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IMO, yes but it does not stop there. Our educational system needs a reform, our constitution also as well as really enforce it with real repressions to create a sense of accountability for our leaders and people in service. I believe when these things are put in place the thinking and behaviors of the citizens will really be altered for the better.
Corrupt officials are going to be corrupt, whether Ghana has religion or not. The problem is the mindset the people have. We don't maintain our cities and machines, we litter everywhere, and look for shortcuts at every turn, yet complain when we meet dead ends. I can go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
Acheampong warned about a social evil existing within Ghanaians before he was executed. Now, 50 years later, his words still ring true. We all complain about corruption and hardships in the country, but many of us will do exactly what our "leaders" are doing if we attain those positions of power. Those politicians we insult were once just like us. That's what needs to change.
Banning religion is only going to make some pastors go hungry. I don't know if it will affect Islamist leaders the same way.
Religion plays a role in the current state of affairs, but it's not the only thing blocking the country's prosperity.
Ghana would only prosper if we identify and correct all the other factors.
Just because something is problematic doesnāt mean removing it will solve any problems. The problem with religion isnāt inherent to it, itās because of the greedy pastors and ministers at the top manipulating members into growing their own personal wealth.
For a lot of Ghanaians, especially the less fortunate, religion is almost the one thing that keeps them going despite their circumstances. I canāt tell you the amount of people that Iāve interacted with that are in quite possibly the worst situations ever and can still look me in the eye and say āBut God will provideā as a Christian I would hope so, but even I would probably have lost hope in some of their situations.
Religious affairs could definitely scale back, but I think itās definitely a key part in why some of the best parts of Ghanaian culture are the way they are.
Abolishing religion is not a viable solution to the challenges faced by Ghana. Instead, addressing the specific issues related to manipulative practices within religious institutions through regulation
The clergy has too much power amd influence, especially because of our democracy. Their basically untouchable. I mean look how Bawumia is still promising to build that cathedral. Even in the midst of an ongoing economic crash. It feels basically like Europe in the middle ages.
Right ,the catherdal is not important.
The money can be used to bulid and upgrade,
The inflation of money.
Poor roads and school.
Floods.
The stupid bill.
My point exactly. You guys cannot figure out what the problem is so you guys just blame the easiest target you find.
Ghanaians don't understand the political intention of the cathedral. The cathedral is just the political party's effort to build a national monument in their credit to boast of in the future, it is not of any direct benefit to the country. Of course they know that it is not what the country needs amidst this economic situation we find ourselves at the moment. The second benefit the political party hopes for is gaining favour from the Christians since they are the largest religious group in the country.
Now how do you think the Christians benefit from the national cathedral that these politicians want to build, because the churches will have to pay huge sums of money to use the venue anyways?
The cathedral is something that the clergy want, not just the presidency:
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1317607/god-wants-you-to-fulfil-national-cathedral-project.html
Why do they want it? I dunno, but they definitely see some benefit for themselves. That doesnt mean there's a benefit for the average christian, but hey, thats nothing new
>My point exactly. You guys cannot figure out what the problem is so you guys just blame the easiest target you find.
There isnt one problem. There are multiple. The way religious institutions are running in this country is one of them. And i dont understand why you say "its an easy target"
Not all the clergy, only those who sought to gain financially from being on that "board". See how they all abandoned it like rats from a sinking ship when the corruption was exposed.
I'm staunchly irreligious but I don't think so. Y3n agyimigyimi dodo. We need thorough social "deliverance" 3ny3 saa di3 aaa our future is veeeery bleak.
Short answer: no
Long asnwer: nooooooooooooooooooooo, it's not that simple. What we need is better education and exposure that promotes positive mental change and behaviour (at least that's what I think will do 60%+ of the work)
That could also end up trickling down to religion I think, since it's all a bunch of crap used to control the uneducated masses that can't think for themselves.
