The attitude of Africans in relation to religious matters is summarized by John S. Mbiti as”“incurably notorious”.
Simply, the African ”eats and drink religion” in every aspect of their lives. It is in this sense that religion is defined as “the opium of the masses” by Karl Marx. Africa, a continent as a gift from God enriched with natural resources to my candid opinion is never poor, but majority of it’s inhabitants are poor!
Why should this be the case? Sometimes, the ”greedy politician” shouldn’t be the sole carrier of the blame for our woes; the church is a key player! Let me set the record straight, the members in the various churches continue to wallow in the miry- poverty, however, the pastors continue to live in luxury. All the flashy cars you see around, expensive citadels and educational institutions are occupied by the sons and daughters of these pastors. Why on earth must the congregation have any difficulty in enrolling their offsprings in these educational institutions built in the name of the church; for the congregation.
Before the establishment of Valley View University, Christ Apostolic Church University, Pentecost University College, Methodist University and all other church owned tertiary institutions you can think of, the congregation emptied their purses into the abyss of offering bowls.
Sadly, quite a few number of people in the church could afford ”the cost of knowledge” in these institutions. Meanwhile, these institutions established by the church were supposed to come to the aid of their members who cannot afford the financial demands of the public institutions. But what do we see?
Our pastors have transformed into mathematicians and accountants preaching the gospel of the equation between emptying your purses into offering bowls and the accompanying blessings; the church is now a marketplace for buying blessings!
Realistically, I can’t put all the blame on the pastors, but the congregation of the various churches need to be blamed for giving in room for the pastors to loot them. These days, most charismatic churches go to church almost throughout the week with majority of the congregation being our dear ladies. So after spending the broad daylight in the various chapels in the name of prayers and counselling over the expense of your work, how do you progress in life?
It’s quite unfortunate that, most women with big supermarkets leave everything in the hands of their caretakers and jump from one prayer camp to the other seeking miracles and buying diluted anointing oils. Funny, most of the pastors in the system are fake, therefore these vulnerable ladies easily fall prey in their hands.
Zimbabwe probably has the highest population of prosperity “prophets” in Africa even though it is now the second poorest country in the world. The poverty stricken people of Zimbabwe are obsessed with false prophets and spiritual Fathers. With this statistics, how can we balance the equation?
The members of the various churches have been advised to build their treasures in Heaven, it’s therefore better to live in adverse poverty on earth and hope to enjoy in Heaven someday, but what if you don’t make it to heaven?. Hmmm, our pastors have become more philosophical and psychological in their teachings. The laying of their ”anointed hands” on you solely depends on one’s ability to pay cumbersome consultation fees which goes deep into their pockets without traces.
The church has become an instrument of brainwash, and we’re deceived that the success of individuals depend on prayers from ”anointed men of God” like all other people aside these ”anointed men of God” are the children of the devil! It’s a pity how prayers have replaced hard work among Christian folk in Ghana.
It’s time for believers to put on their praying caps and scarves and relegate the wholly dependence on the hands of their pastors to the 1800s. For Jesus Christ who is our hope, never preached that we should jump from one prayer camp to another in the quest for anointing sessions, miracles and breakthrough oils from the so called men of God. For prayers alone doesn’t guarantee a successful life, unless it’s backed by hard work. Don’t be deceived by the pastors who ask you to come for “special anointing oils” for miracles!!
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