Saturday, December 31, 2022, marked the end of last year. The New Year, was ushered in at 12 midnight, on Sunday, January 1, 2023. As usual, churches across the country, were filled to capacity by Christians to keep watch and welcome the new year in a grand style. Praises and worship took the centre stage of the various church­es, singing to the glory of God for protecting and guiding us towards the New Year. The religious leaders were also at their best sharing the word of God to their various con­gregations.

Indeed, God has ushered us into the New Year and mankind needs to thank and praise Him for that feat, while at the same time taking stock of the past in the previous year and chatting a path that will bring about progress and development in our lives and the county as a whole. It has not been easy at all, as many could not make it up to this day due to numerous factors, but thank God, we are alive.

TAKING STOCK OF 2022

Indeed, many are those who will agree with me that 2022 was a very difficult year. It was a year full of trials and tribulations which in­cluded adversity, grief, heartache, misery, misfortune, affliction, woes and you can name them. The coun­ty’s economy was in total shambles, disarray, total disorder, chaotic and mess. The cost of living was so bad that people found it extremely dif­ficult to make ends meet. The cedi lost more than 50 per cent of its value between January and October 2022, causing Ghana’s debt burden to rise by $6 billion. Fuel prices as well prices of other essential com­modities and food items were as­tronomically high and most Ghana­ians could not afford three square meals a day. The government blamed the pandemic and the war in Ukraine as some of the drivers of the economic crisis. However, most economists and analysts thought that the poor performance of the country to help investors to make business was a factor to consider.

IMF BAILOUT

Currently, the country has re­sorted to the International Mone­tary Fund (IMF) bailout processes, as a way of solving our economic challenges and bringing the econ­omy back on track since we are not out of the woods yet. It is the prayer of every Ghanaian that this IMF initiative would surely eman­cipate our country from these economic challenges to enable Ghanaians to lead normal lives. It was a fact that most households, especially families, celebrated last year’s Christmas on a very low key because the means were not there to cater for lavish celebration while at the same time thinking about the school fees of their children and wards.

CAUTIONING DOOMSAYERS

While we are thinking about ways to revamp and restore the economy and put it on sound footing, it is important to caution some of these so-called pastors, prophets and religious leaders who keep prophesying doom and other negative things for our dear coun­try. Instead of using their pulpit to pray for peace to prevail and also to unite the country, they are rath­er interested in empty prophesies that serve no purpose but to cause disaffection among the people.

It is recalled that in the year 2021, when the police had warned that they would deal ruthlessly with those doomsayers, some of them resorted to dirty tricks to outwit the police by equating Ghana to the state of Umoufia, in Nigeria, which Chinua Achebe highlighted in his famous “Things Fall Apart” novel to predict all kinds of dooms and unnecessary things against Ghana and certain individuals and then got away with them easily without being arrested and prosecuted in the law courts.

Now, they were at it again and the police have kept silence. During the watch night service on Sunday, December 31, 2022, to usher in the New Year, those same charlatans and good-for-nothing pastors and prophets did their own thing again. Some of them mount­ed their pulpits to castigate, malign and attack certain individuals and personalities while at the same time prophesying deaths, coups, sicknesses and other wicked and dangerous things in the country just to create fear and panic among the society. Such negative behaviours on the part of these unscrupulous and unconscionable doomsayers and so-called men of God, are rep­rehensible and totally absurd, ridiculous and incongruous.

REVEREND OWUSU

BEMPAH

For in­stance, the leader of the Glorious Word Power Minis­tries, Rever­end Owusu Bempah, was said to have predicted that while the year 2023 would witness countless marriages and financial prosperity for those that remain stead­fast in the Lord, there would also be coups and death of prominent individuals in Ghana. He further proph­esied that local airlines could be involved in an accident that would shock the nation. He also predict­ed that the world might experience another serious disease like COVID. Besides, a prominent person from the Christian fraternity may lose his life. According to him, there would be a lot of accidents in the country this year. He further pre­dicted that a lot of the youth would die this year.

“Lots of policemen will be caught in crossfire and die. An­other prominent Ghanaian will go abroad to seek medical care and will not return. There will be a possible coup in the country and that the National Security and other state agencies should be on the alert to avert the overthrow of government,” he prophesied.

ISSUES OF NATIONAL SECURITY

Indeed, some of his prophe­cies border on national security, especially the coup plot and that should not be taken lightly. If for some reason you have seen issues that borders on security threat as a man of God, you can secretly advise government and the security apparatus to be on alert and not to compromise security instead of announcing that during a watch night service. Also, death is inevi­table in one’s life and it will come when it has to. As a man of God, if you have seen that event coming through in the cause of the year, just pray to avert the situation instead of saying it publicly.

A WORD TO OUR

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

These so-called men of God, pastors and prophets are a big problem for this country and if we don’t find ways of checking some of their activities, they will eventually spell doom for us. Much as we need Christ and the word of God in our lives, that should be done in civility and tactfully instead of these crook and dangerous means by these charlatans and doomsayers.

This country must move forward and we need wise counsel­ling, pieces of advice and prayers from religious leaders who have exemplified and es­tablished themselves in the profession and not pretenders who are hiding behind the Holy Bible to preach and predict dooms and other negativities that do not con­form to the ethics of the religious profession but to set the clock of progress backwards.

MINISTRY OF CHIEFTAINCY AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS

The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, needs to be proac­tive and sensitive in regulating and monitoring some of these negative activities of these splinter churches across the country by ensuring that they conform to laid down princi­ples regarding their establishment and also to ensure that they will not engage in such issues to under­mine national security but rather to unite the people for progress and national development.

Let me use this opportunity to wish my numerous readers and pa­trons a happy and prosperous New Year.

Contact email/WhatsApp of author:

ataani2000@yahoo.com

0277753946/0248933366

By Charles Neequaye