Beyond thanksgiving, pilgrimage and others
Ghanaians are generally acknowledged as religious people. It is easy to come to that conclusion judging from the number of churches that have taken almost every space in the country. Apart from Christianity and Islam, the two dominant religions, other religions, including Buddhism, Hare Krishna and Baha’i, have followers in the country. There are still others who have held onto traditional African religion which was virtually suppressed into extinction by the colonial masters.
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Christianity itself has many denominations. In the main are the Catholics, the Methodists, the Anglicans and the Presbyterians.
They are followed by the penteco-charismatics, some of which operate more or less like family businesses with husband and wife as heads.Even though Ghana is a secular state, every state function is flavoured with Christian, Muslim and traditional prayers. That is how religious we are.
Historically, the foreign missionaries did not encounter any serious resistance when they arrived here with their brand of religion.
Unlike other parts of the world such as Asia, where people held on to their traditional faiths, Africans were easily convinced and made to believe that all along they did not know anything about God even though they bore names that were significant and gave credence to the existence of God and which acknowledged His blessings.
Foreign religions are part of our colonial heritage which we cannot do away with. There is nothing wrong with that so long as our lives are governed by the Word of God as they appear in the Holy Bible.
Unfortunately, it appears religion has become more of a fashion than a way of living. The lifestyles of most of our religious leaders do not inspire the followers to do the right thing. Churches are now everywhere with all sorts of funny names – an indication that religion is losing its divinity and assuming more of a commercial character.
Religion has taken a bigger dimension with the introduction of national thanksgiving and prayer to coincide with major events. These themselves are not bad. It is not out of place to devote a day as a nation to reach out to God and place our problems before His feet.
Our political leaders and others in high places particularly need the presence of God in their undertakings and these national thanksgiving services are essential in so far as they rejuvenate our spirit and make us turn from our evil ways.
The question is, will the thanksgiving services and fastings serve any purpose if our leaders return to the office the following Monday and continue with their old ways?
The best prayer to God is service to humanity. Service in modesty, humility and honesty. Can we confidently say that about our leaders?
Our country is suffering because over the years, our leadership have been lacking in most of these virtues. As a World Bank report has indicated, over a third of revenue generated by most African countries are lost through corruption.
Our country cannot be a different case. Moneys diverted into private pockets means shortage of essential drugs and poor facilities in our hospitals; it translates into the importation of fake or expired drugs for our hospitals; it means bad roads and inadequate classrooms; it means uncompleted projects that are all over the country; it means more agitations from workers demanding what they consider to be legitimately theirs. Corruption is a disease that can eat away the soul of a country.
We have survived so far as a nation mainly on charity not because we lack the resources but because we have failed to husband our resources and channel them into national development.
We may be taking God for granted if we continue to indulge in these periodic thanksgiving services without matching them with good deeds.
The Bible is quite clear about this. Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mathew 7:21).
Prayers alone will not carry us far if we do not make conscious effort to live according to the wishes of God. The thanksgiving services will remain mere symbolic gestures if they are not matched with deeds.
Article by Kofi Akordor
Writer's email: [email protected]
