The Ghanaian police in a press statement have cautioned religious groups who are in the habit of giving false and negative prophecies that “have created tension and panic in the Ghanaian society and put the lives of many people in fear and danger.” The Ghana Police stated that it will prosecute pastors and prophets who communicate prophecies that cause tension among members of the public in Ghana.
The police futher urged religious leaders to watch how they communicate prophecies in the New Year messages and added that any person found guilty risks a term of imprisonment of up to five years.
EXCERPT FROM THE PRESS RELEASE
1. As the year 2021 draws to a close, the Ghana Police Service wishes to draw the attention of Ghanaians, especially religious groups, to the fact that whereas we have the right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, all of these rights are subject to the respect for the rights and freedoms of others according to our laws.
2. Over the years, communication of prophesies of harm, danger and death, by some religious leaders, have created tension and panic in the Ghanaian society and put the lives of many people in fear and danger.
3. We want to caution that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, where that person has no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report is true.
4. It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communications service, to knowingly send a communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person.
5. A person found guilty under these laws could be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to five years.
6. We therefore wish to caution all Ghanaians, especially religious groups and leaders to be measured in their utterances, especially how they communicate prophecies, which may injure the right of others and the public interest.
7. The Ghana Police Service wishes to place on record that the Police are not against prophecies; we acknowledge that we Ghanaians are a religious people who know, and believe in, the centrality of God in our lives.”
Giving false prophecies is common among pastors and prophets in Africa. Africa is by far the most religious continent in the world but yet among the poorest in the world. Pastors and Prophets in Africa have unleashed some bizarre prophecies to their audiences, which almost 99% of those prophecies are FAKE AND NEVER happen. Religion for most African religious heads is a business, and thousands of these pastors and so-called prophets are making millions out of it by scamming their followers all in the name of ‘prophecies and tithes’. Other countries like Rwanda dismantled thousands of churches some years ago and built technical vocational training centers, and also set the bar higher; for one to become a pastor you need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in theology.
Do you think this is good move by the Ghanaian police?
