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Religion of Saturday, July 20th, 2019
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2019-07-20
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The stories of some people posing as men of God and deceiving unsuspecting and vulnerable people are innumerable.
Some trick, deceive and exploit the members of the church. Others also abuse and camp members against the advice of a doctor under the mantle of Christianity.
It is in this respect that the secretary of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council of Ghana, Reverend Emmanuel Teimah Barrigah, has warned Christians against pastors who ask for payment of consulting fees, the purchase of 39 holy water and anointing oil.
He said, "The norm of Christianity is Jesus Christ and there was no case in the Bible where He (Jesus Christ) was taking counseling fees. So, if you have to pay consulting fees, buy some oil or holy water before you see a man of God, you must know that the person is not from God.
"These pastors manipulate and exploit the members to satisfy their own desires. For example, you go to some places and they take off the ladies' panties, some embracing and caressing women, all in the name of exorcising them from harm. Such practices are immoral and have no foundation in the Bible, "he explained.
He added that Christians should know the basic principles of the Christian faith in order to be able to clearly identify pastors whose teachings were contrary to the Bible. This, he said, would help members identify dummy and exploitative pastors.
Reverend Barrigah also called on law enforcement and tax authorities in Ghana to arrest pastoralists who "violate members' human rights and for-profit tax churches," respectively.
He pointed out that "churches are non-profit organizations, so those who levy consulting fees and sell oil and water for profit must be taxed".
Protection of childhood
Rev. Kenneth Arthur-Sarfo, director of the Children's Ministry of the Methodist Church of Ghana, urged Ghana's parents and churches to protect children from false pastoralists and their activities.
He said, "The house and the church should focus on the people who look after the children and their backgrounds. It must be people who have no history of badual badault and child abuse and will only protect them. "
He added that if children were not protected against so lame pastoralists, they would end up with an ill-conceived and shabby future that would affect them, as well as those of the family, the church and the church. nation.
"My biggest concern with children in these practices is when children are forced to declare themselves witches. The stigmatization, the damaged image and the uncertain future of the child and growing up with this state of mind that it is sorcerer is worrying. This label will be on them even until death and if they even become something better in life, people will continue to point fingers at them like witches, "he lamented.
Pick up a living
Reverend Ishmael Francis Tettey Tetteh, director of the Methodist Church's Youth Ministry, told the Mirror that young people must be very vigilant not to be misled by fake pastors.
He said that such pastors give Christianity a magical appearance. "There have been cases where unemployed people are forced to pay huge amounts of money for God to give them jobs. Young people are encouraged to spend all their time in the church praying for miracles when they have to work for a living as indicated by the Holy Book.
Reverend Tetteh said that when God put the man in the garden, he asked him to work and keep it fruitful and to multiply, so that young people must stop following pastors for jobs.
"If young people follow such pastors, they will become fired, lazy, unemployed and poor, which is not good for the country," he added.
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