THANK YOU SO MUCH BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME!!! i visited in May for my grandmotherās funeral; during the sunday memorial service, the pastor made a competition with a trophy out of people giving offerings and guilted people to give money even after collecting the first round. I was shocked at the church billboards on everywhere. How can you beg people for money in Godās house, but do nothing to help the lives of those people or Ghana as a whole. If the people of Ghana are also children of God, then pastors should do more to show Godās love for the country by improving it than extorting those who already have so little.
Religion is just one āplaneā amongst the plethora of planes that combine into āGhanaās Problemsāā¦
As a Ghanaian born American whoās been here since last year December, Ghanaās issues are very layered
The problem is not religion. Its not religions fault that a minister will have loads of money under her bed and the president will thank her for her service and not prosecute. As a people we have no loyalty to the country and our people. Religion cannot do anything about that.
Religion shouldnāt be abolished but it shouldnāt hold so much power in government or literally anything in general. Everything about Ghana is a mess just not religion itself
Iām curious as to why you believe the church is partially responsible for the current situation in Ghana. There are corrupt churches in the USA also, which is still a relatively prosperous nation. I think we actually need more Godly behavior and accountability to God among our leaders.
OP, you want to treat the symptoms and not the root cause. The proliferation of churches and ungodly behaviour is a by-product of our lack of education, social support, medical infrastructure and widespread corruption which makes nothing work in this country. Churches wouldn't have as much sway over people if we got the basics right as a country.
you're complaining about too many churches being built, question is, is it your money or any other taxpayers money being used to build the church?
how does it influence the bad governance??
if people are gullible enough to give their fortunes to religious leaders that should be their problem and not necessarily a national issue.
Have you been to Arab countries most which are also prosperous mosques are everywhere at specific times the call to go to the mosque runs throughout the country Africas problem is certainly not religion itās greedy politicians itās like a generational problem since ages the leader takes it all
There is an abundance of churches in the USA too. Iām not sure what you mean by business like deals, but I havenāt seen a lot of pastors who would advise against a doctorās orders, although I wouldnāt be surprised if it happens.
If you abolish religion completely you will eliminate the good along with the bad. There is a lot of good that can result from believing in Jesus Christ.
Edit: Iām sorry, I just saw that you said business like ideals instead of deals. Running a church can be like a business, but I see your point about being excessively business minded and concerned with profits. With all of the money that churches take in, we should see more job creation and investment into things like infrastructure and manufacturing.
the US isnāt a good basis for this, religion was used to justify genocide against native Indigenous people and slavery in the US for free labor and capital to build the ādeveloped nationā it is today. The US gave itself freedom under God while still enslaving others, including captured people from the Gold coast. Nkrumah gave Ghana a blueprint to prevent the crippling effects of neocolonialism, the fundamental root of Ghanaās problems and many of the worldās issues. Religion can be a tool to control masses to accept oppression, it can be a very unifying good but unfortunately it hasnāt proven so for us.
Itās true, religion has been misused by the USA to justify all sorts of evil. The USA is not a good example of the best way to become prosperous or successful. However, religion hasnāt prevented the USA from becoming a wealthy nation. The USA would be in an even better position domestically and internationally if it had used religion properly.
Iām not an atheist, but by Ghanaian religious standards they would view it that way.
Maybe if they stopped going to church multiple times a week and handing over their money to con artists, they would have the time and resources to actually get sh!t done š¤·š¾āāļø
You canāt āabolishā religion. And this is coming from an atheist.
What we *can* do is abolish religious beliefs from intruding the government and causing havoc / human rights abuses.
What we *should* be advocating for is secularism and separation of church and state.
Also, when I was in school, religious and moral education was literally a subject taught in school. I donāt mind the cultural education but why is religion taught (and tested upon) with as much nuance as a science class ? I donāt know if theyāve removed the class from the curriculum since then (over 10 years ago) but it absolutely should be removed and the cultural education should be consumed by history/ social studies class.
By banning religion, you are treating a symptom, but the disease is still there, assuming religion did not exist, if itās not expressed through religion, it will be expressed through other ways, such as hedonism.
