VOODOOISM AND CHRISTIANITY; THE DISAPPEARING FAULT LINES...

Who are these so called “Prophets”, “Apostles” and Miracle Workers of God and who trained them?

This is the mind boggling puzzle that battles my spirit each time I watch or listen to these preachers on TV and on radio advertise their prowess as if they acquired them from unknown lands and can use them to manipulate the spirit of God. No wonder many church-goers (not Christians) are terribly frustrated as their cravings for the 24 hour-lifeline-miracle sponsored by these mountebank preachers never happen anyway.

Recently, I heard one prophet announce on radio that his area of specialization was in the use of a special “rod” cum the scriptures and that whoever visits his church will feel the true healing power of God and will never walk out the same. He went a step ahead to liken his rod to the “rod of Moses” as a surety to place value on wherever that rod came from.

Another tells us that his oil is called “back-to-sender-oil” and that whoever buys this oil will be free from witchcraft, “kooko”, spiritual marriages and all manner of allergies. It reminds me of an Ejisu-based herbalist I encountered a few months back on board a VIP Bus en route Kumasi. The man had the effrontery to watch me in the eyes and said that a birthmark under my eyelids was the early stages of piles (kooko) and that I should buy his concoction for GHc 5.00, store it in a bottle of gin and takes it 3 times daily. I smiled and questioned his basis for his conclusions?

Lately, many of us are falling prey to power-thirsty preachers, prophets, prophetesses and spiritualists who pump fear and panic into their unsuspecting victims with some extracted biblical verses to back their ignorance and selfishness. What will soon follow is the direction to his church or to a private meeting.
It is at this point that the real deal is unraveled. Either one will have to bath naked by some stinking lagoon , or buy the “back-to-sender oil “ or fasted forty (40) days and forty (40) nights to seek solutions to one’s problem.

The stock of the vulnerable ones are mostly women, especially on marital issues and these charlatans masquerading as servants of God, will stop at nothing in taking advantage of them. They are exploited emotionally, physically and sexually. Some even hypnotize their victims so as to keep them under their spell especially if it turns out that that very man or woman is wealthy.

Cars, shops, clothes etc are now objects that are being prayed over , exorcised and anointed by these so-called prophets.

The King James Bible warns us in Joel 1:11-21 “And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 12. And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16. Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17. The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 18. The likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: 19. And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. 20. But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day. 21. Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

The question then arises that if “Holy water”, “Back-to-sender oil” perfumes, incense, rods, sticks, crucifixes are the totems that Christians should possess, purchase and trust in before God listens to their prayers, what difference then exists between the voodooist that consults his idols as his medium to reaching the Supreme God and the Christian who pays money in exchange of water, oil, perfumes crucifixes and body massages and even sexual intercourse as means of reaching God?

The crooks and charlatans in Christendom must be exposed for the harm they are causing to many Church-goers and Christians in search of solutions to their worries. We are thus constantly on the urge as we are scared of the next prophesy or revelation or vision that the man of God might be receiving from God which mostly includes accidents, accidental deaths, broken marriages and witchcraft attacks.

Church is now even getting scarier than the voodoo shrine as the word of God that is supposed to be a soothing balm to our bruised souls is now a weapon for fueling heart attacks, hypertensions and High Blood Pressure due to such quack revelations and revelations from these so-called prophets, pastors and Bishops.

God might deny us our ill-motive and ill-inspired prayers while we keep jumping from one prayer camp to the other, from one pastor to the other, from one prophet to the other messing ourselves and cutting short our blessings , happiness and our very existence lives in the name of spiritual exercises.

It is completely unbiblical for any Christian to transfer his or her belief and trust from the Great God Elohim unto objects like oil, water, sticks, rods and crucifixes for the performance of miracles and the answer to prayers.

The Christian Council, instead of getting too much involved in political, economic and pseudo-political debates should be more focused on the issues that are destroying the church, morality and society.

The disappearing fault lines between paganism, voodoo worship, astrology and Christianity is getting rather disturbing and many supposed Christians are losing their faith and belief to these ersatz entrepreneurs called servants of God.

God save our homeland Ghana.

