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Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has called on Ghanaians to consider and use their diverse religious inclinations as a force for good and a facilitator of national togetherness as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church Ghana (EPCG) celebrates its 175th anniversary.
We all believe in the God of Isaac, Jacob, and Abraham because we are all offspring of the one and only real God, whether we are Christians or Muslims.
We all hold Mary’s virgin birth to be true. We all hold that Jesus Christ is the world’s Savior and that He will return to redeem the world.
“This is what ought to unite us as a people.
Religion must be viewed as a force for harmony rather than a factor for conflict.As God’s children, we have a responsibility to uphold this”, Dr. Bawumia said at the unveiling on Sunday, July 31, 2022 in Accra.
Dr. Bawumia noted that Ghana’s special acceptance and peaceful coexistence are the envy of many people around the world and should be zealously preserved as the nation continues to hold its reputation for peace.
“In addition to the economic and development issues that the church must be concerned with is the need for the church and pulpit to be used as instruments for a peaceful nation building. According to the recent Global Peace Index, Ghana maintains its position as the second most peaceful country in sub-Saharan Africa and the most peaceful in West Africa.
“This is a remarkable feat that must be guarded jealously without any compromises no matter what. Both the Bible and Quran place much emphasis on the matter of peace. And it is gratifying to note that in Ghana we have such a religious tolerant and acceptable society that makes it effortless for a Christian priest to worship with Muslims and vice versa, to the point that a Muslim Chief Imam could celebrate his 100th years anniversary with Christians in the church.”
Vice President Bawumia continued, using himself as an example to support his case for peaceful coexistence: “We live in a culture where a mother and some children may be Christians and a father and some children could be Muslims.
I was born to a Methodist mother (then Susuana Mariama) and a Muslim father in Tamale when I was a small boy attending Sakasaka Primary School.Before my mother converted to Islam, I was an active member of the Methodist Boys’ Brigade.
I believe I am the sole Muslim Boy’s Brigade member. Nine (9) of my seventeen (17) siblings are currently Christians, and eight (8) are Muslims. That is the charm of Ghana’s embrace of all religions, he said.
As a “stable, trusted, and formidable instrument of the change, civilization, and growth of society,” Dr. Bawumia praised the church for its great contribution to national cohesion and development.
The advancements in moral, spiritual, and socioeconomic growth that our country has made both before and after independence would not have been totally feasible without the active participation of the church.
“Indeed, we cannot mention any monumental contributions of the church to nation-building without recognising the role of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church Ghana. In addition to your numerous educational establishments including over 500 basic and tertiary institutions such as Mawuli, Mawuko, EP Senior High Schools in Hohoe, Saboba, Tatale, plus Vocational and Technical Schools, as well as Colleges of Education, you have also earned the enviable reputation of establishing the first university in the entire Volta and Oti Regions, the Evangelical Presbyterian University College (EPUC).
“Your health centres in Wapuli, Ho, Dambai, Blajai, inter alia, coupled with your numerous relief and development projects in the areas of agricultural development, climate change advocacy, HIV/AIDS & TB Programmes, among several others, have added to your endless list of achievements over the past seventeen and half decades of your existence,” he detected.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
