Humanity's Concept of God

By Onwusa Opiah

Humanity’s Concept of God is a well-researched masterpiece specifically written to encourage readers to discover the truth about creation as opposed to the theories of big bang and evolution.
Written with real academic rigour, the author Onwusa Opiah, through persuasive arguments by facts and figures including photos, passionately postulates that from the beginning of time, humanity seems to be confused as to whether God exists simply because He cannot be seen. God, on the other hand, tries to make Himself known to humanity either by medium or by communicating with them directly as will be seen in the book. At different times of human existence, God has shown humanity that He loves them and that it was out of His love for humanity that He created them and wishes to interact with them, by manifesting His power to them using the weak or unschooled to show that all humankind’s achievements are through Him and by Him.
The book focuses specifically on how impossible it is for any cell or part of the human body to replicate into another it is not designed to be.
The content of this book, Humanity’s Concept of God, will help readers understand that the universe was created by an all-powerful, all-knowing and loving God, and that there is no scientific proof that the universe came to be as a result of big bang and evolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781528989329

Onwusa Opiah

The author wrote as a correspondent for an e-magazine and two newspapers. He has spoken at events on leadership, current affairs and sermons. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and master’s degree in religious studies and a diploma certificate in writing for young adults. He loves writing and is preparing other manuscripts for publication. Some of them fall under religious genre and some under current affairs.

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References

About the Author

Onwusa Opiah wrote as a correspondent for an e-magazine and two newspapers. He has spoken at events on leadership, current affairs and sermons. He holds a bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree in religious studies and a dipl. certificate in writing for young adults. He loves writing and is preparing other writings for publication. Some of them fall under religious genre and some in science of evolution and current affairs.

Dedication

Firstly, I humbly dedicate this book to the service of God; that all who may read it will come to the knowledge of the truth of God and what he demands of humankind. I also dedicate it to my dear family. Finally, I dedicate it to my parents, Chief S U Opiah and Mrs Roseline N Opiah, without whose counsel and the books they gave me to read in my youthful days, I would not have been in the position that I am today.

Copyright Information ©

Onwusa Opiah (2021)

The right of Onwusa Opiah to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528989312 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528989329 (ePub e-book)

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First Published (2021)

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Acknowledgement

I wish to specially appreciate these two great minds: Dr Zubaidi and Dr Husain. I thank you most sincerely for your part in getting this research work brought to this stage. I also wish to thank the management and staff of Dr William’s Library located on 14 Gordon Square, London Euston, United Kingdom.

Preface

People seem to get more and more confused by the day as to whether the world was actually created or it came to be as a result of a big bang and evolution. The writer of this work attempts to look into what the concept of God was and is, from the perspective of the three religions that worship a monotheist God; these are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

From the beginning of time, humanity seems to be confused as to whether God exists or not, simply because God cannot be seen. God, on the other hand, has tried to make Himself known to humanity either by medium or by communicating to them directly, as will be seen in the book. At different times of human existence, God has shown humanity that He loves them. It was out of this love for humanity that He created them and wishes to interact with them. He manifests His power to them by using the weak or unschooled people to show that all humankind’s achievements are through Him. Many examples of these at different stages of humanity’s journey through life will be found in this book.

There are people, such as Enoch and Elijah, that recognised who the Creator is in the beginning. They did not die but were taken up to heaven alive.

These examples show that God did not intend for humanity to die at creation, but when sin entered the world, death became imminent. Sin has not ceased from leading people away from the Creator. The introduction of death became manifest as Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree in Genesis 3. Isaiah 1:18 also confirms the fact that God, our Creator, desires union with His creatures, hence He said through Isaiah, the prophet, that we should come to Him, that we may reason together with Him. It does not matter what our sins may be or their gravity, He is always willing to forgive if we come to Him with a sincere heart.

The writer also shows that the scientists and the enemy (devil) have tried to deceive humanity into believing that there is no God and that the world was not created but that rather, it came to be as a result of what they describe as the big bang and evolution. The writer strongly hopes that the readers of this book will come to a decision with great conviction as to whether the world was actually created or that it was formed through the big bang and evolution as the scientists would want us to believe.