IMPROVING SAFETY ON THE VOLTA LAKE

A major source of livelihood for many inhabitants, from time immemorial, within its catchment area had been the Volta Lake, the biggest man-made lake in West Africa. The lake, which plays host to the Akosombo hydro electrical dam, in the Eastern Region, equally provides the most important and reliable source of power supply to the nation and some neighbours as well. The construction of the dam, in the early days of the Nkrumah administration, has affected the lifestyle of many communities, some extinct, through the devastation the trapped waters of the dam left in its wake on homes and farmlands. Of course every project comes with its social cost and its social benefits as well.

Lately, portions of the Volta Lake has been in the news, not for its tourist potentials, electric generation capacity or its buoyant fishing industry but rather for the numerous boat accidents that claim the lives of many productive lives leaving many families wrecked and broken. Women and children bear the brunt of the devastation.

The problems associated with water transport on the Volta Lake, I believe has been belaboured in many documentaries, newspaper publications and academic materials but the outstanding question till this moment is, what has been done over the years to reduce the tragic effects that each accident bring to many hearts in the country? A common phrase that runs the mouth of many politicians over and over at any public gathering or press conference is the unending liturgy of “this government is committed to improving one situation or the other” while this so-called commitment has never been demonstrated over the years.

The recent disaster on the Lake that claimed over twenty (20) lives should not be treated as just another accident but rather a call on the new government to demonstrate her commitment to the many inhabitants along the banks of the lake including school children and their teachers; who use canoes to crisscross the lake in pursuit of basic education, doctors, traders, fishermen, travellers and all other who also use the various landing sites dotted along the banks of the lake.
It is sickening that just after lavishly celebrating fifty (50) years of Independence on an unprecedented million-dollar budget, Ghana should still go a begging for funds for the provision of basic needs that ensures the daily safety and survival of the minority in society.

Hope might be in sight in coming months especially in dealing with the annual accidents on the Volta Lake.

Foremost, the Ministry of Transport and a Dutch logging company specialized in underwater logging have collaborated to initiate an “Under water Logging” project on the lake. This concept is very new in this country. The idea being uprooting and removing all tree stumps, roots and logs that have been trapped on the basin of the river for export. Maybe our government and private individuals could device good use of these underground logs after they have been harvested, for the local industry. If it is possible, the Electricity Company of Ghana could find good use of these logs for transmission poles instead of over depending on our dwindling forests resources for the erection of transmission poles.

A direct benefit of underwater logging to the people who use the lake for various purposes, is the relief from the threats these tree stumps, fallen logs and twisted roots pose to the nets of fishermen, propellers of pontoons and outboard motors and those who use the river especially at night. The basin of the lake would be cleared of any foreign material that is likely to obstruct passenger boats and ferries thus causing tragic accidents on the lake.

Government via the Ministry of Transport has assured the citizens that they are in league with the Ghana Navy to form a Patrol Task Force on the Lake. This task force, I believe, will be engaged in rescue operations among other duties as and when the need arise. The challenge I envisage however, is an injection of capital expenditure in the procurement of expensive an non available logistical supplies for the Naval Task Force as they will seek to perform this new duty which is at variance with their traditional role. It is important for the Navy to set up a camp at a vantage point on lake that could connect the various landing sites. This camp should be provided with communication gadgets that would make them easily accessible to respond to emergency situations.

Additionally, the Ministry must focus some attention in this area of transportation just as they have done over the years in the roads, rail and aviation sectors. Now that the Minister of Transport has hinted that they have formed a task force to ensure safety and security on the lake, it is most important for the task force to begin serious sensitization, education and public relations exercise to educate users of the lake on safety measures, best practices and modern ways of avoiding accidents, rescue operations, first aid treatment and any other relevant practise that is needed to ensure safety and security of the users of the services and potentials the Lake offers.

As prelude to many other initiatives to be taken by the central government, Zoil Ghana Limited has gone out of their way to provide life jackets and lifebuoys to the Ministry of Transport and the Canoe owners Association on the lake for the use of passengers. To this exploit, I congratulate, Mr. Oscar Provincal and his team for the far sight in providing immediate solutions to the problems bedevilling water transport on the Lake.

