ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES
Ghanaian most the Hajj village in Tamale have been flown to Mecca with the assurance that the remaining ones and those in Accra will all make it to the holy city, even though there were still some uncertainties over the schedule of the flights. The annual ritual of challenges that come with the organisation of the Hajj leave one to question the continuous involvement of the State in these religious affairs.
Just a few months ago, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Kofi Dzamesi gave indications that government intends to extend the same courtesies to Christians by facilitating movement of Christians from Ghana to Israel and other parts of the Christian world on an annual basis. It may also be recalled that on his way to the 60th Independence anniversary parade at the Black Stars Square in Accra, President Akufo-Addo cut sod for the construction of a national cathedral.
According to the President, the cathedral will serve as a national non-denominational Christian worship centre. The relationship between the Church and the feudal States during the medieval period went through a number of developments. The struggles for power between kings and Popes shaped the western world. At a point, Jesus Christ Himself was called upon to make a ruling on whether or not, believers had to pay taxes to government. That led Jesus to make one of his profound statements, give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and give unto God what is God's. This is a clear indication that there ought to be a careful separation between the church and for that matter, religion and the State.
In the US for instance, even though the phrase "separation of church and State" does not appear in the constitution, the first Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It is against this backdrop that one finds it a bit worrying the increasing involvement of government in religious activities in Ghana.
Naturally, there should be nothing wrong with the construction of a national worship centre for Christians. Similar facilities exist in countries like France and the UK. In Africa, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire have national cathedrals. The question is to what extent can the state be involved? Ghana is constitutionally a secular state. In that regard, there is freedom of worship and religion. There are Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Pagans and of course atheists, people who do not even believe in the existence of God in this country.
The question that arises therefore is, is it fair for the State to sponsor or facilitate the construction of a worship centre for one or two religions and leave the others? Is it appropriate for the State to facilitate the pilgrimage of adherents of a few religions and leave the rest? Will it not appear that government is promoting certain religions over others? There is no doubt that religious organisations have over the years, made significant contributions to the growth of the nation especially in areas of education and health.
Indeed, the best second cycle institutions in Ghana are largely mission schools. There are also a number of very good hospitals built by the churches. Yes, they are complementing the role of the State in providing critical facilities. Government must therefore redefine its role in the organisation of purely religious activities. Government must have no business building churches, mosques, temples, shrines or any kind of a religious worship or prayer centre. It shouldn't be the duty of the State to send people on prayer missions abroad. Because of the unnecessary involvement of the State in the organisation of Hajj, government has incurred needless debt running into millions of Ghana cedis.
In order to ensure an incident free Hajj, government must wash its hands completely from the organisation. Anyone who intends to embark on a pilgrimage must do so on his or her own. They should acquire their own visas, make their own flight and accommodation arrangements and so forth and so on.
State resources being invested in the organisation of these religious activities could be channelled into projects that will benefit the generality of Ghanaians.
BY BUBU KLINOGO, A JOURNALIST.
Just a few months ago, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Kofi Dzamesi gave indications that government intends to extend the same courtesies to Christians by facilitating movement of Christians from Ghana to Israel and other parts of the Christian world on an annual basis. It may also be recalled that on his way to the 60th Independence anniversary parade at the Black Stars Square in Accra, President Akufo-Addo cut sod for the construction of a national cathedral.
According to the President, the cathedral will serve as a national non-denominational Christian worship centre. The relationship between the Church and the feudal States during the medieval period went through a number of developments. The struggles for power between kings and Popes shaped the western world. At a point, Jesus Christ Himself was called upon to make a ruling on whether or not, believers had to pay taxes to government. That led Jesus to make one of his profound statements, give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and give unto God what is God's. This is a clear indication that there ought to be a careful separation between the church and for that matter, religion and the State.
In the US for instance, even though the phrase "separation of church and State" does not appear in the constitution, the first Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It is against this backdrop that one finds it a bit worrying the increasing involvement of government in religious activities in Ghana.
Naturally, there should be nothing wrong with the construction of a national worship centre for Christians. Similar facilities exist in countries like France and the UK. In Africa, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire have national cathedrals. The question is to what extent can the state be involved? Ghana is constitutionally a secular state. In that regard, there is freedom of worship and religion. There are Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Pagans and of course atheists, people who do not even believe in the existence of God in this country.
The question that arises therefore is, is it fair for the State to sponsor or facilitate the construction of a worship centre for one or two religions and leave the others? Is it appropriate for the State to facilitate the pilgrimage of adherents of a few religions and leave the rest? Will it not appear that government is promoting certain religions over others? There is no doubt that religious organisations have over the years, made significant contributions to the growth of the nation especially in areas of education and health.
Indeed, the best second cycle institutions in Ghana are largely mission schools. There are also a number of very good hospitals built by the churches. Yes, they are complementing the role of the State in providing critical facilities. Government must therefore redefine its role in the organisation of purely religious activities. Government must have no business building churches, mosques, temples, shrines or any kind of a religious worship or prayer centre. It shouldn't be the duty of the State to send people on prayer missions abroad. Because of the unnecessary involvement of the State in the organisation of Hajj, government has incurred needless debt running into millions of Ghana cedis.
In order to ensure an incident free Hajj, government must wash its hands completely from the organisation. Anyone who intends to embark on a pilgrimage must do so on his or her own. They should acquire their own visas, make their own flight and accommodation arrangements and so forth and so on.
State resources being invested in the organisation of these religious activities could be channelled into projects that will benefit the generality of Ghanaians.
BY BUBU KLINOGO, A JOURNALIST.
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