Can Religious Teachings Derail National Development?

In 2015, Global Religious Futures estimated that 74.9% and 15.8% of Ghanaians identified themselves as Christians and Muslims respectively. The United Nation Population Division estimated Ghana’s population in 2016 to be 28.20 million. “Although many Ghanaians are engaged in income earning activities, especially in the informal sector, only 1.2 million people are registered for tax purposes” (Source: Ghana News Agency, November 1, 2017). When I read the above news item, I sighed and retorted; “probably the Ghana Revenue Authority must introduce a miracle tax since the remaining population evading tax might be in churches waiting for miracles.” Miracle-ridden faith phenomena inundating many churches must be a source of perturbation to any development-oriented sentient creature in Africa.

One of the controversial topics in philosophy of religion is miracle. In philosophical terms, miracle implies any happening that is not usual and can hardly be explained through a natural cause. In the view of some philosophers, such an event must be due to divine interventions. The Scottish philosopher and historian, David Hume, credited with the famous dictum; “A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence” rejected the notion of miracles on the grounds that they are “a violation to the laws of nature.” Hume opined that the only evidence to support miracle is witness testimony, while evidence to support laws of nature is acquired through the uniform knowledge of individuals over time.

Hume claimed that “no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish.” An American philosopher, John Earman claimed that David Hume has insufficient understanding of probability and looking at the frequency of an event occurring is not enough to determine probability. The philosopher, Peter Millican offered a solid argument for Hume’s famous assertion about miracle. Millican argued that Hume’s position on miracle is neither frivolous nor unintelligible. It offers practical and generally correct guidelines on the interpretation of some happenings of some unnatural events and did not involve any illicit double counting. Therefore, Earman’s probabilistic deficiency claim against Hume is logically a flaw and philosophically untenable. The debates on miracle go on ad infinitum.

Be that as it may, miracles are possible but their happenings are not only limited to Christian believers. When religious teachings focus only on miracles, it could derail national development. In Europe, industrial revolution became possible based on the writings of Max Weber as espoused in “The protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism” published in 1905. Weber presented a solid argument that the rise of religious group such as Calvinists was instrumental to the capitalist spirits. He intimated further that Protestants saw capitalism as an end itself and accumulation of profits as a virtuous life.

Ghana benefited tremendously from the writings of Weber. The history of Ghana is incomplete without the contributions of the orthodox churches such as Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican and Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Churches. The contributions of these churches through the provision of educational institutions and healthcare facilities have substantially accelerated national development. We must equally commend Ghana Muslims especially the Ahmadiyya Muslim missions for their contributions in the aforementioned sectors. Per historical records, as at 1927, the colonial government had only Achimota School and about four (4) elementary schools, while the Christian Missions in Ghana had many secondary schools, a teacher training college (PTC, at Akropong-Akuapem) and over 100 elementary schools. In some of my previous articles, I indicated that cocoa was first brought to Ghana by the Basel Mission (Presbyterian Church) before Tete Quarshie who himself was a mission trained gold-smith brought some pods from Island of Fernando Po in modern Equatorial Guinea. I am in pain to witness that these good churches contributing to national development have lost membership to some unmitigated self-seekers amassing wealth from their credulous followers. What is more irritable if not palpably risible? The miracle-ridden pastors pray for their followers’ kids for admissions from St. Roses, Holy Child, Presbyterian Boys Secondary, Opoku Ware School, Prempeh College, St. Augustine, Pope John, St. Peters, Mfantsipim, Weslay Girls, Archbishop Porter Girls and other good mission schools in the country. Vice they say is due to ignorance (Socrates)! Truth be told, government alone cannot provide the developmental needs of Ghanaians.

Now there are no funds to employ medical doctors in Ghana and politicians must be honest! “The Ghana Medical Association has described as a denial of healthcare delivery to Ghanaians, the government's failure to employ trained medical doctors and dentists to serve in the under-served areas. President of the association, DCOP Dr. Ebenezer Ewusi-Emmim says though Ghana still suffers from the poor doctor-patient ratio, some trained doctors and dentists are wasting away at home” (Source: myjoyonline.com, November 11, 2017). Ghana risks becoming a failed state if a highly demanded professionals like medical doctors join the unemployment queue while the healthcare delivery in the country is saddled with challenges.