Onwusa Opiah

Chapter 1

Attributes of God

Holiness is God’s unique attribute. It can be seen in every aspect of our lives and the world we live in. This has been so since life began. It has been manifested throughout the ages. We read in Exodus 19:10-16 that before God gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel through Moses, He commanded Moses to tell them to wash themselves and be sanctified for three days, and come to the foot of the mountain to meet Him on the third day. He also commanded that even those who had wives should not have any sexual relationship with their wives during those three days¹.This clearly shows this unique attribute. God demands that man, who He created in His image and likeness, should equally be holy² (Leviticus 19:2). He also commanded that the children of Israel be holy³ (Exodus 19:6) And you shall be to ME a kingdom of priests and a holy nation⁴ (Leviticus 11:45). You shall, therefore, be holy, for I am holy, and in the book of Hebrews, we are told that without holiness no one will see God,⁵ (Hebrews 12:14). In 2 Peter 3:11, there is the command to live holy.⁶ God is Love. God is Merciful, Compassionate and Gracious.

In Exodus 15:11, we read: Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises…⁷ In 1 Samuel 6:20: … Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God?⁸ Psalm 99:9: …for the LORD our God is holy.⁹ The revelation of the heavenly places in Isaiah 6:3 shows the holiness of God.¹⁰ It reads, And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. This is also found in Ezekiel 39: I will make my holy name known….the Holy One of Israel¹¹ and Revelations 4:8: …Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!¹²

In examining closely how God’s attributes are perceived in the three religions that took their origin from Abraham and worship a monotheist God, it is important to note the opening statements of each of the holy books used by those that practice these religions. In Judaism and Christianity, the opening words of the Holy Bible, In the beginning God… announced the entire premise of the book.¹³ The writers of Who is Who in the Bible further assert that God’s existence was assumed from the onset and was thereafter only seldom disputed or argued. According to them, the Holy Bible as a whole is the story of God. God is the central personality and driving force in the background and the foreground of all that is written in all its pages. Please note that the first chapter of Genesis enunciates that in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, while God’s throne is portrayed in the last book of the Holy Bible, ‘Revelation’. According to them as made known in the book of Revelation, it is from God that the river of life flows through a world where night shall be no more…for the LORD God shall be their light¹⁴. Eliade, M. (ed.) states that the God of Israel is the major character in the Hebrew Holy Bible. He is mentioned in the twenty-four books of the Hebrew Holy Bible except in the Books of Esther and Songs of Solomon.¹⁵

In these books, some of the attributes of God are that He is the Creator, Provider and Lawgiver. Please note that some of the writers assert that He hearkens to prayers; He is Just, and He has a special relationship with the people of Israel.

In Islam, the Holy Quran in Surah 2:115 says that whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah’s countenance¹⁶. In short, in the opening Surah, the Fatihah, which is the most treasured and most familiar of the passages of the book, reads as follows: In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah. The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Words: Most Gracious. Most Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. Show us the straightway. The way of those on whom thou hast bestowed Thy Grace. Those whose (portion) is not wrath. And who go not astray.¹⁷ From this, it can be deduced that God is the central figure in Islam as some of His attributes are outlined. It is also said that the whole of the Quran is within this chapter and that the whole of the chapter is within the Bismillah or invocation of the divine name, with which the book opens. Amidst the prayer act, God’s being is celebrated.

Also celebrated are God’s unity, power and revelation.¹⁸ From the names of God, we may ascribe to Him such attributes that the names denote for example: Gracious, Almighty, Fashioner, Maker, Bestower.

