Not long ago, a prominent Ghanaian pastor called for a code of ethics to guide men and women who have either been called by God to preach His word or those who have elected themselves to preach the word.
He was apparently moved, to make the suggestion, as a result of persistent reports of misconduct and general misbehavior by these co-called pastors and prophets some of who are nothing more than cheats.
As expected, the guilty ones did not take kindly to his suggestion for a code of ethics and he was severely criticized for trying to undermine the constitutional provision which guarantees the freedom of worship.
On Thursday, the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, also descended on these men of God, accusing them of taking undue advantage of the current numerous financial and marital problems facing women and subjecting them to all sorts of molestation.
She warned women to stop trooping to churches and prayer camps to look for miracles and instead seek the face of God themselves.
These are, but a few of the several complaints and concerns, expressed by community and opinion leaders who are obviously not happy about the way things are going in the Christian religion.
We wonder what recognized bodies like the National Catholic Secretariat, the Ghana Pentecostal Council and the Christian Council of Ghana are doing to halt the activities of these charlatans, who are no doubt tarnishing their image and degrading the Gospel of Christ.
Almost everyday, a new church springs up. And these days they all have the word �International� attached to their names, when in actual fact, apart from the one classroom they �worship� in, they have no other branch anywhere in the world. And their signboards, prominently displaying the portraits of their founders and overseers, are bigger than the place of worship.
Someone remarked the other day that you need 10 people to start a church. Four men to play the instrument and six women to sing and to spread the message of how powerful the prophet or pastor was.
And the competition by these churches on the various radio station is not only embarrassing but also nauseating. At dawn, the stations are choked with self-glorification which they term preaching. The prophets and pastors spend the greater part of air time giving out their contact numbers and directions to their miracle performing centres, leaving no time for the actual word of the Lord.
We believe in the charge to spread the word of God, but we dare say that what is happening now on the religious scene, is nothing but sheer exploitation of the vulnerable, to make cheap money. �For lack of knowledge my people perish�.
As a nation, we should not allow this to continue. The time has come for a concerted effort to be made, to flush out these modern day magicians. The Good Lord will not find us guilty for �speaking against the man of God�, a quotation they are quick to use the ward off genuine criticisms.
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