/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Monotheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monotheism/) [Outlaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlaw/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Shellfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shellfish/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Sodomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sodomy/) ## Related quotes > [People write to me all the time to tell me that "homosexuality is an abomination." They base this on a quote in Leviticus. 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