Introduction
This is the right time for patriotic and well-meaning citizens of Ghana to speak out boldly. It is also a moment requiring that we speak out urgently and fearlessly against the mismanagement of the national economy, and search for new a leadership to strategise creatively to redeem the country from sinking into an abyss of social, economic and political disfunction. Ghana remains a fledging democracy at 67 years of independence; and yet, endowed with several mineral resources, youthful population and hardworking citizens who can be motivated to drive the nation’s growth within the sub-region. However, sadly, successive governments, political elites, some deepfake pastors and leading public figures use the name of god and religion as an instrument of numbing the citizenry from challenging, criticising or speaking against bad policies of governments, public servants who abuse/ state misuse state resources, including men of god, who prey on desperate Ghanaians. Whilst the phenomenon of playing of ‘god’ is not confined to Ghana and African states, recent examples had been witnessed in the US political landscape in contemporary times.
Some western examples of playing god
The phenomenon of exploiting god and religion in promoting one’s political agenda has been pervasive in the American election space, spearheaded by former president Trump, in his bid to secure a second term as president. Speaking at a conference in Washington attended by leaders from the influential Evangelical and Catholic Churches, Mr Trump stated stated that: “… Christianity in America would be left in tatters if Joe Biden were re-elected for second a term …” (Financial Times 25 June 2024) . This indicates the malleability of ‘god and religion’ as expedient instruments politicians in developed and developing states exploit in pursuing their self-seeking ambitions. One caveat worth stating is that, this blogpost is not seeking to attack or undermine the critical, genuine and fundamental roles played by churches and religious institutions in upholding human dignity and wellbeing in many respects. On the converse, the objective is to awaken the conscience, critical-thinking and common sense of majority of Ghanaians who are exploited by the deepfake and so-called men of god, including politicians. The endemic culture and attitude of Ghanaians who sheepishly lose their common sense of judgement at the mere mentioning of god or religion is the focus of this blogpost. Enough of the digression. Still with Trump, one cannot lose sight of his famous photoshoot at the White-House where he held a black bible in phoney display of being a Christian. Deceptively and repugnantly, majority of Americans know the simple truth that Trump has no genuine appreciation of religion except to exploit the situation for his political expediencies. Unfortunately, President Biden is no different. Biden who is purportedly a practising Catholic is not immune from this flagrant abuse of ‘god and religion’ to score political points. Biden is seen at several public gatherings, making the sign of cross and showing off the holy Rosary given to him by his late son Bo Biden. One major reason by which both Trump and Biden project this godly image is purely for political advantage. Else, how could any person genuinely believing in God sponsor and support Israel to commit genocide on a scale never seen in contemporary times. Biden is worse than Trump, given his callousness towards the people of Gaza, especially women and children, who are the severest oppressed in all these crises. Whilst USA citizens and other western states, especially the youth, are vociferous in condemning such hypocritical acts of Biden, the converse is in the case in Ghana; where the youth and women in particular, are hoodwinked, afraid or lacked critical mind to discern and condemn such acts of their political leaders. It is not surprising that ‘playing god’ and religion remain the cozy illusion holding the Ghanaian society back.
The Cozy Illusion holding the Ghanaian Society Back
At the cusp of the 21st century, it is amusing that majority of Ghanaians especially the youth, women and the marginalised, continue to be swayed by the deepfake pastors, political elites and dubious public agents at the mention of god. In Ghana, the mention of god in academic circles, public spaces, schools and family gatherings among others, has the power to numb the entire gathering into submission regardless of the vague, absurd and frivolous nature of the religious teaching or statement being put forward. The orthodox churches often propose the concept of ‘faith and reason’ in an attempt to teach their followers to be critical in evaluating with their common senses the falsehoods being peddled by the self-seeking churches in the society. Yet, to a large extent, desperation stemming from poverty occasioned by poor leadership and corrupt political elites render Ghanaians susceptible to deceptions by the ‘god’ principle. Also, timidity among the general Ghanian public coupled with falsie biblical teaching such as “surrender all troubles to god”, make them mentally enslaved and weak to challenge open falsehoods being taught by the deepfake pastors as well as corrupt politicians, who use ‘god’ to deceive them, especially during election seasons. Furthermore, in pursuit of their self-seeking gains, both pastors and politicians collaborate during election seasons to campaign where the pastors receive handsome donations whilst the politicians gain the opportunity to pitch their campaign messages with the churches’ endorsement. For the ordinary Ghanaian, the visit by a politician to their church is a privilege more important than scrutinising the candidates’ policies to inform their decision to vote. Another strand of the ‘playing god’ strategy is endorsement of politicians by the churches and pastors. In Ghana, there is a pervasive culture of the people believing in propaganda schemes peddled by politicians without assessing them against their performances. This is acutely pronounced where the politicians infuse their messages with biblical quotations, which are often misquotations. The lack of confidence to challenge, criticise or organise public manifestations to boycott or oppose bad governmental policies means that playing god triumphs. A further reason for ‘playing god’ is confirmation bias. As a people, majority of Ghanaians suffer confirmation bias. In simple terms, confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret and recall information in a way/manner that supports what one already believes. This phenomenon, which is subconsciously ingrained in most Ghanaians, has not only rendered them susceptible to open deceptions but also dulled their capacity to question, criticise and challenge statements made by leading public figures, especially pastors, priests and politicians whose preoccupation is exploit the people with biblical quotes and anecdotes.
Concluding Remarks
For Ghana to regain her rightful status internally and externally, the people, especially the youth, should shed their timidity and develop assertiveness as displayed the Kenyan youth in protesting against the government’s arbitrary imposition of taxes on June 24 2024. Failure to ‘resurrect’ from their cowardice to challenge ‘playing god’ attitude of the political class will not only widen the chasm of poverty among the ruled and ruling, but also perpetuate the exploitation of the masses at whose expense the political class enrich themselves.
