Ghanaians have been advised against allowing themselves to be manipulated by fake prophecies in choosing political leaders as the country prepares towards the 2024 general election.
Those prophecies were self-made from persons who wanted to deceive the citizenry to believe that God had chosen certain leaders for the country, the Rector of Global Theological Seminary (GTS), Rev. Dr Komi A. Hiagbe, stated.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the effect of the prophecies on the nation, especially during elections, the Rector said it was worrying to see certain people claiming to be men of God giving contradictory prophecies during elections which sometimes affected the sense of judgement of the congregants in making the right choices.
Some of these prophecies may cause the country to lose competent leaders as some people are gullible to these prophecies and may fall for them in taking certain decisions,” the head of the Bible and pastoral training institution of the Global Evangelical Church explained.
“The truth is that God’s concern for us as a nation is not much about which football team wins, how the Black Stars are going to fare at AFCON or any other tournament.
Neither is God so concerned about who becomes President of Ghana.
So sometimes it is doubtful if it is God speaking to these prophets when we have evil prevailing in churches and among the congregation, which are issues that prophecy must address”.
Context
The thoughts of Rev. Dr Hiagbe, who holds a Master’s in Divinity from the International Leadership University in Nairobi, Kenya and a doctoral degree in Theology from Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, comes in the wake of many prophecies about who wins the Presidency during elections.
Such prophecies also emerge during football tournaments and other national events, which many see as a gamble with predictions as a means to attain popularity.
The Police Administration recently met with the leadership of the Church about such prophecies and other things among the Church, with emphasis on responsible public communication even if they were prophecies for the entire nation.
Prophets of old
Rev. Dr Hiagbe stated that, generally, the prophets of old spoke truth to authorities, rather than giving petty prophecies which could create chaos.
“If God speaks, He speaks with one voice.
We cannot have prophecies coming from God with contradictions.
So personally, I don’t believe those people are speaking from God.
The congregants and the nation must not be deceived,” the scholar in divinity stated.
Role of Church
The Church, Rev. Dr Hiagbe said, had a major role in ensuring a peaceful election before, during and after, therefore pastors must not fall prey to politicians who would want them to use the pulpit as a campaign ground to promote political parties.
The Church must rather stand in the gap of prayer for a successful election which results would be accepted by all and there would not be any violence afterwards, he pointed out.
“The Church must not be seen to be promoting any political party.
It must be seen to be neutral and not partisan.
It must be accommodating for all political parties.
Certainly, members belong to all the political parties and we as leaders must be seen to be encouraging all members,” he added.
Rev. Hiagbe said the congregants or citizens must be allowed to make their own informed choices geared towards the development, peace and stability of the country and “I believe God will help us to make the right choices”.
He said although party affiliation was important in politics, it must not override what God had purposed for the country.
The Ghanaian electorate must now focus on a competent leader to secure the future of the country.
“We currently need leaders who can provide working policies to deal with the recent challenges people are facing, especially the economic hardship, and giving us the quality life we deserve through education, health, sanitation and jobs, among others,” Rev. Dr Hiagbe said.
Aside from prayers and helping the citizenry to make informed choices during the elections, the Rector of the Adentan-based seminary said the Church should be development-oriented and provide solutions to national problems.
“If development is about enabling people to realise their fullest potential, then the Church is God’s agency for development wherever it is situated,” Rev. Dr Hiagbe stressed.
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