Have you ever wondered why God can’t do what a little spider does? What does the spider do? A spider does something quite unique. Out of its own body, it creates a web, a world by itself – a world where the spider climbs, dances, moves. But where did the spider’s web come from? There was no external material. The material was produced from the spider itself. If the spider could produce material from itself to create a world for itself, the web, why can’t God do the same with the cosmos?
It is believed that God has thus created this whole universe from God itself. God is unknown beyond human comprehension, but God exists - a Power, a Creator, and this Creator and Power, is manifested in the universe as you and me, as the world, as nature. People wonder “With what material did God create the mountains and the oceans, the skies and the clouds, the human beings, the plants, the animals?” All this is beyond human comprehension, but what we can understand is that if a spider could build its own web, why couldn’t God manifest this whole universe just like a spider? Only that the spider spins its beautiful web from its own silk, God uses his silk to create the universe, and all the creation in it! Food for thought…
Good analogy; but, remember that the spider’s web is constructed to catch prey, which the spider can devour. I’d say it is Satan who spins the web we see as beautiful, so as to catch and devour us.
Knowing how literalistic you can get, I should have said, “In my opinion God does not eat souls.” The above quote is from Eckhart, used here out of context.
I guess I started this by my own literalistic interpretation of AiR’s analogy. I just don’t see how comparing God to a spider can be interpreted in a spiritual sense. It seems to work only to the extent of there being a web of humanity.
I think that he was just saying that if a spider can take something from within itself and make an external web, then it is not unreasonable to believe that God takes something from within Himself and creates an external universe.
I can’t find the source. Google is no help here. Maybe the quote was by some Eastern thinker. Mistakes are not uncommon at my age.
Found the quote!!!
“Why dost thou prate of God? Whatever thou sayest of Him is untrue”. —Eckhart, as quoted in Aldous Huxley’s “The Perennial Philosophy”., p.125.
Thanks. That’s the spirit in which the Eckhart quote was meant. Apparently, Davidson has read the quote Huxley gave. The word “prate” is used by both Eckhart and Davidson. My memory is vindicated.
In that sense is God unknowable? Can we not speak of God without lying? How does this idea align with Iamb’s objections to stating anything about God or religion?
If we knew all that God is, we’d be God. Our myopic views of temporality and cause and effect are not without practical influence.
We tend to need these ideas in order to survive in the world as it is.
Blake noted that if our doors of perception were cleansed, we’d see everything as it is–infinite.
But that will not help a man trying to cross a busy street. It will not feed the world’s starving people.