There is no god other than God. This is the most important of the profession of the Islamic faith (Shahadah). It is the belief of Muslims that eternal worship should be given to God as set out by the Creator from the beginning of time.¹⁹ In the Quranic teaching, God is usually named in terms of attributes that are related to humans, such as All-Powerful Creator, Supreme Lord, King of the Present and Future Life and Judge of Judges. God is equally seen in terms of his omnipotence and his absolute and unlimited Lordship. The writer of the Quran further states that God (Allah in Islam) is unique. The positive affirmation of the true Allah (God) whose prerogatives over mortals cannot be shared, brings to light the affirmation both in Judaism and Christianity that God is a jealous God. The Quran does not believe that God can have children like men. In the doctrine of Christianity however, Jesus Christ is believed to be the Son of God.

The Quranic literature asserts that the divine is perfect in all ways. In Surah 53, we can see the illustration the Prophet brought to assert monotheism. The Quran asserts that Allah is unique (Wahid). He is one (Ahad) in Himself and his nature as a deity.

Says, he is God,

One, God, the Impenetrable,

Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten,

And equal to him is not anyone.²⁰

It is this uniqueness that brings about pure worship (Suratal-ikhlas) thus proclaiming divine ubiquity. The Islamic faith believes that there is no hollow with God; and there is no division into parts, which conflicts with the Christian belief in the Trinity (we will see at a later chapter how it is possible to have three persons in one God). Another of God’s attributes is witness-bearing because God is all-knowing and so He alone can bear witness. Other attributes are that God is Truth; it is only with God that the truth can be found, He is Goodness, and He represents uprightness. In Judaism and Christianity, God’s goodness and uprightness are revealed in the Holy Bible²¹ (Psalm 25:8; 86:5; Matthew 19:17). …no one is Good but One that is God.

We can also talk about God’s holiness, which is His unique attribute. All three religions ascribe this attribute of holiness to God²² (Isaiah 6:1-6). God is Life. It is this attribute that makes God different from other gods. He can give life and create life. Only God has the power to forgive sin. This attribute of God, was the issue of contention between the Jews and Jesus when Jesus said to the paralytic man that his sins were forgiven by him²³ (Mark 2:3-5; Luke 5:18-20). God hates sin but loves the sinner, in that, He allows the sinner time to repent. This might take us to Job who God revealed Himself to after he refused to be defiled during his trial. In Job 42:5-6, Job said: I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You: Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.²⁴ In the presence of God’s holiness, our filthiness is revealed.

Zaehner writes that God has no form, family or history. He concludes by saying that the divine is beyond time (that is generation and corruption) and space that is (composite matter). Accordingly, there is no word good enough to describe God, and that is why some call Him the Holy One, I AM. This was what God called Himself when Moses asked Him for His name, God said to Moses, tell the people that I AM sent you. Zaehner puts it this way: as our language is derived from the world of our experience, it can never describe or adequately express the divine.²⁵

It is also part of God’s attributes to forgive a penitential sinner after formal atonement for sin, which usually comes first by realising that one had sinned. This is followed by repentance and then confession.

Humankind’s duty to serve God and God alone makes monotheism possible. It is God’s attribute that monotheism forbids the worship of, or appealing to other gods, powers or intermediaries. There are other thinkers who assert that God is the only object of prayer. Zaehner, therefore, points out that the rabbinic tradition sees prayer as a divine mitzvah or commandment.²⁶ It is God’s desire that humankind should express total dependence on Him. They should wish to commune with God through prayer. It is, therefore, important for one to realise that in every prayer, there should be the need for the purest and most concentrated expression of what humankind as a whole understands to be service to God. This was probably deduced from the Biblical injunction ‘to serve God with all your heart’.

This is to be expressed in ways of praise, thanksgiving and petition. On the other hand, the Kabbalists (these are members of another denomination in Judaism) believe that it is during prayer that the most mystical meditation takes place. It is also their belief that in their inner life, serving God signifies the most mystical intention, which turns prayer and religious performance into redemptive acts. Another of God’s attributes is that He communicates with humankind. This is called prophecy, and it is deemed to be the technical term for the highest level of communion with God.

