The impact crew: “Spirituality of Ghanaians

By Adu Sarpeah

There comes a time in everyone's life when he got to speak the truth no matter what. Ideally, defying all scientific theories, human beings didn't come into this world by a mistake. Humans were created by an ultimate being who still reigns and steers the affairs of men particularly in the African soil.

Although, the source of human existence is one, however, the fact that we differ in thinking which comes with different faith and beliefs, there exist so many religions in the world with each having a sizeable number of followers across the globe led by Christianity. However, down in my motherland, Christianity, Islam and Traditional Religion dominate the affairs of men, and most Ghanaians owe allegiance to one or the other.

God created human beings with conscience of reasoning and in the light of this differentiate us from animals. Therefore, failure to exercise this makes our human existence questionable. This world must be operated from two realms: The physical and the spiritual. Therefore, whenever one realm is over emphasized, it puts our human conscience into question as earlier said.

However, this piece will analyze why religious people in Ghana attributes virtually everything that happens in our lives as having a spiritual backing or source? I strongly believe that God didn't created us to spoon feed us like that, that's why he gave us conscience to reason logically to address pertinent issues in our lives physically so He can have His piece of mind sometimes.

John S. Mbiti (1969), a renowned author and scholar in Africa said, "Africans are notoriously religious". Undoubtedly, it's the hard truth to say. The African "eats and drink" religion in his daily activities. In the name of religious doctrines and dogma, innocent children have lost their lives where they have been denied of blood transfusion. We live in a country where Christians are in hurry to call their pastors for prayers when they're suffering from headache.

Meanwhile, these same people that we've bestowed our trust would rush their sons and daughters to Korle-Bu Teaching hospital, 37 military hospital, Kwame Nkrumah Teaching hospital and the likes for treatment. Even God in His own capacity could have restricted us to worship him, but he gave us the free will. Then why entangle yourself with human doctrines without rationalizing its worth? Ghanaians, particularly our women have allowed themselves to believe in contemporary men of God more than themselves.

Some believe nothing good can come out from them. Therefore, some "fake" people who use the Bible and the name of God have taken advantage to loot and maltreat them financially and physically. Simply, the contemporary Christians are too lazy to pray for themselves. We live in a country where the majority of Ghanaians think without their pastor's intervention, they can never do anything on their own.

Some people who own big supermarket in Adum-Kumasi in Ashanti region and other parts of the country, but they jump from one prayer camp to another while leaving everything in the hands of their caretakers without any supervision. They do all these and still expect to gain more profits whereas the caretaker will be mismanaging the affairs in their owners' absence.

It's only in Ghana where I've personally realized that most Ghanaian married women respect their pastors more than their husbands. They will do everything to impress their pastors, while they have no reverence or respect to their marital homes especially their husbands.

Some wedded wives spent number of days jumping from one watch-night church service to another while leaving their husbands alone in the house. With this attitude, what do you expect from him? Supposedly, if your husband "cheats" on you, don't blame God! Because, where there's no communication, relationship suffers from trust.

Most of the religious people in Ghana have been brainwashed that, without bringing money in the various temples and classrooms allocated for the worship of God as offertory and the various mid and annual church harvest, they're going to labour in vain.

Sadly, we live in a country where there are so many Christian Church Universities, namely: Christ Apostolic Church University, Central University, Valley View, Pentecostal University, Presbyterian University and many more which were established from the churches' coffers from the sweat of the poor souls in the church. But ask yourself, how many of the congregants' children of such churches are enjoying from the institution.

Thus, how many Christ Apostolic Church International, Pentecost, Adventist and Presbyterian church members can now afford their admission fees? The contemporary men of God continue to live in luxury while the majority of the church members also continue to wallow in poverty. We're told in our various churches to sell whatever we have and bring it to church during harvest as if on the next day, Peter; Jesus' disciple will bring it to us.

Our drivers who use the transport system do not follow road signs, likewise they do not also check for the quality of their vehicles but resort to reckless driving. However, when accident occurs, people would attribute it to demons or bad spirits while the slogan of others is "God knows best". Please, the God we serve doesn't work in this way!

Similarly, most Ghanaian students especially from the second cycle to the tertiary institutions who label themselves as "prayer warriors" resort to 24/7 prayers at the expense of their books. Due to this, when examination failure occurs, God knows best is their slogan. Please!!! Our God is not a God of failure. We all pray to God, but make sure you do everything in moderation. Because, when a self-acclaimed religious person fails an exam, it draws unbelievers away from God.

Factually, the African, particularly Ghanaians to be precise cannot separate religion from their way of life. However, the fact that religion deals with "faith" doesn't mean as religious people, we must undermine the usage of our minds to think critically in order to find solutions to our problems. God is never restricted or found only in the pockets of the so called "men of God".

God is everywhere! The fact that you can breathe shows that when you go down on your knees to pray in a humble way, our Lord God is faithful to listen to you and fulfill your request as well. The "Pray for me" syndrome is killing us and retarding development in our country. Because, while the Europeans who brought in the Bibles are using science and technology to develop their country, we're in Ghana here using religion and tongues speaking jumping from one prayer camp to the other to enrich the pockets of the unscrupulous men of God with our money.

God himself believes in hard work. I strongly believe that on rational basis, 24/7 prayers without any effort or work, will be fruitless. As religious people, let's try to be rational thinkers because when we always put "faith" on top of our affairs without making use of our conscience, the development that we seek to achieve will be very difficult as a nation.

Writer's e-mail: theimpactcrew.gh@gmail.com