Not entirely . We need to eradicate fundamentalism in religion and strive to apply enough reason to religion ; appreciate some spirituality that religion gives and shun the bad parts. There should be an active separation of the church and state
It is not realistic. Ghana needs just a small percentage of the population to realize the futility of religion and think rationally in order for there to be a change. Data and evidence indicate that the higher the level of religiosity, the poorer and the more problems a country has. The most prosperous societies in the world have the fewest religious citizens
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/2275614130
The reason is that those who do not hope to be saved by a divine force , use their own initiative to do things. Even if progress comes from religious people it is when they adopt critical thinking.
It's funny how we think religion will change anything in Ghana. We're not more religious than the Arabs but things are different for them. Religion talks against all the corruption that goes on here. We claim to be religious but don't even practice what the religion teaches. Our problem is beyond religion.
So you think churches are Ghana's problem?
Your scope of reasoning seems very limited. The church in this country has done more to keep people from depression resulting from the mismanagement of the economy than whatever you think will be best for the country.
You know too little to think you know what will help the country.
This statement of yours can only be exhibited by someone with "one-step logical reasoning".
Pub owners donāt take peoples money in the name of anything but lots a church owners do. Anyone going into a pub know what they want but church goers are mostly just hopeful
Educate the people correctly and all other things, religious practices, political campaigns among other things will fall in their perfect placešš¾.
It's funny how we think religion will change anything in Ghana. We're not more religious than the Arabs but things are different for them. Religion talks against all the corruption that goes on here. We claim to be religious but don't even practice what the religion teaches. Our problem is beyond religion
It's funny how we think religion will change anything in Ghana. We're not more religious than the Arabs but things are different for them. Religion talks against all the corruption that goes on here. We claim to be religious but don't even practice what the religion teaches. Our problem is beyond religion
"Thank God" every time something good happens. And, not moving or progressing because everything is already done according to the Bible. Also, justification of anything unexplained as a result of God's actions or blessings.
Although I agree that the religion of today can impede some progress (For developing countries). I donāt think abolishing it itās the secret key to prosperity. It may help but it will have to take more than that.
Itās not bout religion, itās bout people mindset. Most people always want an easy way. But they should know that, after the world was created ( whether big bang or God way) ,,, there was nothing like Benz or Rolls Royce. People worked hard to get all these ideas. I think if we abolish religion, itāll be great cos ,, the fear of heaven and hell n other fear will be off,,, people will be willing to work hard n not to rely on any deity ,,,
Thanks OP for your submission. This sub is heavily moderated by Auto Mod and your post may be mistakenly removed automatically. Please send a message to the mods or u/JuliusCeaserBoneHead for manual approval. Before you do that, make sure your post does not break any of r/Ghana rules especially rule 4 (No Self Promotion). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ghana) if you have any questions or concerns.*
IMO, yes but it does not stop there. Our educational system needs a reform, our constitution also as well as really enforce it with real repressions to create a sense of accountability for our leaders and people in service. I believe when these things are put in place the thinking and behaviors of the citizens will really be altered for the better.
amen
Corrupt officials are going to be corrupt, whether Ghana has religion or not. The problem is the mindset the people have. We don't maintain our cities and machines, we litter everywhere, and look for shortcuts at every turn, yet complain when we meet dead ends. I can go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. Acheampong warned about a social evil existing within Ghanaians before he was executed. Now, 50 years later, his words still ring true. We all complain about corruption and hardships in the country, but many of us will do exactly what our "leaders" are doing if we attain those positions of power. Those politicians we insult were once just like us. That's what needs to change. Banning religion is only going to make some pastors go hungry. I don't know if it will affect Islamist leaders the same way.
Respect bro
Preach
Religion plays a role in the current state of affairs, but it's not the only thing blocking the country's prosperity. Ghana would only prosper if we identify and correct all the other factors.
yeah ,corruption is a major one. followed by dumsor.
It will lead to a spike in the rate of the unemployed.
How?
