Story by Apiah-Kubi, Nkoranza
The decision by the Government of Ghana to scrutinize and vet prophetic messages by religious actors before any public pronouncements on them continue to elicit some public debate on the matter.
While some pastors and prophets are in favour of the decision due to its tendency to bring some sanity in the prophetic space, others also see it as an obnoxious attempt to gag men of God and silent them.
Recently, the government, through a Presidential Envoy, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, asked church leaders and prophets to submit all national prophecies and spiritual revelations to the Office of the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations before making them public.
This, according to the Envoy, is to ensure responsibility and proper handling of messages that concern high-profile political leaders, national security, governance, or public stability.
Responding to this in an interview on Nkoranza-based Fabea FM, the Chairman of the Ambassadors for Christ Council in Techiman in the Bono East Region, Apostle Ameyaw Mark, said he supports President Mahama’s directive in toto, saying the clergy appreciates the presidency’s willingness to collaborate with them on sensitive matters bothering on prophecies bothering on sensitive issues about the country.
In his opinion, some prophets in Ghana need wisdom to authenticate their prophecies and therefore need regulation to avert a possible backlash and disorderliness due to a prophecy.
He emphasized that the presidency needs further engagement with the Christian Council to clarify details on the directive issued in the statement circulated.
Apostle Mark believes that the Presidential Envoy is working toward the strengthening of national coordination on spiritual matters, especially in times of uncertainty and complexity.
Doom prophets
“Some prophets are doom prophets; they will always look forward to the tragedies for their fame. I totally agree with the president, this could bring sanity in the service for clarity,” Apostle Mark emphasized.
He added that when revelations occur, there might be prayers and seeking for guidelines from God to either stop the happenings.
He stressed that the bad prophets in the service have devalued the work of prophesizing in Ghana subsequently and expressed the hope that the office of the envoy will open doors for broader discussion on the subject matter.
In a related development, the Founder and leader of the Church of the Divine Heart located in Nkoranza in the Bono East Region, Apostle Anthony Manu (Sofo Alhassan), has strongly condemned prophecies that emerge right after tragedies in the country.
Speaking to the media in Nkoranza on some viral videos circulating on social purporting to contain prophecies about the recent military helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region, Sofo Alhassan described most of the prophecies surrounding the tragic incident as seeking fame, stressing that those behind them lack the basic wisdom to portray themselves as God’s prophets.
Application of wisdom
“The prophet should have applied wisdom and sought God’s guidance to abate the happening of the prophecy,” Sofo Alhassan stated, adding that they should have consulted some government officials about their prophecies.
He cautioned the public against falling for sensational religious claims, noting that tragedies should not be exploited for attention or personal gain.
He said, “Accidents do happen, whether in cars, planes, or other forms of accidents, so there’s no news when something of that sort happens”.
“The prophet who mentioned the minister’s name has serious wrath from God and needs to offer a serious apology for forgiveness for using God’s name on that tragedy,” he stated.
“I allege that the prophet who prophesied the incident is an evil prophet who wished for it to happen for his fame and can cause it spiritually,” Sofo Alhassan alleged.
