When God Was a... Crocodile?

Crocodiles, like this one, are considered sacred by the Molbog people.

Two years ago, in the month of January I reflected on the imagery of the dove as the Holy Spirit in the stories of the baptism of Jesus. I mentioned a an intriguing book by Mark Wallace called When God Was a Bird: Christianity and the Re-Enchantment of the World. Wallace invites the reader to ponder the significance of the various ways God-in-three-Persons is depicted in scripture as a creature other than a human. In her review of the book Nancy Menning describes the premise of When God Was a Bird far better than I could: 

 ... Wallace invites Christians to reconsider the significance of creaturely depictions of the Spirit. He argues that Christianity arose as an enfleshed and enfeathered religion, characterized by a double incarnation into both the human form (Jesus) and the more-than-human natural world (the Spirit). The subsequent disenchantment of the natural world that has resulted in a Christianity centered solely on a transcendent sky-god has had grave consequences both for human well-being and for the broader ecologies within which—echoing Acts 17:28—all creation lives, moves, and has its being.

This invitation by Wallace speaks to me now in a way that in simply didn't when I was younger. In fact, I would have regarded any animistic or view of God as dangerous and even heretical. Not any more. I wonder how I could not consider this given my convictions about God incarnate, in Jesus. 

The book and my previous blog came to mind when I read about the Malbog people of the Philippines who consider crocodiles to be sacred (although not Allah.) They use the same word for crocodile — “opo” — is used to refer to grandparents. I may not tell my grandchildren this.

I have seen crocodiles in the wild in Costa Rica and they weren't exactly enchanting. I have no desire to oust the dove of the Holy Spirit in favour of crocs. Seeing a big one slither into the water fascinated me and gave me the heeby geebies.

I do think that Christians who at times are "so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good" could reconnect with Creation and Creator by paying humble attention to the traditions of Indigenous peoples in their reverence for the world around them.

Maybe all those Omas and Opas out there could be Opos...maybe not... enough borderline blasphemy for one day!

Quinto Martini