Basic 9 · Religious and Moral Education · The Purpose and Usefulness of God's Creation
How Creation Reveals God's Nature
In this topic you will explain how the complex nature of things created by God reveals his nature, including his power, wisdom and love.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Describe the complexity of created things
- Explain how creation reveals God's attributes
- Compare beliefs about God's nature
What you already know
- Purpose of creation
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- God, His Creation & Attributes
- Sub-strand
- The Purpose and Usefulness of God's Creation
- Indicator
- B9.1.1.1.2 – Explain how the complex nature of things created by God reveals His nature
Introduction
A single leaf contains a tiny food factory. A single human cell contains more instructions than a library. For many believers, such wonders point to a Creator.
1. Wonders in Nature
| Created thing | Wonder |
|---|---|
| human brain | billions of nerve cells, memory, reason |
| human eye | focuses, sees colour, adjusts to light |
| green leaf | makes food from sunlight, water and air |
| honeybee | communicates by dancing |
| termite mound | a cooled home built by tiny insects |
| rain cycle | water rises, forms clouds and falls again |
| seasons | regular patterns of rain and dryness |
2. Reasoning from Design
Imagine that you find a watch on a footpath. You would not think that the parts came together by chance. You would conclude that someone designed it. Religious thinkers argue in a similar way about nature. They say that order and complexity suggest a designer. This is sometimes called the design argument. Christians, Muslims and traditional believers often speak this way. Science explains how many of these things work, and many believers see science as a study of God's work. People of faith and those without faith can respect each other's views on these questions.
3. The Human Being
Psalm 139:14 says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The Qur'an also invites people to look at themselves: "And in yourselves. Will you not then see?" (Surah 51:21). The body's healing, the way a baby grows from a single cell and the ability to think and love are all wonders. Traditional proverbs also point to God's work in human beings. A person who has seen this wonder is more likely to treat every human being with respect.
4. Local Examples
You do not need a laboratory to see wonders. Watch ants carry food in a line. Look at how a weaver bird builds a hanging nest, or how a cocoa pod grows directly from the trunk of a tree. Watch the first rains turn dry ground green in days. Farmers know these rhythms well. Many Ghanaian proverbs are drawn from such close observation of nature. Paying attention to the world around you can lead to wonder, gratitude and care.
5. Mystery
People who study nature often say that the more they learn, the more there is to discover. Religious people say that God is greater than any human understanding. Isaiah 55:9 says that God's ways are higher than human ways. The Akan proverb "Obi nkyerɛ abɔfra Nyame" says that no one shows a child God, meaning that even a child can see God's existence in the world. Wonder is the beginning of both faith and science.
New words
- complex
- Having many connected parts.
- design
- A plan for how something works.
- wonder
- A feeling of amazement.
- observation
- Careful watching.
Summary
- Nature contains amazing complexity.
- Believers see order in nature as a sign of a Creator.
- Wonder leads to gratitude and care.
Class activity: Nature Walk
- Walk round the school compound.
- Note three things that amaze you.
- Explain what they suggest to a believer.
You need: Local leaves, Calabash of clean water, Printed photograph of a Ghanaian sacred grove
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" comes from…
- A. Psalm 139
- B. Genesis 1
- C. Surah 1
- D. Matthew 5
Show answer
Answer: Psalm 139Scripture.2. The design argument says that nature's order suggests…
- A. a designer
- B. an accident
- C. nothing
- D. chaos
Show answer
Answer: a designerReasoning.3. Many believers see science as a study of God's work.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueFaith and science.4. A feeling of amazement is ______.
Show answer
Answer: wonderTerm.5. Name three wonders of nature.
Show answer
Answer: The human eye, the rain cycle and termite mounds.Any three.6. What does "Obi nkyerɛ abɔfra Nyame" mean?
Show answer
Answer: No one needs to show a child God, as God's existence is evident.Proverb.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- God, His Creation & Attributes
- Sub-strand
- The Purpose and Usefulness of God's Creation
- Indicator
- B9.1.1.1.2 – Explain how the complex nature of things created by God reveals His nature
Introduction
You can learn a lot about an artist from a painting. Believers say the same about God and the world.
1. Attributes of God
Attribute: A quality that belongs to a person or being.
| Attribute | Meaning | Seen in |
|---|---|---|
| omnipotent | all-powerful | stars, storms, mountains |
| omniscient | all-knowing | the order of nature |
| omnipresent | present everywhere | the whole of creation |
| loving | caring | rain and harvests |
| eternal | without beginning or end | before all creation |
| wise | perfect in knowledge | balance in nature |
| creative | maker of all | variety of life |
2. God in Christianity
Christians believe in one God, who is known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Romans 1:20 says that God's eternal power and divine nature can be seen in what he has made. God is holy, just and loving. 1 John 4:8 says, "God is love." Christians believe that God's love is shown most fully in Jesus Christ.
3. Allah in Islam
Muslims believe that Allah is one, with no partner, and is the Creator of all. Allah has many beautiful names, often said to be ninety-nine, such as Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful), Al-Khaliq (the Creator) and Al-Hakim (the All-Wise). Surah 1, the opening of the Qur'an, praises "the Lord of the worlds". The signs in nature point to his mercy and power. Muslims do not make images of Allah.
4. The Supreme Being in ATR
Traditional believers describe the Supreme Being through names and proverbs. The Akan call God Onyankopɔn (the Greatest One), Twereduampɔn (the One on whom you lean and do not fall) and Odomankoma (the Infinite Creator). Gye Nyame means "except God", showing that God is above all. The Ga call God Ataa Naa Nyɔŋmɔ, Father and Mother God. Such names show that traditional faith has a deep understanding of God's power and care.
5. How Should We Respond?
| Attribute | Human response |
|---|---|
| powerful | reverence and awe |
| loving | love and kindness to others |
| just | fairness in dealing with others |
| merciful | forgiveness |
| truthful | honesty |
In religious thought, knowing God changes how one lives. If God is just, then believers should be fair. If God is merciful, then they should forgive. Creation is more than a lesson about God; it is a call to behave in a godly way towards other people and towards nature.
New words
- attribute
- A quality of a being.
- omnipotent
- All-powerful.
- omniscient
- All-knowing.
- omnipresent
- Present everywhere.
Summary
- Creation shows God's power, wisdom and love.
- Each religion has its own names for God.
- Knowing God's nature should shape how we behave.
Class activity: Names of God
- Collect names of God in three religions.
- Explain what each means.
- Make a class chart.
You need: Local patterned leaf or shell, Hand lens, Printed Ghanaian natural-pattern cards
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. "Omnipotent" means…
- A. all-powerful
- B. all-knowing
- C. present everywhere
- D. eternal
Show answer
Answer: all-powerfulTerm.2. Twereduampɔn is an Akan name meaning…
- A. one on whom you lean and do not fall
- B. greatest river
- C. first chief
- D. great hunter
Show answer
Answer: one on whom you lean and do not fallName.3. Muslims do not make images of Allah.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueIslam.4. A quality of a being is an ______.
Show answer
Answer: attributeTerm.5. Give two of Allah's names and their meanings.
Show answer
Answer: Ar-Rahman, the Most Merciful, and Al-Khaliq, the Creator.Names.6. How should belief in a just God affect behaviour?
Show answer
Answer: Believers should be fair to others.Response.
Homework
- Write a paragraph on one attribute of God and how people can imitate it.