I found instances of a spider God. This was my starting point. The place for my own thinking and writing and information search. Every resulting part of this work has been changed and modified many, many times as I wrote, rewrote, and clarified, and expanded on themes that I think are important. I liken it to starting with flour, water and yeast and getting eventually to baked bread. The spider, as a God, idea. The idea of a spider as a God. The spider as an idea for God. The spider as merely a symbol of God. Symbols enable thought. This particular symbol allowed me to complete the gap in the circle in my own religious thinking. Allowed me to do so in an intelligent, even elegant way. Eureka! The lightning struck me on the road to enlightenment. I extend my heartfelt thanks for the electric jolt. After that the spider symbol was not very useful. Symbols are powerful devices for the manipulation of ideas. Symbols are an aid to thinking. Symbols are an aid to the conceptualizing process. Symbols are a short-cut to a central idea. Symbols allow us to add depth and breadth to meanings by way of simile, and metaphor. The symbol analogy of Spider as God was commonly used in many cultures. It was used to assist people in understanding the way of life, the world and God. The symbol analogy of Spider and spider webs was used to give attributes to God that fit with observable facts. Everyday acquaintance with a wide variety of spiders is common to most peoples around the world. This particular God Spider symbol analogy was common with many various native tribes of North and South America. I also found it to be common across the whole Earth. This non nurturing symbol is quite interesting. Simple observation of living spiders that use webs for food seeking and capturing is illustrative. Observation quickly suggests that spiders are “cold”, “heartless” hunters. From a human’s frame of reference, spiders are concerned only with two things. Spiders are concerned with web building and to a lesser degree, reproduction of the species. Webs are for food gathering. There is no consideration of the food’s feelings about being food. Female spiders often attack and eat male spiders who definitely did not have active participation in the lunch in mind. Spiders are obviously of a distinctly different species from humans. The two species cannot “think” alike. This difference makes the differences in interests and attitudes between “God” and humans more easily understood. This difference makes the differences in interests and attitudes between “God” and humans more easily appreciated. Few persons would easily attribute human feelings or interests to a spider. We have a much closer relationship with chipmunks and dogs. The general theory is that the more different living species are, the longer it has been since evolution separated their life tracks. The longer it has been since the separation, the similarity of instinctive genetically driven behaviors will be less. For me, this one concept completed the circle, closed the gap, and caused the creative moment of “Ah! Ha!” This “Ah! Ha!” event happened because as I was forced to clearly recognize for the first time that I had been guilty. Upon reflection, I realized that I had been guilty of thinking of God in an anthropomorphous way. It was so simple, God might be of a non mammalian species. God might not be a mammal. God might not be human at all. God is not a man. God is not a woman. A crocodile might make a good God, as they are sufficiently different from Man. And, in fact, many cultures did have a crocodile God. In Egypt, it was Sobek, god of wisdom, fertility, the waters of the Nile River, ferocity, and a creator. Of course, today we know that crocodile mothers are very protective of the nest and young. They also carry their young in their mouth from the nest to safe waters if necessary. Reject the crocs. Equally, of course, this is a definite disqualification for our purposes. A crocodile is just too close to humans. They care about their young. Everyone “knows” how dangerous it is to get between a fearful, angry mother and her young: from crocks to lions to humans.
(c) Copyright 2006: George Wallace recently published a book on religion which lashes out at nearly all of the comfortable ideas about God, the trappings of organized religion, and the priesthood. His pithy comments and suggestions for a return to a God-centered personal religion will interest everyone. This article may be freely reprinted so long as all copyright attributions, and the full content of this resource box are included. www.OhGodIsThatYou.com
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