my Eternal Spirit.
7 If I must choose between the two, I will obey my god, and let you
slay me. For I will keep my faith, even at the cost of my life. That you will not take from me with the threat
of death!"
8 Bright Serpent sat back and looked at the woman for several minutes.
"I believe you ARE sincere," he announced. "There is a conflict of
faith here, not of Law. It is because of your religious teaching that
you behave the way you do, not an attempt to escape punishment.
9 Therefore, I set aside the sentence that has been passsed on you, and
decree from this day fourth, that no Daughter Of The Oneness shall be
charged in like manner because by their faith they cannot keep Our Law.
Because this is Ancient Teaching of The Oneness. I accept your plea.
10 From this day forth we must be cautious that we do not put others in
a position where they must break the Traditions of their Faith to
fulfill Our Laws. The Lords never intended that Their Law would do such.
11 Of course there are some things that we cannot permit, but we can
use our reason, know in our hearts what is right and what is wrong,
acting accordingly, so that we bring glory to The Lords, not shame. So
must it be."
12 Now, The Generation Of The Young Speaker passed. The people of that
age joined The Lords. The people settled into a period of great
adventure. It seemed like with every season new wonders were found, as
they filled their system with life. They learned to live on every
world, to withstand great cold and blazing heat, and they looked
longingly to the stars. Some of them set out boldly on the long
journeys to distant places. They longed to meet other peoples, to know
that they were not alone.
13 They learned to travel faster and faster, until they went from star
to star at hundreds of times the speed of light, but they found no other creatures that could think.