Professor William Otoo Ellis has stated that as human beings, Science and Religion are compatible and that religion has been part of man since time immemorial. He made this statement at the opening of the Conference on Religion and Politics organised by the Department of Religious Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences, KNUST.
The Conference was on the theme: Religion, Politics and National Peace.
Prof. Ellis said even though KNUST’s mandate is to advance knowledge in the sciences, the scientists trained are religious beings who need answers to the ultimate reality of life, the nature of humanity, humanity’s problem and what happens after death. He therefore called for religious tolerance among all Ghanaians to promote peace in the country.
In a speech read on his behalf, His Lordship, Rt. Rev. Dr. Yinkah Sarfo, the Anglican Bishop of Kumasi said 2012 is an election year not only for Ghana but for many countries in the world such as the United States of America,Kenya, among others. Bishop Yinkah Sarfo therefore called on all stakeholders to ensure peace during and after this year’s elections.
He said Religious Leaders, the Ghana Peace Council, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and other bodies have all come up with peace campaigns, but cautioned the general public as well as politicians to refrain from politics of insult and the media to be circumspect in their reportage.
Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante Antwi, Chairman of the Peace Council, Ghana, in his keynote address stated that “divine Kinship” in Africa is a reality and thus there is no need to separate religion from politics. He said the prophetic role of the church calls for awakening to critique the injustice of the country, because religion plays an important role in the running of the state.
He cautioned the church against hiding under neutrality to shun the issues of the world of which they are part of, and thinking that politics is a sinful activity.
Most Rev. Prof. Asante Antwi said as religious people in a political system, one cannot be indifferent to the society and for that matter politics, this is because a religious person has a stake in the socio-politics of society but not of the “world”. He continued that the religious person is a believer in God and also a citizen of the country, but he is not exempted from the world. Therefore religion and politics and national peace are all essential complements of each other.
There were fraternal messages from Islamic and religious groups.
The Conference also had academic paper presentations on the theme from academic scholars in Ghana and other African countries.
