Pay more attention to moral education - Presby Moderator
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, has called for the decoupling of moral education from other subjects to help stem the growing moral decadence in society.
He attributed increased cases of sexual abuse and other forms of immorality to the breakdown in the importance attached to morality in the upbringing of children, and added that if moral education became a stand-alone subject, more attention would be devoted to its teaching to build the morality of children, so that they would grow with it.
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“I want to beg this country called Ghana that we should bring serious moral teachings into our schools, spread them and make them stronger at every level. We should also refrain from the notion that morality is relative,” he stated.
Delivering a sermon at the Ebenezer Congregation in Sunyani last Sunday as part of his 10-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo Presbytery of the PCG, the Moderator said the nation stood to lose if moral education was neglected.
The Brong Ahafo Presbytery of the PCG comprises the Ahafo Region and some parts of the Bono, Bono East and Ashanti regions.
Statistics
Providing statistics, the Moderator said the Bono Regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service recorded 26 defilement and rape cases in 2019, with the figure increasing to 33 last year.
He expressed delight at efforts to increase the number of students who opted for the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Father's Day
Touching on the celebration of Father's Day, which fell last Sunday, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante reminded fathers that the observance of the day was not only “for the one who donates the biological sperm but the one who, beyond the donation of the biological sperm, nurtures children, provides for the family in both the present and the future and lives an exemplary lifestyle”.
He explained that all children considered their fathers as heroes and so most drunkards and others who indulged in other forms of immorality in society copied the lifestyles of their fathers.
“It doesn't matter whether you explain to them (children) that the consumption of alcohol and the smoking of cigarettes are meant for adults or not; they will practise how to do it because they consider you as their heroes,” he stated.
“I pray to God that fathers will lead exemplary lives for their children and other people's children to copy,” he added.
Rt Rev. Prof. Mante asked fathers who interpreted discipline as abuse and vented their anger on their children to change for the better.
“Venting your anger on your children is not discipline,” he stated, and urged fathers to deal with their hearts, since fatherhood was a challenging business which demanded love, not abuse, for the nurturing of children to harness their innate potential.
Reverends and honourables
Rt Rev. Prof. Mante, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, further called on Christians and people who had been entrusted with responsibilities in the country to strive to be honourable and fair, so that God could use them to effect changes in society.
“Those who are called honourables must work towards reaching a point where they will deserve praise and respect,” he stated.
He explained that pastors and politicians were referred to as reverends and honourables, respectively, because they deserved praise and respect.
He, therefore, called on them to understand their call by working towards improving the lives of the people, instead of using their positions to milk society for their own good.
Respect
The Bono Regional Minister, Ms Justina Owusu-Banahene, asked women to accord men the needed respect in their quest to assert their independence, since it was an undisputed fact that men were heads of their families.
As part of the visit, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante and Ms Owusu-Banahene jointly planted a coconut seedling to whip up support for the government's Green Ghana initiative.