Christian Leaders Call For Joint Fight Against Gays, Tuesday July 19, 2011 (Front page)
The leadership of the Christian community in Ghana has called on all, including religious bodies and traditional rulers, to join hands to confront the canker of homosexuality in the country.
“We, as a Christian community in Ghana, totally condemn this as an unnatural and unGodly act and call on all religious bodies and organisations, traditional rulers and all decent-loving Ghanaians to join this campaign,” the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev Dr Fred Deegbe, said at a news conference in Accra.
This is the first time all the different Christian denominations have presented a common position on the issue which has been hotly debated ever since the Daily Graphic reported in May that some 8,000 homosexuals had been registered by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Western and some parts of the Central regions, with majority of them infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS.
While politicians remain vocal on almost all issues, few in Ghana are willing to take the political risk of advocating tolerance for the rights of homosexuals.
The position of the Christian leaders is seen as a test case for politicians whose political ambitions need an endorsement from a highly religious electorate who see homosexuality as an imported foreign lifestyle and a moral aberration.
“Ghanaians, for that matter Africans, cherish our rich and strong values on issues such as homosexuality and we must not allow anyone or group of people to impose what is acceptable in their culture on us in the name of human rights,” Rev Dr Deegbe urged.
Ghana’s laws prohibit unnatural carnal acts — a definition which is widely understood to include homosexuality, although, in practice, very few have been prosecuted for homosexual acts.
The Criminal Code frowns on unnatural carnal knowledge between consenting males but is silent on lesbianism, which is sexual relationships between women.
Rev Dr Degbey said that as the prophetic voice of the country, Ministers of the Gospel “wish to state that this detestable and abominable act, if passed into law in Ghana, will bring the wrath of God upon the nation and the consequences will be unbearable”.
Among some of the notable men of God who attended the news conference were the Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church, Rt Rev Dr Emmanuel Gbordzoe; the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Prof Emmanuel Martey; the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church, Rt Rev Matthias K. Medadues-Badohu; the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr Opoku Onyina, and the General Overseer of the Jesus Generation Sanctuary, Apostle Nana Anyani Boadum.
Rev Dr Degbey said the seriousness of the homosexual issue for Ghanaians and others in Africa was that it was becoming a problem, as the youth always emulated lifestyles from the West, whether good or bad.
While mosques and churches have been at the forefront of the crusade against what they describe as a moral canker, some human rights activists in the country consider the subject a human rights issue.
But Rev Dr Degbey noted that just as the homosexuals saw their pervasive act as a right, others also had the right not to be infected by diseases, especially sexually transmitted diseases.
“In this country, it has been established that most of the people who practise homosexuality are bisexuals just like it happens in other countries,” he said.
“Currently in Ghana, our health system is already distressed and has not been able to meet all sexual and reproductive needs of the populace. The relationship between STDs and HIV has been established as the major cause of infections. Therefore, any actions or inaction that will put further stress on our health system is putting the country in serious jeopardy. We believe the health implication for our country will be disastrous,” he stated.
While encouraging the Christian community to intensify its teaching and guidance on sexuality and reproductive health to especially the youth to refrain from homosexual acts, Rev Dr Degbey called on the health services and other professionals who could offer help to practising homosexuals who had been forced into the act to receive help in order to eschew the practice.
Uganda came close to legislating on the issue, but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill — dubbed "Kill the Gays" bill — remains in limbo after Parliament adjourned without debating or voting on the controversial bill.
“We, as a Christian community in Ghana, totally condemn this as an unnatural and unGodly act and call on all religious bodies and organisations, traditional rulers and all decent-loving Ghanaians to join this campaign,” the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev Dr Fred Deegbe, said at a news conference in Accra.
This is the first time all the different Christian denominations have presented a common position on the issue which has been hotly debated ever since the Daily Graphic reported in May that some 8,000 homosexuals had been registered by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Western and some parts of the Central regions, with majority of them infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS.
While politicians remain vocal on almost all issues, few in Ghana are willing to take the political risk of advocating tolerance for the rights of homosexuals.
The position of the Christian leaders is seen as a test case for politicians whose political ambitions need an endorsement from a highly religious electorate who see homosexuality as an imported foreign lifestyle and a moral aberration.
“Ghanaians, for that matter Africans, cherish our rich and strong values on issues such as homosexuality and we must not allow anyone or group of people to impose what is acceptable in their culture on us in the name of human rights,” Rev Dr Deegbe urged.
Ghana’s laws prohibit unnatural carnal acts — a definition which is widely understood to include homosexuality, although, in practice, very few have been prosecuted for homosexual acts.
The Criminal Code frowns on unnatural carnal knowledge between consenting males but is silent on lesbianism, which is sexual relationships between women.
Rev Dr Degbey said that as the prophetic voice of the country, Ministers of the Gospel “wish to state that this detestable and abominable act, if passed into law in Ghana, will bring the wrath of God upon the nation and the consequences will be unbearable”.
Among some of the notable men of God who attended the news conference were the Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church, Rt Rev Dr Emmanuel Gbordzoe; the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Prof Emmanuel Martey; the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church, Rt Rev Matthias K. Medadues-Badohu; the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr Opoku Onyina, and the General Overseer of the Jesus Generation Sanctuary, Apostle Nana Anyani Boadum.
Rev Dr Degbey said the seriousness of the homosexual issue for Ghanaians and others in Africa was that it was becoming a problem, as the youth always emulated lifestyles from the West, whether good or bad.
While mosques and churches have been at the forefront of the crusade against what they describe as a moral canker, some human rights activists in the country consider the subject a human rights issue.
But Rev Dr Degbey noted that just as the homosexuals saw their pervasive act as a right, others also had the right not to be infected by diseases, especially sexually transmitted diseases.
“In this country, it has been established that most of the people who practise homosexuality are bisexuals just like it happens in other countries,” he said.
“Currently in Ghana, our health system is already distressed and has not been able to meet all sexual and reproductive needs of the populace. The relationship between STDs and HIV has been established as the major cause of infections. Therefore, any actions or inaction that will put further stress on our health system is putting the country in serious jeopardy. We believe the health implication for our country will be disastrous,” he stated.
While encouraging the Christian community to intensify its teaching and guidance on sexuality and reproductive health to especially the youth to refrain from homosexual acts, Rev Dr Degbey called on the health services and other professionals who could offer help to practising homosexuals who had been forced into the act to receive help in order to eschew the practice.
Currently, South Africa is the only country in Africa to recognise gay marriage, but across the continent many devout and conservative Africans view homosexuality with dismay.
Uganda came close to legislating on the issue, but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill — dubbed "Kill the Gays" bill — remains in limbo after Parliament adjourned without debating or voting on the controversial bill.
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