The Rise of Political Prophecies in Ghana –
A Force for Good or Recipe for Disaster?
Election seasons in Ghana are fast becoming a time when there usually appears to be a sudden increase in what I call ‘political prophecies’. In general, although election seasons over the years have attracted a lot of these prophecies, their somewhat ever-increasing popularity and pompous audacity – at least over the last few general elections – seem to be deeply and firmly engraving them onto the political landscape at an unusually fast pace.
We are in an era where they have
attached themselves so firmly to our general elections to the extent that it is
almost inconceivable to imagine a period anytime soon that they would die out
of the political scene. Considering the fact that even more Christian ministers
and so-called prophets seem to be using their platforms, authority and trust to
advance diverse partisan political propaganda, it is useful to understand that
most of these prophecies could simply be driven by the set political agenda. This
certainly raises a lot of questions about the authenticity of these prophecies
on the one hand and the unconstitutional claim of right to leadership that it
confers by reason of its assumed authority.
A prophecy, in its simple
explanation, is a meant to be a very sacred Christian spiritual ministry which
is administered by the by issuing of a word or statement supposed to convey a description
of some sort of an event or series of events which are usually yet to happen.
To be precise, it is identified as a confirmation of an event that has already
taken place in the spiritual realm but yet to revealed in the physical.
They are, therefore, believed to be
inspired by God himself through the Holy Spirit in the form of special privileged
‘coded’ messages meant to reveal the very mind of God. Prophecies are thus
supposed to be very scarce in their occurrence and revealed only through a
chosen few – the prophets – as such they are elevated to the status of spiritual
wisdom and indisputable truth. They are often authoritative, conclusive, and
very precise in their manifestation. It appears, however, that upon critical
analysis, most of the prophecies we are confronted with during our election
seasons are simple imaginative expectations bordering on mere fantasies.
Considering the inherent authority
given to prophecy by Christians, it is therefore quite understandable that some
Christians and Christian Ministers see political prophecies as a very important
part of nation building and governance at least by drawing inspiration from some
very similar manifestations evidenced in the Christian holy text, The Holy
Bible. Furthermore, it is reasonable to expect that any such prophecies must
therefore be reflective of Christian ministerial practice, principles and protocol
of the highest standards. Above all, it is equally within reason for the
general public to anticipate that such prophecies would be in line with The
Holy Bible and not just manipulated, orchestrated, or manufactured by party
political desire or delusion. It appears, however, the latter seem the most
plausible motivating force underwriting these prophecies.
The simple truth is that, these so-called
prophecies seem to be acting as a springboard for large scale confusion and
controversy thereby attracting a great deal of criticism from all angles, and
rightly so. They seem to be completely departing from the fundamental Christian
principles from which they claim to emanate. Moreover, they can be easily
identified as lacking basic vision, conviction and authority.
More and more Christians, if
anything at all, are speaking out against them rather than accepting them as a
source of authoritative spiritual wisdom and truth which can be relied upon for
guidance. The strange thing, however, is that, irrespective of the mountain of
controversies and confusion arising from them, these political prophecies and
their associated so called prophets still seem to maintain a an unusually large
following. It is therefore obvious that some people still not only believe but
base their actions during election seasons on these ‘prophetic’ pronouncements.
It is no secret that numerous such prophecies
about the 2016 General Elections, all of which predict different outcomes, are already
circulating at an alarming rate, Dwelling on any specific one of these
prophecies for the analysis would be of no meaningful use, nevertheless, it is
worth mentioning the diversity of the outcomes predicted and the assumed
authority with which these proclamations have been made. It is easy to
conclude, without any mastery, that some of these ‘prophecies’ would be
fulfilled while other wouldn’t. This, however, does not necessarily legitimise
nor authenticate one prophecy over the other. It rather goes to validate the
real possibility that what are being termed as prophecies may just be pure and
dangerous trial and error mind games which needs to be approached with grave scepticism.
Although these prophecies may not explicitly
promote a ‘baseless’ claim to the throne of the presidency, it is naïve to
think that the power of their sheer proliferation and mere existence could be ignored
or classified as having no bearing on the elections. For some, these prophecies
must be manifested just as pronounced as such any result that appears contrary
to their comfortable prophetic domains are bound to be met with strong
repudiation without any proper vetting of the results. This then becomes a real
cause for concern.
It is right to expect your party to
win but no one has the right to assume an automatic right to win in the general
elections except when pronounced winner by the due process. Considering the
fact that these so – called prophecies may take a long time to fade away from
our political discourse, it supposes that we would have to carry the burden
they bring with them for a long time yet.
As a nation, Ghana has come a very
long way through a complex political history and have been shining through it
all as a real beacon of hope by championing democratic governance – although
not a perfect one – across the African continent. It should therefore be the desire
of all Ghanaians to see this star of Africa shining brighter into to the future
and continuing to lead the way. Anything, including political prophecies, which
threatens or undermines the purity of our graciousness and sanctity of our
democracy and peace, must, therefore, not be given any foot hole whatsoever.
“They that have ears, let them hear what the spirit says to the
churches”.
God bless our homeland Ghana.
By Ezekiel A. Johnson
By Ezekiel A. Johnson
Deep thought for reformation.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Senior.
DeleteDeep thought for reformation.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bro. Part two is on the way.
DeleteWow,
ReplyDeleteI never lost a sight from reading this piece of material.
Great written style , typical GA and Ghanaian Greek style.
As I continue reading, I deeply felt the passion and the loving spirit of Elder Ezekiel Johnson has for Ghana.
I'm hoping for me articles from you Sir.
Dcn Kwakye
God bless you for your support and feedback. I salute you, Boss.
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