Basic 2 · Religious and Moral Education · Purpose of God’s Creation
Thanking God for His Creation
In this topic you will learn how people of different religions thank God for creation.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Name ways people thank God for creation
- Name harvest and thanksgiving celebrations
- Show thanks in your own life
What you already know
- People care for God's creation
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- God’s creation and Attributes
- Sub-strand
- Purpose of God’s Creation
- Indicator
- B2.1.3.1.1 – Explain the purpose of God's creation
Introduction
At the end of the farming season, churches hold harvest. Communities celebrate festivals with new yam. These are ways of saying "thank you" to God.
1. Ways People Thank God
| Religion | How they give thanks |
|---|---|
| Christianity | harvest thanksgiving services; prayers and songs |
| Islam | prayers and giving to the needy (sadaqah); saying "Alhamdulillah" (praise be to God) |
| Traditional Religion | festivals like Homowo and Odwira; libation to thank God and the ancestors |
2. Thanks in Daily Life
- Pray before and after meals.
- Share food with people in need.
- Care for plants, animals and water.
New words
- harvest
- Gathering crops when they are ready.
- thanksgiving
- Showing thanks, often to God.
- Alhamdulillah
- Arabic for "praise be to God".
- festival
- A special yearly celebration.
Summary
- People thank God for creation in many ways.
- Harvest, festivals and prayers are ways of thanking God.
- Sharing and caring also show thanks.
Class activity: Thank-You Basket
- Draw foods from God's creation on cards.
- Put them in a class "harvest basket".
- Each person says one thing they thank God for.
You need: Local maize, Cassava specimens, Printed photographs of local farm animals, Drawing sheets, Crayons
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. What do churches hold to thank God for crops?
- A. Harvest
- B. Football match
- C. Market
- D. Exam
Show answer
Answer: HarvestHarvest thanks God for crops.2. "Alhamdulillah" means…
- A. Praise be to God
- B. Good morning
- C. Goodbye
- D. Thank you, teacher
Show answer
Answer: Praise be to GodMuslims say it to thank God.3. Homowo is a festival of thanksgiving.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueThe Ga thank God for food.4. Sharing food with the needy is a way of thanking God.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueSharing shows gratitude.5. Gathering ripe crops is called ______.
Show answer
Answer: harvestThat is the harvest.6. Write one way your family thanks God.
Show answer
Answer: Answers will differ, e.g. we pray before meals.Families thank God in many ways.
Homework
- Share something with someone in need this week.