Professor Joseph Osafo, Head of Pschology Department of the University of Ghana, has called on government to engage religious leaders in giving public education on the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
According to the professional Psychologist, many Ghanaians have reposed confidence in their Pastors and take their word as finality of an issue.
He recounted ridiculous spiritual directions by some Pastors to their congregants and followers which have no scientific basis and not proven to be efficacious medication for the treatment of Coronavirus or any disease.
He alluded to a recent spiritual directive by a Pastor that people should search their bibles and will find a feather that will miraculously cure Coronavirus and other unsubstantiated claims given by some religious leaders to have medicinal properties.
Professor Joseph Osafo, speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', noted that Pastors and churches have a major influence on their members to the extent that the members turn to them for all medical advice instead of consulting health Professionals.
“In one city in Accra in Ghana, over 25% of them called their Pastors and asked them for prayer, and even asked their Pastors what they should do. So, you can imagine if the Pastor who believes in taking medicine, he will tell you to stay home and pray. The role they play is a critical role. Some Pastors even tell their members not to undergo surgery for reason being that they will die if they do and directs them to rely on his prayer meanwhile the person is deteriorating,” he recounted.
He apppealed to government to enlist some genuine faith-based institutions to help in educating Ghanaians on the impact of the pandemic and the seriousness in strictly adhering to the health instructions to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
He believed the religious leaders are a part of “frontline workers” and their role is crucial to the fight against the pandemic.
“. . In fact, they're a major source of health information now . . . And under pandemics, what you want to avoid is miscommunication, rumors, unvalidated claims. You want to avoid that because it can make people react towards health workers. They will not even disclose if someone is infected. They will keep it. So, some of them are calling on their Pastors . . . people were calling their Pastors. They never called medical Doctors. So, they're major tools for health information and the government should look at very organized churches and resource the Pastors. It is even a WHO policy recommendation that you work with faith-based organizations,” he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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you may have a point here but hmm, you sometimes talk about pastors and seem you a devil. some of the same pastors are calling to re open churches because offerings, tithes etc are not coming and i asked them WHAT? OTABIL has donated, catholic bishops i think and some , where were those calling for, so for all these years, you making ken agyapong and other think is because of money why you doing church services and not the perishing souls or salvation. i was waiting for these pastors to call on the president that, give us the pastors etc 2 weeks at sports stadium etc not with our members but ourselves as pastor etc to pray and plead to God to end this pandemic. i was wishing these pastors as other are doing will give the lil or huge at the banks in their names or the church names to communities or mo mo to some of their congregation. my president, dont let some of the so called senior pastors deceive you. without the churches meetings, we have over 4,000. i can imagine churches, mosque etc opened and people are allowed to pray agains corona, i dont think the nose or face mask can survive. who know an affected persson cant go to the church also and intentionally remove the mask and spread the disease. if some of the pastors calling are basing on tithes and offerings, let them understand that, if their members are indeed christian as they know they to be, tithe is in the bible and once they earn, meetings or not, the member will send to the pastor or church. any good christian know as you feed the pastor, you increase ya blessings hence meeting or not can give to the pastor. is time they open up prayers deep to end rather than calling for reopening only for tithe and offerings. MOGPA is on radion daily praying against corona, that is the man of God indeed we need, others are doing it. smart way, if they think they want it open for serving God, they must challenge the president as in the old days of david etc, reveal to the president what God is saying about this pandemic if not, he must not. imagine church, mosque, funeral ground, sports stadium, pubs etc are all open, i cant imagine which doctor, nurse or health worker will feel to save the dying souls. pastors, lets stay in our house, meeting of 25 people in the auditorium , pray to God for once the pandemic is over, the president isnt devil to shut churches etc. i wish they call for free data from the government to reach out to members on facebook etc rather to reopen, no reopen, lets challenge ourselves as christians, ask God like david ask, god comes in and once solved, we can worship. is not only the central point that means we are Christians. is even nice opportunity to know committed members and those there for prayers or fashion show. my fellow pastors, calm down and lets rather fast and pray like the moslems are doing that by the end of the Ramadan and we all have a good life back to social gathering. pressure on the president to reopen will call for social gathering and i can imagine after Ramadan parties, ghana will hit 15 million cases. calm down, lets ask God WHY, HOW & WHEN and i know he will heal and protect as well prevent then we all come back to worship. it hasn't gotten to a point we are disobeying God rather, we has not prayed more to end it or what is God saying before the president allow. this is why its good to register in the country, if churches etc well well registered, it could have been easier for the government at least to give something to help. yes payment of workers etc, members can be talked to to assist, if not, all workers must be sacked till the pandemic is over. once sacked, the government will know the best way those not easy or they must list to the president the cost of churches well registered so something can be done for them. light bill, water bill etc are over because no one is using it so what cost at all mpo, hmmmm Ghana and hypocritical christian life, 3YE ASEM. i may be wrong, if it is, please do correct me don't insult etc