Here are the list of hospitals by churches from places I know in Ghana. St. Joseph Hospitals (Koforidua, Nkwanta), Holy Family Hospitals (Techiman, Nkawkaw and Berekum), St. Francis Xavier Hospital (Assin Fosu), Wenchi Methodist Hospital, St. Theresa’s Hospital (Nkoranza). St. Dominic Hospital (Akwatia), Presbyterian Hospital (Agogo), St. Martins Catholic Hospital (Kasei), St. Michaels Hospital (Jachie-Pramso), SDA Hospitals (Maase-Offinso, Wiamoase and Kwadaso-Kumasi). Ahmadiyya Muslim Hospitals at Asokore and Techiman could also be mentioned.

There comes the class of religious Jacobinists in 1980s whose teachings are not only inimical to development but indoctrinated their followers into accepting that laziness, poverty, unsuccessful marriages and sickness are all spirits! They also teach their members that any good thing done outside the church does not please God. Religious faith must be decoupled from logic. I am strongly convinced that if the Orthodox Churches still have all the members of charismatic churches, the alarming unemployment situations would be nipped in the bud. Ghana is on the brink of economic decline, the greatest effect the scaffolding hypocrisy glutting the society.

The contributions of Catholic, Methodist, and Presbyterian or SDA bishops are not always commended. Sadly, they are not part of the most influential Ghanaians. I am without a soupcon of consternation because “there are only two kinds of men, the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous” (Blaise Pascal). A whole Independence Square and Sport Stadia are given to miracle-driven teachers to lure believers to pay money for miracles. Nothing wrong with that if the teaching focuses on salvation, virtuous life style, prayerful behavior, hard work and perseverance. Freedom of religion a blessing or a curse?

Article 21 of Ghana’s fourth Republican constitution guarantee freedom of religion and worship. Every conscionable Ghanaian knows with perfect certitude that the inclusion of religious freedom in the 1992 constitution was a significant milestone towards the protection of inalienable rights and liberty. Recent religious pogrom against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar (Burma) attests to the salient significance of freedom of worship.

Besides, on November 7, 2017, the ruling of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court in favor of freedom of religion remains a watershed moment for the Christians and other religious minorities in that country. Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Over the years, there had been accusations of a synergy between Indonesian government and the Muslim majority to burn Christians alive. Incidents of church burning are not uncommon in Indonesia until this year November 7, verdict.

One would expect that the increasingly predominant reports of bloody religious intolerance in some parts of the world, would have goad Christians in Ghana to make appropriate use of their veritable religious freedom enshrined in the 1992 constitution. However, cases of religious hocus pocus demonstrated by some self-acclaimed bishops are increasing at bewildering pace. When a church leader burns underwear of his gullible church members on the grounds of giving them breakthrough, how can we talk about collecting taxes from these members waiting for manifestation of their miracles? Right teachings at the podium are destined to accelerate economic and social development. The government must not only be concerned about teachers and schools but also who trains the children in churches must be a concern.

Let me succinctly conclude by stating that Bishops linking virtue with capitalist spirit as demonstrated by Calvinism and orthodox churches must be encouraged to do more for the nation. Government must sensitize the philanthropists and charitable organizations to donate only to those churches contributing to national development but not those dancing and twisting their hips alluringly to defeat the spirits of laziness and poverty. When the religious bodies begin to venture into capitalism, government’s capital expenditure could be used to arrest other challenges such as employing doctors, nurses and teachers. Some of us were dumfounded by miracle-oriented teachings dominating many churches and indeed, it is derailing national development. Pastors must use podium to encourage members to pay tax. This will help in curbing the huge balance of payment deficit bedeviling our country. When the church teachings are properly streamlined and tailored toward spiritual and social growth they can be engines of development. Government must promote a golden age of positivism/empiricism rather than metaphysical balderdash regulating our mindsets under the behest of some self-acclaimed miracle spiritualists. Miracle is not a bad thing but when salvation is compromised for miraculous teachings it becomes a problem. There is no miracle than the birth and death of Christ! It is heart-wrenching to hear that only 1.2 million population pay tax to cater for about 28.20 million people, albeit more religious men in Ghana. God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.

By Nana Yaw Osei, Minnesota, USA. [email protected]