A lot of illiterate Christians in Ghana - Psychologist

A lot of Ghanaians are “malleable” and therefore easily fall prey to charlatans who parade themselves as pastors, according to a clinical psychologist.

A popular religious leader Bishop Daniel Obinim is under lock and key for allegedly defrauding a businessman of a whopping Gh¢11.6 million. Congregants of the founder and pastor of the International God’s Way Church spent the night at the Nima Police Station and besieged the Police Headquarters Wednesday over his incarceration.

The church members clashed with the law enforcement agents, leading to the arrest of one after they were dispersed with Water Cannon.

Clinical Psychologist Aku Hayfron has advised Christians to go the extra mile to study the Bible on their own after sitting through sermons in church.

According to her, most of these Men of God have attained a demigod status because “it has been engraved in our psyche that whatever the pastor says is final.”

However, she said such trait smacks of spiritual illiteracy.

“A lot of us are illiterate Christians. We don’t read the Bible to understand it. We just listen to our pastors. People don’t even know where Bible passages are. And with such a person whatever the pastor says, the pastor should be able to take whatever he wants from him or her because you’re malleable or easily influenced by whatever the pastor says.

“We call ourselves Christians, but we don’t do what we are supposed to do. We have to read the Bible. There are so many people who call themselves pastors but misquote the Bible. They don’t know the Bible themselves,” Mrs Hayfron told Morning Starr.

The Clinical Psychologist opined people should cultivate the spirit of “discernment” to easily identify most of the snares ahead, but insisted that sadly “everybody” seem vulnerable in the hands of most of these pastors.

“The truth is that it is not only those who have not been to school who are susceptible to this thing. There are people who are actually educated but still can’t tell who is right or wrong and can’t protect themselves from these issues that have occurred. We call ourselves Christians but we don’t do what we are supposed to do… according to the Word of God,” Mrs Hayfron stressed.