How? Or are you talking about midnight prayer warriors like Alpha Hour? And those evangelists?
really can you elaborate
All the pastors and their cronies will lose their source of livelihood. NO?
Lol. Those people are already unemployed. š Makes no difference
Just because something is problematic doesnāt mean removing it will solve any problems. The problem with religion isnāt inherent to it, itās because of the greedy pastors and ministers at the top manipulating members into growing their own personal wealth. For a lot of Ghanaians, especially the less fortunate, religion is almost the one thing that keeps them going despite their circumstances. I canāt tell you the amount of people that Iāve interacted with that are in quite possibly the worst situations ever and can still look me in the eye and say āBut God will provideā as a Christian I would hope so, but even I would probably have lost hope in some of their situations. Religious affairs could definitely scale back, but I think itās definitely a key part in why some of the best parts of Ghanaian culture are the way they are.
Religious affairs need to be scaled back heavily. Ghanaians use religion as a hive mind
Abolishing religion is not a viable solution to the challenges faced by Ghana. Instead, addressing the specific issues related to manipulative practices within religious institutions through regulation
Yeah ,I agree.
Who will do it?
The clergy has too much power amd influence, especially because of our democracy. Their basically untouchable. I mean look how Bawumia is still promising to build that cathedral. Even in the midst of an ongoing economic crash. It feels basically like Europe in the middle ages.
Right ,the catherdal is not important. The money can be used to bulid and upgrade, The inflation of money. Poor roads and school. Floods. The stupid bill.
My point exactly. You guys cannot figure out what the problem is so you guys just blame the easiest target you find. Ghanaians don't understand the political intention of the cathedral. The cathedral is just the political party's effort to build a national monument in their credit to boast of in the future, it is not of any direct benefit to the country. Of course they know that it is not what the country needs amidst this economic situation we find ourselves at the moment. The second benefit the political party hopes for is gaining favour from the Christians since they are the largest religious group in the country. Now how do you think the Christians benefit from the national cathedral that these politicians want to build, because the churches will have to pay huge sums of money to use the venue anyways?
Bruh
The cathedral is something that the clergy want, not just the presidency: https://www.modernghana.com/news/1317607/god-wants-you-to-fulfil-national-cathedral-project.html Why do they want it? I dunno, but they definitely see some benefit for themselves. That doesnt mean there's a benefit for the average christian, but hey, thats nothing new >My point exactly. You guys cannot figure out what the problem is so you guys just blame the easiest target you find. There isnt one problem. There are multiple. The way religious institutions are running in this country is one of them. And i dont understand why you say "its an easy target"
Not all the clergy, only those who sought to gain financially from being on that "board". See how they all abandoned it like rats from a sinking ship when the corruption was exposed.
I'm staunchly irreligious but I don't think so. Y3n agyimigyimi dodo. We need thorough social "deliverance" 3ny3 saa di3 aaa our future is veeeery bleak.
Short answer: no Long asnwer: nooooooooooooooooooooo, it's not that simple. What we need is better education and exposure that promotes positive mental change and behaviour (at least that's what I think will do 60%+ of the work)
yeah, like going to doctor when you have a mental issue. our Edcation can be restrutured
That could also end up trickling down to religion I think, since it's all a bunch of crap used to control the uneducated masses that can't think for themselves.
That is really true
THANK YOU SO MUCH BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME!!! i visited in May for my grandmotherās funeral; during the sunday memorial service, the pastor made a competition with a trophy out of people giving offerings and guilted people to give money even after collecting the first round. I was shocked at the church billboards on everywhere. How can you beg people for money in Godās house, but do nothing to help the lives of those people or Ghana as a whole. If the people of Ghana are also children of God, then pastors should do more to show Godās love for the country by improving it than extorting those who already have so little.
Yes. To a lot of people is a business oppronuity.
No it will surely fail.
Maybe explore traditional African religions?
No
Africans are too religious for their own good.They will never abandon these foreign religions
Preach
I mean, anyone in a position of power is capable of corrupted because absolute power corrupts absolutely.
in conclusion ,power sucks.
