Ghana Pentecostal Council urges NMC to be proactive

Accra, March 2, GNA - The Ghana Pentecostal Council (GPC) on Tuesday=

called on the National Media Commission (NMC) to be proactive with the monitoring and sanctioning of media houses that publish or telecast immor= al scenes. It said those responsible for enforcing the law against the sale of indecent and viewing of such materials must live up to expectation. In a communiqu=E9 issued by the National Executive Council of GPC at= the end of their Annual Retreat at Peduase and signed by Apostle John Annan Adotey, President of GPC said: "We note the increased immoral scene on ou= r televisions screens even during.family viewing times."

The six-point communiqu=E9 noted that Ministers of the Gospel had le= ft their core function of preaching and teaching their congregations about righteousness and fruitful living to engage in selling of anointing oil a= nd blessed water.

"Whilst counselling is a core pastoral function, some types of consultation being practiced currently, are totally unchristian. It is highly immoral for people to be charged for. consultation," it said. "We call on all Ministers of the Gospel to bring the needed balance into preaching of the Word of God, obeying the rules of interpretation of=

Scripture and lead the congregants' attention to Jesus Christ".

"We caution the public to be wary of charlatans in the cloak of Ministers of the Gospel," it said. The GPC expressed concern about the systematic failure of institutio= ns of State that had led to indiscipline in all aspects of national life and=

being manifested in building on waterways and indiscriminate dumping of refuse. It therefore called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District assembli= es to live up to expectation in their social responsibilities in the country= .. The communiqu=E9 said the delay in restoring Religious and Moral Education as an examinable subject in basic schools should not be a deliberate act to erode spiritual values from the educational system. It called on the Ministry of Education to ensure that the issue was=

addressed without further delay adding "any nation that plays down on building the moral fibre of its youth is doomed to fail".

"The claim that religious values would be woven into the teaching o= f the various subjects is impracticable and will be subject to the dictates= of various teachers," it added. The communiqu=E9 called on the Confederation of African Football (C= AF) to rescind its decision and review the ban on Togo for two successive tournaments because "it is in bad taste and unfair to a nation traumatise= d by the loss of two members of its delegation through no fault of theirs".

"We call on CAF to rescind the decision and render an unqualified apology to the Government and the people of Togo." It called on members of the National Team, the Black Stars to dedic= ate themselves to the national cause when preparing for the FIFA World Cup in= South Africa this year.

The communiqu=E9 reassured the Black Stars that they would be spurre= d on by their recent show of bravery, resilience and hard work in the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.