Ghana's Independence and Our Religious Leadership

Ghana is 67 years post Independence. What can we show for it? What can we be proud of as a people? What steps are we taking to progress, prosperity and development?

In the King James version of the Bible, Daniel 5:25 & 32 reads: "...till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

Some people are of the view that politics is so dirty that it has nothing to do with God. And that religious leaders should not involve themselves in political discourses. Whilst this may be advisable, it is not an absolute truth because God has a direct say in the political discourse of every nation. Politics is about decision making to favour some people. Religious leaders, as members of the society, are also affected by such decisions. Moreso, they are God's representative here on earth.

Religious leaders wield lots of influence in every jurisdiction. This is based on the referent or expert power they carry. Their level of influence goes beyond their congregations to across regional, national and continental boarders. Their influence also go beyond different social strata - children, the young, the old, women, men, affluent and the low class. 

Growing up, religious leaders were highly recognised in their immediate communities. They were revered and supported by their communities because their profession was considered highly noble. They were the first point of call for advise and dispute resolution in such communities. This is because they were regarded as impassionate, truthful and unbiased. They upheld the tenets of their vocation above any level of recognition, wealth or material gain. To sum it all, they were pious.

The governance system of Ghana has in it a checking system based on it's three arms: executive, legislature and judiciary. However, religious leadership plays an unconstitutional oversight role through direct knowledge of issues at stake and/or inspiration based on the Word of God and revelations. They served as impartial arbiters in times of upheavals and heated political confrontations.

Someway, somehow, it appeared as if religious leaders were very sharp in their criticism of the government of the day at some point in our history, especially during military or dictatorial eras. Most religious leaders eschewed oppressive rule and so openly and sharply rebuked such political leaders. They used both preaching and prayer platforms to exorcise such 'political demons' that made the political leaders callous against their people. Another dimension to the religious influence is where such religious leaders serve as direct consultants or counselors to the political leaders of the day. 

Now, religious leaders taut their influence to the point of claiming they brought some political leaders into power through their prophecies and prayers. It is believed that some of them play defacto roles in the governance of the country. Unfortunately, some of the religious leaders are seriously courting the political leadership. They have accepted paid appointments and are actively seen defending certain political decisions. Should we therefore ascribe the chaos, corruption, economic downturn and success to such leaders?

If religious leaders are considered one of the pillars of the center of our society, then, have things fallen apart? Can the center hold? What should we do to re-orient ourselves back to the same mindset  that promoted patriotism, honesty, integrity, support for one another, and communal living? How can such leaders restore themselves to their original position as unbiased, impartial, truthful and non-partisan? Can these religious leaders help to achieve the Ghanaian dream? So, I ask, "What is the Ghanaian dream"?


Dr EK

#drek #theQuotist #article #ghana@67 #ghanaindependence #ghana #leadership


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