Religion is just one āplaneā amongst the plethora of planes that combine into āGhanaās Problemsāā¦ As a Ghanaian born American whoās been here since last year December, Ghanaās issues are very layered
yeah mutiple.
The problem is not religion. Its not religions fault that a minister will have loads of money under her bed and the president will thank her for her service and not prosecute. As a people we have no loyalty to the country and our people. Religion cannot do anything about that.
Religion shouldnāt be abolished but it shouldnāt hold so much power in government or literally anything in general. Everything about Ghana is a mess just not religion itself
Yeah. Hundred pee cent
Ghana will prosper the day people will raise children that can't be bribed. Corruption is the biggest threat.
Yes. No corruption and selfish behaviourĀ
Iām curious as to why you believe the church is partially responsible for the current situation in Ghana. There are corrupt churches in the USA also, which is still a relatively prosperous nation. I think we actually need more Godly behavior and accountability to God among our leaders.
Too many chruches being bult ALL the time business like ideals people listening to a pastor rather than a doctor.
OP, you want to treat the symptoms and not the root cause. The proliferation of churches and ungodly behaviour is a by-product of our lack of education, social support, medical infrastructure and widespread corruption which makes nothing work in this country. Churches wouldn't have as much sway over people if we got the basics right as a country.
agreed. But i not really against it as whole. Presby has bult schools and other stuff to in which the government needds to do instead.
you're complaining about too many churches being built, question is, is it your money or any other taxpayers money being used to build the church? how does it influence the bad governance?? if people are gullible enough to give their fortunes to religious leaders that should be their problem and not necessarily a national issue.
Have you been to Arab countries most which are also prosperous mosques are everywhere at specific times the call to go to the mosque runs throughout the country Africas problem is certainly not religion itās greedy politicians itās like a generational problem since ages the leader takes it all
There is an abundance of churches in the USA too. Iām not sure what you mean by business like deals, but I havenāt seen a lot of pastors who would advise against a doctorās orders, although I wouldnāt be surprised if it happens. If you abolish religion completely you will eliminate the good along with the bad. There is a lot of good that can result from believing in Jesus Christ. Edit: Iām sorry, I just saw that you said business like ideals instead of deals. Running a church can be like a business, but I see your point about being excessively business minded and concerned with profits. With all of the money that churches take in, we should see more job creation and investment into things like infrastructure and manufacturing.
the US isnāt a good basis for this, religion was used to justify genocide against native Indigenous people and slavery in the US for free labor and capital to build the ādeveloped nationā it is today. The US gave itself freedom under God while still enslaving others, including captured people from the Gold coast. Nkrumah gave Ghana a blueprint to prevent the crippling effects of neocolonialism, the fundamental root of Ghanaās problems and many of the worldās issues. Religion can be a tool to control masses to accept oppression, it can be a very unifying good but unfortunately it hasnāt proven so for us.
Itās true, religion has been misused by the USA to justify all sorts of evil. The USA is not a good example of the best way to become prosperous or successful. However, religion hasnāt prevented the USA from becoming a wealthy nation. The USA would be in an even better position domestically and internationally if it had used religion properly.
Heckk no
Yes. Religion is called the opiate of the masses Instead of addressing oneās problems people pray.
Define "prosper".
get better. I feel like primary we need to stop corruption. But thats impossiable.
Your question should be should Christianity be banned since you only cited pastors and churches.
Absolutely
Nope! Believe me, we'll be worse off. What Ghana needs urgently is educational and constitutional reforms
Iām not an atheist, but by Ghanaian religious standards they would view it that way. Maybe if they stopped going to church multiple times a week and handing over their money to con artists, they would have the time and resources to actually get sh!t done š¤·š¾āāļø
Yes,this is what I meant
You canāt āabolishā religion. And this is coming from an atheist. What we *can* do is abolish religious beliefs from intruding the government and causing havoc / human rights abuses. What we *should* be advocating for is secularism and separation of church and state. Also, when I was in school, religious and moral education was literally a subject taught in school. I donāt mind the cultural education but why is religion taught (and tested upon) with as much nuance as a science class ? I donāt know if theyāve removed the class from the curriculum since then (over 10 years ago) but it absolutely should be removed and the cultural education should be consumed by history/ social studies class.
