King David who was a man after God’s heart promised to build a temple for the Lord God. He declared this in 1 Chronicles 17: 2 and Prophet Nathan was happy. But God told Nathan in 1 Chronicles 17: 4, that David must not make any attempt to build Him any temple.
That was almost 3,000 years ago. In 2017, H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo revealed to God’s people in Ghana that because of what God did by making him president, he was also going to fulfil a promisehe made to Him to build a temple, sorry, a Cathedral in His honour, from his personal resources. One could break campaign promises and get away with it, but not in the case of the Lord.
The interesting thing is when the president made that revelation, no prophet in the land said anything, to confirm or deny that indeed Nana Addo held that discussion with God,and in which the Lord approved of his promise.
But suddenly, when it was revealed that the president was actually using or about to use, tax payers’ money to fund a private arrangement he made with God, we heard the prophets. Some even claimed that God told them Nana Addo never approached him and that he might have contacted an unknown God.
Where are our prophets when we need them most? They are prophesying soccer match results, giving out lotto numbers, sleeping with junior pastors’ wives, bathing women naked in church, telling us who God has chosen to be the next president. And with this, though we may have five presidential candidates, our prophets collectively will give us seven names as those chosen by God to rule the country. Meanwhile we are not under oligarchy rule.
Seriously, we have to overcome certain conducts in this country. Why no one could tell the president it was not appropriate to construct a national cathedral, before works begun, but rather to tell him, long after work started explains the state of mind of some Ghanaians.
Well, the president should have been straight with us in the beginning and tell us how he was going to fund such a cathedral. He should have had an idea of how much it was going to cost and whether he could fund it from personal sources. His advisors could come in with suggestions that would have satisfied the poor Ghanaian who does not know when the next meal will come his way.
As a Christian, however, I believe that since this country is predominantly Christian and politicians are afraid to declare it a Christian State, we must at least have a national icon to celebrate Christ with. An icon which will unite all the various Christian churches as we proclaim Christ.
I would have wished the president did not site the project where he did, in that crowded environment. He should not have pulled down very good buildings to construct the cathedral, which was to be in the same vicinity as the State House, Conference Center, the sports stadium and the Independence Square.
I would have wished the president would have sited it along the Motorway or Spintex road, which should be made a dual carriage way.
I would have wished the president would first constructeda1,000-capacity cathedral which should be part of the bigger project and which could take decades to fully complete.The Washington National Cathedral in the USA, took eighty-three years to complete. We need not rush ours, through; maybe fifteen years would do.
Anyhow, in the situation of the National Cathedral, we have a repetition of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. It is obvious who the publican or tax collector is here, so no wild guessing, for the publican here is the President.
He has accepted his sinfulness and promised to make the Lord known to his people by celebrating His goodness. To someone it would be works of charity, to others like the president it should be a place of communal worshiping.
The prophets are attacking him and showing off like the Pharisee in St. Luke 18: 9-14, about how sinless they are. The president at least acknowledged his sinfulness by confessing them and has come clean about what he is doing and intends to do.
It is some of these prophets who assisted the NDC in creating panic and confusion into Ghanaians about the E-Levy, who I speak of. In fact, the two parties created the impression that, that 1.5% levy on financial transfers was going to make Ghanaians poorer than ever be. While the NDC was using this for political gains, the prophets were protecting the tithes and offerings that come to them.
Let us take this scenario as an example. Someone gets GH¢1,000.00 a month take home. The church demands that he pays 10% as tithes which is going directly to God and failure to pay one’s tithes means one-way trip to hell. Apparently, unknown to us, God has disclosed to our prophets, the financial challenges He is facing in acquiring plots and constructing mansions for souls who are arriving in Heaven. The number of saved souls keep increasing above forecast figures. So, God needs money or souls will soon start sleeping in the streets of Heaven.
So, the church takes GH¢ 100.00 as tithes. Three offerings during a typical Sunday worship will get at least GH¢120.00 a month from our man. Then he must sow seed, if he wants to succeed in life and that could take another GH¢200.00. So, in total our man is taxed GH¢420.00 out of his GH¢1,000.00 and he is left with GH¢580.00.
42% tax on his monthly earnings goes to the church, while if he were to do financial transfers on the whole of his salary, he would pay only 1.5% or GH¢15.00. While that meagre GH¢ 15.00 is going into road construction, supply of pipe borne water and electricity, health deliveries and schools, the GH¢420.00 is for the maintenance of the pastor and his family. Their holiday travels abroad, acquisition of properties abroad and while they lodge in mansions and ride in posh cars, the poor donor in the church is making do with a single room with his family and travels by troski. If the church puts up a school, the poor donors in the church will be made to pay cost recovery fees or their children cannot be admitted.
I am not suggesting the way the president is handling this National Cathedral is the best. I have stated my opinion on this matter before. But, as a Christian, I am looking at those so call men and women of God criticizing the old man, while they are of the worst standing.
We need a national icon to portray Christ in this country, yes, we do.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
