T.B. Joshua’s prophecy - Is over-reliance on prayers helpful?
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe went through a period called the "Dark Ages". This was a time religion stymied its fight against economic domination.
Advertisement
In fact, Europe's struggle to be emancipated from political and economic bondage in the face of entrenched conservative religious ideologies was likened to Karl Marx's “Religion is the opium of the people.”
It was clear at the time that all the European leaders needed to get out of the economic downturn; it was simply a matter of common sense and thinking outside the box.
More importantly, the emergence of powerful political figures who went the extra mile, encouraging the citizenry to work harder, paid off and ultimately marked the beginning of Europe's turnaround. Eventually, the magic worked out as the masses realised that the path towards economic salvation was not determined by one's faith but a deliberate effort to effect positive change.
So when Marx labelled religion as the opium of the people, he sought to indicate that religion was an opiate that deadened the senses of the people to the crass exploitation to which they were subjected by the ruling classes of society.
It is, therefore, not surprising the jarring cacophony on mainstream and social media that enveloped the man of God's forecast.
But wait a minute! Ghana is by far a Christian nation. And one would naturally expect that such predictions carry weight especially among the Christian fraternity.
Interestingly, the reactions thereafter were strange, if not an outright condemnation. Yes, T. B. Joshua could have been praised to the high heavens if his prophecy were that every Ghanaian would be richer in the space of time he predicted the terror attack.
Other Trending Stories
It is gratifying to note that within a space of 24 hours, the Christian Council, the Muslim Community, civil society groups and security experts have issued statements completely at variance with each other.
The begging question is: Need we a prophecy to tighten our security?
Certainly not! Our elders say that if your neighbour’s beard catches fire, you fetch a bucket of water for your safety. Terrorism had been roaring around the African continent like Satan seeking a man's soul to devour.
The threats of Boko haram in Nigeria, Al shabab in Somalia and swathes of militant groups in volatile countries some of which came out of recent civil strife, offered salutary examples to us.
Ghana is not an island. It is part of the global community and anything that affects the world indirectly and ultimately affects us.
The fight against terrorism is not about the raging media debate between so-called security experts and the generic security apparatus on one hand and the men of God on the other hand.
Even in countries with sophisticated technologies and modern military accoutrements, terrorists are able to infiltrate and wreak havoc.
The police in Brussels, Belgium, detected and foiled another terrorist attack in Paris, France, last Wednesday after the arrest of Mohammed Albirini, the lead suspect in Brussels airport suicide bombing attack which claimed about 30 lives and left many others with life-threatening injuries.
It is important to observe that the police did not rely on pastors and supposed men of God in the country for unsolicited prophecy on when another attack would take place and at what specific time.
Indeed, the rendition of Belgian security officials in interviews granted to CNN, my favourite international television station, had mostly been on beefing up security and collaborating with EU partners to deal with the menace.
The United States of America increased its budget by about three billion dollars to prevent another terrorist attack, after the September 11, 2001, infamous crashing of the World Trade Centre in New York.
Sometimes when you examine the porous borders and checkpoints around countries in Africa vis-à-vis the invasion of powerful countries with strict immigration laws by terrorists, you are tempted to believe that Ghana continues to exist by the grace of Allah. Lest I am construed, I am not by any stretch of argument demystifying prophecy. As a Muslim, I fully appreciate the fundamentals of prophecies as contained in the Holy Quran.
Advertisement
I believe in the power of prayer and how it could avert calamities and so.
Nevertheless, a fashionable line of argument has it that Ghanaians are not more religious than any of those countries that suffered terrorist massacres. You do not need a rocket scientist to lecture you on terror alert.
In March this year, I attended a high-profile programme in which President John Mahama was billed to attend in one of Ghana's leading hotels. To my utter shock, this hotel had no police post notwithstanding directives by the Ministry of the Interior for the owners of such facilities to provide maximum protection and security to customers.
I am sure if the President had graced the event and something untoward happened (God forbid), “it is the will of Allah” would have been the response by many Ghanaians.
Advertisement
Reliance on prayers
Another matter of significance in religion as it is practised in Ghana is the over-reliance on the power of prayer. There is the promotion of a certain perception that prayer alone can solve any problem one is confronted with. What we have lost sight of is that Allah will not do what it takes common sense to do. The reliance on prayer has engendered a certain attitude where a lot of Ghanaians expect a miracle in their lives.
God blessed man with a superior brain that distinguished him from the rest of the animal species.
He gave us that brain so we could use it to improve the quality of our lives. If we fail to utilise this great gift from God and just sit around hoping that he will constantly intervene to put things right in our lives, we will lend credence to Marx's conviction that truly religion is the opium of the people.
The author is a journalist and youth activist.
Email:maliksulleman@yahoo.com
Advertisement