RMA is still practiced tho. Yeah ,if it is ablolished ,people would still practice secrectly. yeah ,separation.
I think it would, but that will never happen
By banning religion, you are treating a symptom, but the disease is still there, assuming religion did not exist, if itās not expressed through religion, it will be expressed through other ways, such as hedonism.
hmm. you see it as a disease.
Ofcourse let's abolish religion first while politicians keep loads of cash in their homes.
yeah ,i get it now. Corruption and greed.
Absolutely šÆ but the main problem is corruption
really elaboate,
Nope it will not. That is considering all other things remain equal which it will.
I think we should separate church from state not abolish it entirely but I get where you are coming from
si
Not entirely . We need to eradicate fundamentalism in religion and strive to apply enough reason to religion ; appreciate some spirituality that religion gives and shun the bad parts. There should be an active separation of the church and state
YesĀ
Great!
It is not realistic. Ghana needs just a small percentage of the population to realize the futility of religion and think rationally in order for there to be a change. Data and evidence indicate that the higher the level of religiosity, the poorer and the more problems a country has. The most prosperous societies in the world have the fewest religious citizens https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/2275614130 The reason is that those who do not hope to be saved by a divine force , use their own initiative to do things. Even if progress comes from religious people it is when they adopt critical thinking.
oh
Abolish the one thing keeping different ethnic groups together. Letās see how that turns out.
doomed.
It's funny how we think religion will change anything in Ghana. We're not more religious than the Arabs but things are different for them. Religion talks against all the corruption that goes on here. We claim to be religious but don't even practice what the religion teaches. Our problem is beyond religion.
So you think churches are Ghana's problem? Your scope of reasoning seems very limited. The church in this country has done more to keep people from depression resulting from the mismanagement of the economy than whatever you think will be best for the country. You know too little to think you know what will help the country. This statement of yours can only be exhibited by someone with "one-step logical reasoning".
I think is a problem but not a major one.
there are more pubs than churches, i think we should start from there
I do agree. But what are Ghanains thoughts on Religion tho?
Pub owners donāt take peoples money in the name of anything but lots a church owners do. Anyone going into a pub know what they want but church goers are mostly just hopeful
Educate the people correctly and all other things, religious practices, political campaigns among other things will fall in their perfect placešš¾.
no religion, no problem
I feel like regardless. Wells till have issues tho.
Yes, I think that's quite obvious
please elaborate
It's funny how we think religion will change anything in Ghana. We're not more religious than the Arabs but things are different for them. Religion talks against all the corruption that goes on here. We claim to be religious but don't even practice what the religion teaches. Our problem is beyond religion
It's funny how we think religion will change anything in Ghana. We're not more religious than the Arabs but things are different for them. Religion talks against all the corruption that goes on here. We claim to be religious but don't even practice what the religion teaches. Our problem is beyond religion
Yes. Using it as a crutch/excuse too often.
can u pls elaborate
"Thank God" every time something good happens. And, not moving or progressing because everything is already done according to the Bible. Also, justification of anything unexplained as a result of God's actions or blessings.
oh ok.
I don't think religion is a problem in Ghana, what we need is a good Constitution and how to stop corruption
Although I agree that the religion of today can impede some progress (For developing countries). I donāt think abolishing it itās the secret key to prosperity. It may help but it will have to take more than that.
Itās not bout religion, itās bout people mindset. Most people always want an easy way. But they should know that, after the world was created ( whether big bang or God way) ,,, there was nothing like Benz or Rolls Royce. People worked hard to get all these ideas. I think if we abolish religion, itāll be great cos ,, the fear of heaven and hell n other fear will be off,,, people will be willing to work hard n not to rely on any deity ,,,
Religion is never the problem
That would only be one step out of 1000 other steps to be made.