Dr Samuel Ato Duncan

Act as agents of peace— Dr Duncan to religious leaders

Timothy Gobah & Deborah Oluwamuyiwa Mar - 26 - 2018 , 15:58

The President of the Global Peace Mission, Dr Samuel Ato Duncan, has called on religious leaders to act as agents of peace.

He said religious leaders should use their positions to prevent incitements to violence adding that religious leaders were agents of peace who possess high potential for building enduring peace in their communities.

“Do not use your positions to generate money from your followers but rather use it as an avenue to promote peace in the nation”, he said.

Dr Duncan was speaking at the Centre of Awareness, Global Peace Mission First Public Lecture, in Cape Coast on Sunday, March 25, 2018.

The Lecture was on the theme: “Easter And Its Relevance to Global Peace”.

He said the authority, status and social capital of religious leaders made them “trusted and revered by their communities and, thus, can influence the attitudes and behaviors of the residents, leading to more sustainable peace.

Global Peace Index

Quoting statistics from the Global Peace Index (GPI), Dr Duncan said Ghana was ranked 43rd out of 163 countries with a Global Peace Index Score of 1.793.

That, he said, was encouraging because the index also reports that peacefulness in sub-Saharan Africa has deteriorated to its worst levels since 2008, with Sierra Leone and Ghana being categorized as more peaceful than any other nations in West Africa.

He said if the current peace in the country is maintained, Ghana might be among the top ten on the Global Peace Index.

Religious tolerance

Dr Duncan who is also the founder of the Center of Awareness (COA), admonished Ghanaians to be tolerant of one another’s religious beliefs as a way curbing violence and ensuring peace.

Some of the guests, including traditional leaders listening to the lecture

He said religion remained an individual’s choice and any human should not be denied the freedom to choose any faith that goes in line with his spirit adding that compulsion of faith on any individual, breeds intolerance, disorderliness and hypocrisy.

“Diversity in beliefs is more of a blessing than a curse. It makes the world an interesting place for humans to live in. If we can tolerate ourselves irrespective of the different religions we practice, then we can do business together in the spirit of trust and friendliness”, he added.

Peace

The Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, called on Ghanaians to be actively involved in the quest for peace saying, “for peace to reign the effort of ever individual is need”.

“Peace must be tackled locally, nationally and internationally for it to have a lasting impact”, he added.