Cf. Like leaven Like mildew Like wildfire Like plague Like a rash Like a rumour Like rot Like a swarm Like an army Like sickness Like termites Like lice Like a stench Like dementia Like damp Like a yawn Like a snake bite Like gangrene Like cancer Like muck Like moths Like an oil spill Like acid Like rust Like infection Like locusts Like bindweed Like mould Like decay It is coming Unstoppable: Life. Carolyn Whitnall, 2016. So, I've been reading Leviticus lately, with some help from John Goldingay [1]. In case you're unfamiliar, it's the one with all the obscure and problematic rules and rituals that Christians like to pretend don't exist and that Richard Dawkins et al. like to quote . The book collects together a set of sometimes seemingly-absurdly specific instructions for the Levitical priests and for Israel as a Yahweh-worshipping community. On closer inspection, it is interesting to notice the effect of the practices