Religion should be a tool for development - Father Agbenu

By Christiana Sam
Tema, June 23, GNA - Father Peter Agbenu, the Parish Priest in charge of Our lady of Mercy (OLAM) Catholic Church has observed the need to evangelize through promoting developmental activities within communities.

He said this on Thursday in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the OLAM Parish, Community One Tema.

Father Agbenu said that man would be judged based on developmental projects he or she undertook to provide mankind with the basic necessities of life.

He named these necessities as corporal works of mercy such as offering food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, medical care to the sick.

'Others included spiritual works like forgiving the offences of others, instructing the ignorant about the right way and giving counsel to the doubtful.

Father Agbenu said African churches were not promoting development through evangelism as it should be.

'The schools are there to teach children moral values which would help prepare them for the future and would go a long way to promote development,' he informed.

He said the Catholic Church especially was doing very well in the building of schools, medical centres and other projects that promoted development in all areas of human endeavour such as educational, physical and spiritual life.

He indicated that it was not only the Catholic Church which was promoting these developments but other churches such as the Methodist and the Anglican.

He added that the government should help provide the needed resources to promote these developmental projects the churches were undertaking.

'One needed to have faith in God so as to be able to establish these developmental projects by the churches because of the challenges involved.

We do not do these developmental projects for human approval but for God or for charity sake,' he added.

He advised Christians to continue such developmental works which demonstrated love even to those who do not profess Christ.

GNA