Shemini: procedure

Why should I be surprised by the death of Nadav and Avihu?  They didn't follow the prescribed procedures.   Would I be surprised if a patient took his chemotherapy incorrectly and died?  Would it be a surprise  if a person were exposed  to insensible  radioactivity  and died as a result?  When I took organic chemistry in college,  I was afraid to go to the lab, lest someone fail to follow instructions and cause an explosion or release toxic fumes. Originality in a dangerous  endeavor  can be fatal. 

In matters of belief, variation in practice has resulted in millions of deaths.  The battles between Catholics and Protestants, Sunni and Shiites , Capitalists and Communists.... differences that are almost  imperceptible to those outside,have killed millions of believers on both sides.  Thus, the introduction of a variation in the ritual, as Rabbi Eliezer  ( quoted by Rashi) puts it: 'acting without consulting the legal authority (Moshe)'  is a capital offense. 

I have just returned from a Passover program.  The majority of participants were of Persian descent.  Their prayer service, Sefardic, is different form my usual Ashkenazic liturgy.  There is no war here.  I can pray with them.  I recognize their Jewish validity, they recognize mine. 

The problem specified in the story of Nadav and Avihu is the introduction of strange fire.  We understand that fire is not matter; it is an ongoing, catalytic process, a conveyance of sufficient heat to maintain the chemical reactions that generate heat.  What is a strange fire?  It is a new catalytic process, a new way to generate an alternative self renewing process, something that can, under the wrong circumstances, cause a meltdown. 

Variation is tolerable.  Novelties introduced in a state of impaired judgement are dangerous. The risk of a meltdown is not tolerable.