Ghana, a religious nation of hypocrisy and dishonesty

They say, “Rome wasn't built in one day.” As this adage rings in my ears daily, it gives me patience and time to bear the pains of being a Ghanaian with the hope that someday, things will change for the better. With all these happenings in Ghana recently, I and same minded citizens seem to be running out of hope and patience with regard to our national development.

Growing up, I had always thought that Ghana was a God-fearing nation who loved and sought the welfare of her citizens. Maybe I was deceived because of the numerous churches and mosques that have flooded every nook and cranny of the country. With the vociferous pastors on our airwaves, the blasting sounds of songs, and prayers at all night services every Friday, and with the crowded posters of church programs on the street of Ghana with catchy phrases like 'Prophetic Gathering', 'My hour has come', 'from glory to glory' and the rest. If you happen to travel to Ghana for the first time , right from the airport to your destination, you will be given the impression that you have landed on the land of trust and integrity because of the religious artifacts you see on every side.

Behind our religious facade lies greed, corruption, tribalism, and dishonesty. It baffles me that a nation that prides herself as religious has demonstrated greed, corruption, and hypocrisy. Everyone is seeking their own good at the expense of the poor and vulnerable. From the market to the Church are filled with people who demonstrate holier than thou attitude but these are same rice sellers who have illegally adjusted their measuring cups, palm oil sellers who have mixed them with artificial colours and those who have 'elephantly' priced their items beyond the normal.

Then, we also have church leaders whose appetite for luxury make them use strategies to put fear and panic in congregants, scriptural misinterpretation, and indoctrinations to milk their subjects. They live well with their family while their members suffer. If you dare say it, they will shoot you with their favourite scripture, " Touch, not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Once they quote this, fearful members are forced to swallow the pill of injustices and silence. It is very disheartening to see our young generation trapped in hopelessness and frustration caused by corruption and dishonesty.

Governments are the gate keepers of every nation and are tasked to seek the welfare of their citizens, but the greatest threat to our society is when a nation is entrusted into the hands of 'greedy bustards' whose main aim is to amass wealth for their families and unborn generations. They run campaigns on lies, unrealistic promises, and populist policies just to capture gullible minds to vote for them. The moment they assume power, they do opposite of what they promised. Many of them use religious slogans to win the support of the people because they know that Africans are gullible when it comes to the issue of religion. Just mention the name of Jesus or Muhammad, and you have a free pass to hearts.

Even at the face of the rot in our system, our chiefs sing praises to these corrupt leaders when they visit their territories in the campaign season. The chiefs themselves are corrupt, selling pieces of land to multiple people and still walking free. Many of them do not have the moral aptitude to hold the government accountable. They suddenly lose their voice for reasons best known to them.

We should always remember the essence of life is not in how much you acquire, but it's how much you give. We can shout and pray in big tongus , but if we fail to address our greed and dishonesty, we will continue to sink in the pit of poverty and shame. God delights in those who pursue justice and righteousness and not those Pharisees yelling in Church who seem to promote corruption and are themselves beneficiaries of the weak system.

A religious nation without good moral conscience is a dead society . Let's all look into our hearts and genuinely ponder over our behaviour if we actually merit to be called Christians or Muslims. God help Ghana!

By Richard Tawiah