Founder of the Action Chapel International Archbishop Duncan-Williams has kicked against an advocacy for laws to regulate churches.
“You cannot regulate faith,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM.
According to him, “the church is a spiritual movement” which operates on the basis of faith.
Call for regulation
Some Members of Parliament (MP) in May called for a law to regulate activities of churches owned and run by individuals and self-professed pastors.
Some of these churches are alleged to have been engaging in all manner of unacceptable practices in the country.
According to some MPs, there is a need for Parliament to critically investigate the activities of these churches and pastors to protect Ghanaians from exploitation.
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, subsequently tasked the Youth, Sports and Culture Committee, and the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, to within a one-month period, develop recommendations on the possible regulation of churches in the country.
Enough laws
But Archbishop Duncan-Williams said rather than passing laws to regulate churches, the state should be more interested in enforcing existing criminal laws on abuse and exploitation.
“There are enough laws already made that should be enforced,” he said.
According to him, it was for that reason that bodies such as the Christian Council, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) have been set up to self-regulate churches.
Nonetheless, he said the cure for abuses and exploitation of the flock of God is increased teaching of sound Biblical doctrine.
“We should increase the level of light and knowledge and understanding because the more light people have and they can see, you can’t fool them, you can’t manipulate them. I think we have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Source: Daily Graphic
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Faith cannot be further regulated. I suggest those advocating for laws on faith first st¹art with freemasonry and the shrines. Next mosques then you will see pepper. Most of you here don't even go to church but you complain the most. How on earth can a corrupt politician regulate the church. Even their political positions they are only stealing and destroying, now they want to tell Christians how to worship God. This satanic agenda cannot work. The problems in the church will be handled in due time by the owner of the church Himself, God not devil worshipers like politicians and their ilk on social media
so call bishop there is nothing that cannot be regulated on earth here. once we have greedy self style Bishops , pastors , Revs., Maalams, Immams and men on God who can rob their church members in the name of sowing seeds in people's life, offertory or collection and harvest, a loving government can regulate them because the so call men of God who are fake anyway decieve their members with lies to convence them that they have the power to cast out evil spirits and that they are the annointed ones I dont know who annointed or told them that they annointed.
so call bishop there is noting that cannot be regulated on earth. once we have greedy self stiy Bishops , pastors , Revs., Maalams, Immams and men on God who can rob their church members in the name os swing seeds in someone's life, offertory or collection and harvest, a loving government can regulate me because the so call men of God who are fake anyway decieve their members with lies to convence them that they have the power to cast out evil spirits and that they are the annointed ones I dont know who annointed or told them that they annointed.
Awo, 'gag' means preventing from talking. You don't seem to understand what people are complaining abt.
You simply can't gag the glorious church of God. We will never allow you to do so
Govt seeks to limit the illegalities often associated with faith. Example practicing medicine without a medical license, church engaged in business ventures, defraud, etc. I think, some of these things can be prosecuted with existing laws. But again, you know Ghana is a land where everyone is above the law so dont expect anything to change.
What is happening currently with these so-called churches is not faith. It is business you people are parading as religion. What kind of faith ignores all what God has admonished man to do, but rather spends all the time seeking riches and miracles? So-called pastors are exploiting the ignorance and fears of people to make money, and turn round to flaunt their riches, claiming that they have been blessed. Is that faith?
faith and nuisance are two different thing. there is a lot of nuisance in the church which has no biblical facts yet, pastors are calling it faith. faith which brings no change in the lives of it practitioners is needless. clapping of hands when praying as well as stumping of the feet on the ground back by noisy microphone acts, what faith is that? it only disturb residents around. that is noise making. the government should impose limits for noise by the churches particularly, during the evenings when man need to rest after a hard days work. church is the yielding of the heart to God and has nothing to do with noise making and fleshly directions. they are irritating.