'The Religious Camouflage'

The influx of technological territories and advancement play a very critical role in shaping human existence. Moreover, another key building block that cannot be ruled out in every societal era is a religion (culture). Culture and religion serve as the foundational elements that determine the perception, ideology, belief systems, values, and other key artificial ingredients that shape the progressive agenda and living imperatives of people in a particular society.

The rate at which a particular nation is progressing is often a cultural and religious one because, religion and culture direct the mindset and behaviour of people that determine the functionality of other social institutions (Politics, economic, health, marriage and family, educational, social welfare institutions, among others). If a nation is culturally or religiously intelligent and resilient, progressive growth and sustainable development will consistently chase such nation and vice-versa.

However, ascertaining and determining how religiously or culturally intelligent a particular person, family, society or nation is, is a very delicate and laborious issue which cannot be concluded on face value, and therefore requires extensive assessment and evaluation.

The mere religious and cultural proclamation and assumption of some individuals, societies or nations have led them on a "road of no return". Anyone can glitteringly assume a religious status or role but the practice resultant factor of one's action or behaviour will determine whether such a person is religiously intelligent or not.

Many nations, since time immemorial, a proposition that they're highly religious, hence God has forever bestowed His "unshakable Hand" on them so they'll never be "weary".

However, in their glueing gleeful mood of blowing the trumpet to the whole world that they're in the divine shield of God, they woefully "go naked" and forget to practice the cherished statues enshrined in God's handwriting.

Interestingly, some individuals or nations are very silent about their religious strengths but they allow their results, actions or behaviour to proclaim to others how religiously intelligent they're.

The question is:

Is Ghana a religiously or culturally intelligent nation?

Some may say that being in the spiritual realm presupposes that we're lost in the space of physiological activities, therefore, we turn a deaf ear to whatever imperatives that happen within and outside our social structure.

Is our moral uprightness shaken or still strong? Why are we still experiencing intense injustices and corrupt practices in the country?

How many people fall within the categories of pre-conventional morality, conventional morality and post-conventional morality?

These are very critical questions we must always strive to find answers and solutions to, rather than trumpeting our religious status or virtues to the whole world and practising "vice" in return or as an end product.

The most laborious problem in the world of an industry now is how to find and select a morally upright person to work in a particular industrial organization. This means that how progressively or sustainably developed a particular industry or society is, is mostly determined by the level of moral uprightness of the people that work within it.

How many morally upright people work in our social institutions? Do you see yourself to be one of them? Or you're undecided? Have you sold your sense of morality to someone?

If less than 50% of Ghanaians are "morally deficient", then the future of this country is disintegrating into "apostasy" and unbearable retrogression.

We often assert that Ghana is a peaceful nation because we mostly experience conflict-free living, and that is actually an appealing stance for us. But peace goes beyond that, and it prudently happens when all people in the country are highly empowered to become resilient, independent, morally upright and productive in all aspect of their lives, without intimidation, oppression or unjust treatment. How can we say Ghana is a peaceful country when some people are politically, economically, educationally, socially, and religiously oppressed, mistreated and intimidated? When some people are wearing "religious masks" and "banking" the hard-earned country's resources for their personal aggrandizement?

It's high time we redefined our religious stance, and effectively practised the statues and virtues we strongly uphold, to reflect what we proclaim we are.

There's no miraculous healing to the challenges we're facing as a nation, but the only solution is to invest in training and raising highly morally upright citizens so that we can chart a righteous course or path to redeem the blessings God has for the nation!

Author:

Theophilus Quaicoe

KNUST.