It has been revealed that only one (1) out of four (4) pontoons on the lake is functioning. The Vice President, John Mahama , promised the delivery of a new engine for on of the pontoons by December this year to get it back to bay. This will be very critical to ease pressure on the only surviving pontoon and the risk of it breaking down under pressure. Getting all four (4) pontoons back to work, consequently, will help improve the solutions to the problems on the lake and also ease cost to many users as many more goods and services will be rendered in less time on the lake.

The extent of indiscipline among operators of boats and canoes on the lake should be addressed immediately. We have seen footages of evidence of overloading, over speeding, among other indiscipline acts on the lake, but nobody seem to care about dealing with the situation until another disaster strikes. How come the police stationed in these areas are indifferent to the situation? It is a case of the perpetrators of these indiscipline acts compromise the law enforcement authority thereby rendering impotent in dealing with the situation? In any case, how come the police would not attach the same level of commitment and seriousness that the Motor, Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service attach to road users? It is about time wrong doers, whose pursuit of their selfish interest plunge passengers into accidents, are dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land. Such cases must be dealt with as clear instances of murder and not mere boat accidents.

To this end, the Ministry of Transport and the Ghana Police Service must set aside days on their annual calendar to go round the major landing sites in the country to do serious public sensitization, education and engagements just as what pertains with the National Road safety Commission. Government could equally establish a commission for water transport to give them the needed mandate to deal with issues pertaining to water transport safety and security in totality.

As a society with strong traditional beliefs, it is important that we do not forget customs and traditional practices that are associated with these rivers and lakes as custom demands in settling the cultural twist to these accidents. Of course the Chief of the one of the towns badly hit by the accident lamented bitterly about the wanton disregard for the traditional practices associated with the Lake. According to him, customs does not allow the use of some portions of the lake for human activities on some days and coincidentally the day in question was the same day the accident occurred. He advised a return to the performance of those practices to pacify the gods of the lake to ensure safety. These cultural and religious underpinnings cannot be ignored.

One area of attention is the need for authorization and inspection and insurance cover before boats, ferries and pontoons are allowed to commence business on the lake. The National Insurance Authority should consider this as an important element in ensuring security on the rivers, lakes and other water bodies in the country, if this is not already in place. If boat owners and transport operators are made to pay insurance premiums annually, they will be more conscious of what they do with their boats and the cost to their passengers.

We need to join the crusade to ensure safety and security on our rivers, lakes and lagoons for these traditional sources of transport are still relevant today in many other countries as it provides cheaper and faster means of cutting goods and people from on island community to the other.

TRADING THE GOSPEL FOR COWRIES; THE CHANGING FACE OF CHRISTENDOM

The place of the church is to preach the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, win souls for the Kingdom of God, baptise them in the name of Jesus, and promote the Gospel of Christ and to impact positively on society through the principles and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The church in contemporary times have obviously moved beyond these virtues and are now busying itself in a fierce but silent inter-denominational competitive battle for laurels and materialism, first among leadership and then with corporate entities for limited and innovative advertisement space in the country.

Not too long, the airwaves was polluted by the abusive, unprintable and satanic exchanges between two Kumasi-based preachers, Rev. Dr. Prophet Ebenezer Darkwa-Yiadom (who now calls himself “Prophet1 Senior”) and one Bishop Daniel Obinim. So repulsive were their exchanges and threats that the Police had to step in to broker a truce between these two servants of God amidst threats of murder, occultism and allegations of kidnapping.

These and other acts of indiscipline, lawlessness and paganism have given the church a bad name in recent times. I vividly recall the His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills’ admonishment to the Clergy when he opened the 69th Synod of the Global Presbyterian Church. He advised the clergy to be trail blazers and lead lives that speaks well of their faith. In fact, His Excellency the President expressed his regret about the lifestyles of some leaders of the Christian community in Ghana which did not give credit to the Christian faith.

Not too long after this event, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Frimpong Manso stated at the 10th General Assembly of the Church that “I wish to restate that we move away from our overdependence on offerings and tithes in the light of current fatigue in giving the poverty of most of our members”.

The waste in church expenditure is lately evident in the fierce advertisement, promotions and live presenter mentions on TV, radio, posters and on giant digital signage and bill boards of activities of orthodox, pentecostal and charismatic churches irrespective of size, location or membership.

