heavily on him."
107 "Excuse me, sir," interrupted Bullet, "but that brings a question
to my mind. I meant to ask Smiling Fox about it, but you would be a
greater authority."
108 "All right," agreed Bright Serpent, "but if I answer your question,
you'll have to answer some of ours."
109 "Well enough!" answered Bullet. "You always say 'errors,' you never
say 'sins.' Even in your prayers you say 'Lords forgive my errors. '
Don't you believe in sin?"
110 Bright Serpent smiled. "Sin," he answered, "is a God word, which we
do not use. Gods make up impossible rules, that sooner or later people
are bound to disobey. Then they say 'A-ha! You've sinned Unless you make atonement and ask my
forgiveness, because of my sense of justice, I will have to destroy
you.' So the gods rule by fear.
111 The Lords teach nothing like that. Young Souls just coming out of
the animal stage, are unlearned, primitive, and have a violent nature.
Therefore, they make errors. They have not yet learned the
price of evil. But once an eternal Spirit endures The Darkness, they
learn quickly. No Spirit that has endured The Darkness and
survived, ever returns to it again.
112 Perhaps that is why some of The Gentle People will not kill,
because some of them have BEEN in The Darkness and will chance nothing
that might send them back there again."
113 Bullet shook his head. "It all sounds so strange, but in a way,
aren't you using the same threats of Punishment that the Priests of The
Oneness use?"
114 Bright Serpent thought a minute. "It is very hard," he argued, "to
answer that question. But I do not think what you say is true. The
Lords teach the consequences of evil, they do not threaten punishment.
It is we, ouselves, that do the punishing."
115 "I think I understand," admitted Bullet, "but it