The Book of Leviticans
“And these are unclean to you…
the great lizard according to his kind,
the gecko , the land crocodile, the lizard,
the sand lizard, and the chameleon.Leviticus 11.29-30
“We are Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jedediah Dobswell said to the five others occupying the shuttle’s rear compartment. “He has seen our iniquities and knows of our evil ways! The only path to salvation is through works combined with righteousness and testimony. The apocalypse is at hand and we must bear witness to His glory and to His truth. Else our immortal soul is lost!”
The shuttle gave a lurch then rocked back and forth several times. Jedediah Dobswell went forwards and said, “Brother Edwards, pray that you keep us on an even keel.”
“Got ya‘ Rev. Haven‘t flown anything exactly like this before.” Cotton Edwards had been a close and intimate friend of Jack the Blade, prior to Jack’s untimely demise. Edwards figured it was best he vacate the situation in Liberty City before too many things caught up with him. The shuttle lurched again. “How’s about you go and check the back? That would be best, yeah check the back Rev. Gotta concentrate a bit.”
“Yes, certainly, that would be best,” Dobswell said, beating a hasty retreat from the control section.
In the ship’s rear compartment, along with his wife, son Aaron, and daughter Ruth, were two others, Martha Ciotie and Helen Graham. After two months of proselytizing they had been the only people he had converted to his sect of Leviticans out of the half dozen who had shown any interest at all. Sister Helen was leaving her husband behind; she clung to her new faith as the only thing keeping her afloat after everything that had gone wrong since they had fled the Earth. Dobswell, his son and wife as witnesses, had granted the divorce.
Sister Martha felt the power of Word the first time she heard Jedediah speak. With her sweet gentle nature she found something, a certain knowledge and strength, that she had always been lacking. She realized now that she was at peace with herself, if not the world, for the first time in her life. She knew that now instead of fighting all she needed to do was accept.
Losing interest in, or awareness of, the sounds and motions the shuttle made, Jedediah said to his son, “Aaron, tell us why it was necessary to leave our newly built home and begin anew.”
“Father, as it is written—The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorra! So too will the cursed abomination called Liberty City fall. For they have heard the Word but failed to heed the message. They eat of the animal that is not a chewer of the cud, and of the serpent, and the fish without scale, and it is unclean. They do not sanctify the fields nor make offerings. They fail to honor the Sabbath…”
While Aaron continued, and Jedediah gave silent thanks for a son so well versed in the ways of the Lord God and so obviously favored in His sight, Jedediah thought that for himself, he could have remained in the den of iniquity and tried to bring others into the faith. For his son’s sake though, it was best they escape temptation, spending time in the wilderness, and bringing the Word to the heathen. Jedediah had wrestled mightily with the concept of taking the Word to the non-human aliens on the southern continent.
Jedediah had been at first been certain, that not being made in the image of God, the aliens in spite of an appearance of intelligence, must be mere animals. Ones over whom man should rightfully hold dominion. And then came the revelation.
In a dream. He saw his son Aaron coming down from a high mountain, in a halo of light and surrounded by flames. In his arms Aaron cradled two tablets upon which were inscribed the Commandments. At the foot of the mountain there were a multitude of the llama like creatures he had seen images of. And in the light of bonfires and torches the creatures were worshiping a graven image, golden, larger than life.
And as Aaron neared they stopped their milling and they became dumb. And they faced Aaron. And they knelt down on the ground. And they stretched their arms forward on the ground. And their eyes shown with an eerie light. And the thunder rose and the lightning flashed. And a bolt of lightning struck down the idol. And it fell to the ground. And Aaron spake to them saying, “I have come from my Father, as did Moses of old. And thou shalt hear His Word. And thou shalt heed His Word. And thou shalt cast down false idols. And thou must…”
Jedediah awoke in cold sweat, he did not tell his son of his vision, but knew what he must do.