This new advertisement drive that has taken the better side of the ministry of the gospel has seen the walls of many of our public buildings, electricity and telephone poles, schools, pavements, cars, among other sites splashed with posters of all colours, sizes and shapes announcing one crusade, healing encounter, motivational lecture, seminar, pastoral conferences and conventions and the cycle repeats itself year after year, while the increasing cost is borne by members of the church especially those who are richer and more popular including our politicians.
We are thus under intense pressure to pay more in church to outdo the church next door in terms of popularity and advertisement which i deem very occultic.

Aside the very high quality and expensive nature of these posters, billboards, and banners displayed at various locations all over the city, the cost of the production of such advertisement materials are borne by no other but the members of the congregation. Members are tasked to provide the resources via tithes, offerings and other “sacrificial offerings” and lately “corporate tithes” for the production of these expensive advertisement materials among other capital intensive engagements of the church. To me, the church is gradually ceding their responsibilities of helping shape our moral and prepare our soul for the coming of Christ to uppish social activities. I won’t be surprised if some churches soon begin organising beach events and pool parties all in the name of socialization.

I am yet to pay detailed attention, let alone concentrate to read the contents of many of these posters that are mostly posted at places obviously illegal; ie; on walls, tress, electricity poles, on transformers, Telephone exchange boxes, AMA rubbish containers, and areas clearly designated with the “post no bill” sign. This is the level of indiscipline that some of these churches are promoting in our society.
Equally disgusting is the current trend of our men of the cloth, shedding their collars for military uniforms to speak at conventions and programmes to depict a posture against the devil. Some even carry these pictures onto their posters that look very awkward.

I support the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)’s resolution to close down all illegal churches and mosques to help curb the noise they generate even in the still of the night.

Our Churches must be the first to respect our laws so that they would live their mission of influencing our society, our nation and work places by the word of God. And it is disappointing how out city authorities have sat down to allow our cities and highways to be littered by huge billboards, posters, advertisement announcements , by religious bodies, event planners, individuals and corporate organisations.

Again, the foremost culprits of noise making in public beside beer bars and pubs are Churches and Mosques with their excessive noise making even when residents are fast asleep after a very hectic day. I am looking forward to seeing Dr, Alfred Vanderpuije deliver on his promise that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will close down all illegal churches and mosques springing up in every corner in the capital. Residents have the right to peaceful sleep and I am not sure that any church or mosque must be encouraged to deprive anyone of their sleep same way no resident should have the right to disturb any church legally located in an area.

It is even more annoying that lately, there are speakers mounted at vantage points in the capital where self-styled preachers scream their invectives into our ears with collection bowls placed tightly in front of them urging passer-byes to drop in their tithes, offerings and sacrifices. I wonder if the purpose for which the man erected those speakers was to preach or collect money from people.

I am convinced that the days when Evangelist roamed from village to village on foot and on bicycles mostly at dawn speaking to your very soul about the gospel of Christ and how he is ready to forgive us our sins if we believed in him and how we can find solace in a Bible believing Church in our neighbourhoods and develop our Christian lives are completely over! Those days are now replaced with fierce TV and Radio advertisement, paid up broadcast, text messaging, and digital banner and Radio Jingle advertisements all in the name of preaching the gospel of Christ.

In spite of the proliferation of churches in the capital, crimes and social vices seem to be on the increase and I shudder to ask why. Either many people are just tired of these preachers and their penchant for money or they have no reason to turn to Christ for salvation knowing too well that the message of salvation has been replaced by that of prosperity, riches and miracle.

In some churches, salvation and deliverance has now been tied to your ability to pay the preacher to say special prayers or prophesy or speak mysteries into your life which is gradually turning these churches into cults. The privileged will always be in the good books of the pastors as they are the ones who pay the more during pledges and contributions while the poor widow who needs the gospel to comfort her never gets noticed let alone the young man who has only pair sandals to enter the house of God to worship.

We have created a society within Christendom that is making the gospel of God look like some kind of joke as many people have lost touch with what they actually want in church and what the church offers them lately.

The world needs the gospel of Christ as I believe Jesus is coming soon to judge this world and our churches must rise to the occasion, feed our souls and turn away from such acts of idolatry.