It goes without saying that God is immutable, omniscience and omnipresent. It is, therefore, only out of the love of God and the fear of God that the presence of God becomes a personal relationship²⁷ (ibid pp34). It is contained in the Bible that no human can know God in essence, "Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven-what can you do? Deeper than Sheol-what can you know?"²⁸ (Job 11:7-8). It is only possible to know such an unimaginable Being because God at His own chosen ways and times, desires to reveal Himself to humankind.

It is also important to note that the book of Genesis reveals God by showing His power in relation to the entire universe as the giver of life and the slayer of the wicked. The words were simply spoken and it was done. Let there be light and there was light… (Genesis 1:3) and lastly God decided to make man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them (Genesis 1:27). This points us to the awesomeness and power of God, which is another attribute of His.²⁹ But scientists have been trying to impress on the minds of humankind that the universe was not created by God, but that the universe came to be through evolution. If you ask them the eternal question about where we come from or are bound to, they cannot give a definite answer. If you ask them what was responsible for genders to be different, they cannot answer. If you ask them what was responsible for the different species of mammals, insects, birds and all living organisms, they will not have an answer but will only speculate and talk of carbon dating bearing in mind that no one has lived up to 200 years or over to be able to tell us what transpired at the time. They can only talk of when record began; anything outside that will only be speculation. I recollect watching a documentary on the subject ‘evolution’ where some of the professors interviewed clearly said that they only teach the subject; not that they believe in what they teach or what the subject says.

God in His infinite mercy gave humankind the freedom of choice. This attribute shows that God desires a relationship with His creatures and that this relationship should be based on their own moral freedom. If we, therefore, decide to have a relationship with Him and serve Him, then shall we be showing the true love for God. This attribute of God shows that He did not create robots that will only obey His command. He desires interaction and relationship with humankind, hence in Isaiah 1:18, He says, Come let us reason together.³⁰

God also identified Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob³¹ (Exodus 3:15). This goes to emphasise continuity with the past and show that God is a God of the living and not of the dead. To God, all are living. What happens at death is a separation of the mortal body from the spirit and soul. God also reaches out and saves in ways we do not expect and cannot imagine. He is also portrayed as a God that is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty³² (Exodus 34:6-7). God also showed His concern for humanity, by the way, He seemingly stooped down to mould a human form from dust and breathe into its nostrils the ‘breath of life’.

Accordingly, Roth C. Wigoder asserts that God’s attribute as the divine Creator demonstrates His power and wisdom in the work of creation.³³ The miracle of creation serves to highlight the divine omnipotence. Celestial beings are God’s creatures and servants. All creation belongs to Him and they give Him glory. In Psalms 50:8-13, the LORD our God points out that He had no need to ask anything of us, as the world and all that is in it belong to Him.³⁴ He is the God that makes us seek good and not evil³⁵ (Amos 5:14) and Isaiah 1:17 tells us that we should learn to do good and seek justice.³⁶

It is important to examine what makes God ‘God’ and why it is said that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It is also my intention to assess how compassionate God is as opposed to humankind and to look into the love of God for humankind. What is to be seen here is the similarity in worship in the three religions and God’s concern for humankind. If so, is it in the place of humankind to seek or take vengeance? It will be necessary to explore the omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence of God.

The Holy Bible has always been the primary source of authority for Christians. It is their belief that God created the world and is sustaining it.³⁷ It is one of God’s attributes that He makes provision for the redemption of humankind who has been separated from Him through sin. God is the Creator and the Lawgiver. The first commandment He gave to the humankind He created was to be fruitful and multiply. God does not show a distinction between man and woman as seen in Genesis 1:27: in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.³⁸ Holm, J and Bowker J assert that Christians, just like the Jews and Muslims in believing that there is only one God, equally decidedly believe that He is male.³⁹ The writers also assert that the story of the woman seeking her lost coin represents God seeking sinners. It goes without saying that another of God’s attributes is that His word becomes materials and beings as in the case of creation (Genesis1:6). The Christians’ belief in the Trinity cannot go without the knowledge of the fact that in humankind there is the spirit. Humankind can also speak and their words are heard but not seen. God also speaks the word and the word of God which cannot be seen can become flesh and