The church should not be seen as a business entity in a fierce battle for recognition, competition and in search to make demagogues out of their leaders.
It is just a place where the poor, the meek, the rich, the humble and even repentant criminals can find solace and turn to God their maker.

For how long should the church trade the gospel of Christ for cowries?

THE SCRAMBLE FOR SPACE IN A MILLENNIUM CITY OF ACCRA.

I have been quite impressed by the performance of Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, the Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA), since his appointment by His Excellency President John Mills. It is obvious that the successes of the AMA cannot be divorced from the progress this country has chalked up within the last nineteen months under the leadership of His Excellency the President.

The truce between the AMA and outraged traders in the Kimbu area for the relocation of the latter to the Pedestrian shopping Mall is worth noting owing to the disagreements that greeted the exercise.

A few months on, it appears the concerns of these traders have been met albeit the serious sanitation challenges in and around the Pedestrian Shopping Mall at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle. A lot more has to be done to improve on the situation in the market so patrons can ply their trade under a better hygienic condition.

Another phenomenon that should engage the AMA, besides the search for new burial grounds for departed souls, is the daily reduction of parking space in the capital; a major contributor to the traffic situation on many streets and lanes.

The cosmopolitan nature of the capital Accra, has witnessed the construction of many high rising buildings for residential and commercial purposes without accompanying provisions for parking spaces in and around these property.

The real estate industry as of today has become more sophisticated. Apartment buildings for residential and commercial purposes are being encouraged as a first step to land optimization and space maximization.

This suggests that the population density per metre square on a plot of land has seen some increase and is still expected to rise. Hotels, flats, churches, mosques, banks, office complexes by individuals, entertainment centres, among others are increasing in the capital while the space upon which these property are erected have grown smaller and smaller exponentially.

It is sad that many developers put structures on every available space as high as ten to twelve storeys while very little consideration is made for parking by the staff, residents, patrons and visitors to these establishments. The chaos emanating from this negligence, lack of supervision and corruption is that many streets, lanes and roads are being used as parking spaces owing to the lack of space in and around these buildings.

Bus stops are being used by taxi drivers as parking lots and taxi ranks. The chaotic situation of hawking on our streets has added to the dangers on these busy roads and the daily hustle and bustle of huge traffic jams on our “shrinking” roads.
Along the Kwame Nkrumah Circle-Achimota Highway, bicycle vendors, garages, vulganizers, and motorbike vendors have virtually taken over the bus stops with their wares parked right on the streets. I am yet to understand how and why the AMA has neither noticed these people nor taken any serious action to clear them off the roads in another decongestion exercise.

The public cannot be denied the use of these public facilities under no circumstances. I wish to see the AMA take appropriate measures to decongest our streets, roads and highways with the same passion and motivation they have used in flushing out hawkers and illegal structures that have been built along water ways and ramser sites.

I am sure there are regulations that clearly spell out guidelines for the erection of property in our cities for both residential and commercial use. It is rather amazing that property owners will defy these rules and go ahead to build their property without recourse to these regulations. Many vehicles are forced to park on our streets due to the lack of car parks.

The Disability Act stipulates that buildings should be “disability-friendly”. I am yet to be educated on the monitoring or supervisory agency tasked by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure that the law was obeyed and the act implemented to favour that constituency of persons with disabilities. On this score, I wish to see the National Disability Council collaborate with the various MMDAs to enforce these regulations. New buildings are springing up daily and it is obvious that many of these contractors are not in tune with the dictates of this law. The construction companies must also be educated on the law and what is required of them to do to ensure its full implementation.

Our roads, streets and lanes are shrinking by the day due partly to the limited spaces available and the reckless abandon with which many real estate companies and property owners are erecting structures.

The AMA must wake up to this problem or else we might , in the next two decades, be overwhelmed by the terrible traffic jams if the combined threats of hawking, unavailable parking spaces, corruption and indiscipline are not dealt with to make more space available for road users in the country.

In a better Ghana, I wish to see a reduction in the time I spend each day commuting between my work place and my home.

In a better Ghana, I wish to see the sanitation situation, in the Pedestrian shopping Mall and many other markets dotted around the capital cities, improve.
In a better Ghana, I wish to see many Ghanaians express satisfaction in our collective effort to improve our living conditions and quality of life.

This is Accra; Live in-Love it!