Are Religious Leaders Frauds?
…or are we just too trusting?
Growing up, I remember profoundly how much my dad loved watching Matthew Ashimolowo, Mensah Otabil, and Agyinasare. I grew up idolizing these men as well. Lately, all these men have been embroiled in heated public discussions. Discussions in which their human nature was revealed but somehow some people fail to realize they aren’t God.
I got sent a link to an article on the now-famous Agyinasare sermon. Damn did I miss that twitter storm! Below is an excerpt from the GhanaWeb article:
“In his virtual sermon on Sunday, 19 July 2020, which was themed: ‘Getting rid of envy’, Bishop Agyinasare asked whether locally-owned uniBank, GN Bank and UT Bank could not have been salvaged by the Bank of Ghana during its financial sector cleanup exercise.
Though Bishop Agyinasare wondered if all the industries and firms closed down in this regime was because all the people and companies were wrong and we could not have done anything to have preserved these great companies, he went on to say ‘The evil spirit of envy is at work.’ He, however, acknowledged, “I know some of the other managers and owners were reckless.’”
Can’t we also say same for uniBank, GN Bank and UT Bank? Were they not reckless if they fell short of the BoG’s requirements? We all agree they were not as reckless as some of the other banks, but are we going to play favoritism? Or are we going to look at what people (in this case past ministers) achieved in the past to help them circumvent the law?
He however did make some salient points; how we often give foreign companies who take their profits back to their countries' tax-incentives and easy access to loans while Ghanaian-owned companies don’t really have that luxury. Yes, it could also be that some industries have been shut down because of envy or perceived financing of the opposition party as he stipulated.
My first reaction on reading the article was “Why was he even talking about this in the first place?” Don’t get me wrong. I’m not implying he shouldn’t have an opinion but wasn’t the best time to voice his concerns long past? “Could nothing have been done to salvage some of these great institutions?” Bishop Agyinsare asked in his sermon. Well, I know some banks were given notices and opportunities to merge under certain conditions. For example, GN almost did. I felt there was more to this.
According to a Bank of Ghana (BoG) report on FirsTrust Savings and Loans Ltd, the company used depositors’ funds for their personal projects. Guess who was their board chair from 2014 to 2018? Bishop Charles Agyinasare. Yes, he wasn’t the chair during 2019. However, he was at the helm during 2015, 2016, and 2017, years during which the BoG report says “the institution was showing severe signs of distress.”
“No wonder we hardly have people owning jets in this country; we would talk and bring them down and the government would find a way to criminalize them and close them down”. When I saw this, the first image that came to mind was NAM1, seated in “his” private jet. This actually got me wondering the number of churches that invested in Menzgold (NB: Please don’t say his name when you’re in Tarkwa. For your own safety. Especially in the mines. DON’T.) I hear a number of churches did. I wouldn’t be surprised if some convinced their members to invest there.
Can I preach?
Enter Kelvin Elson Godson Kobiri, the founder of the Zoe Outreach Embassy Church and owner of EL Real Estates and Tikowre Capital, “who has been sued for allegedly issuing dud checks and has been assaulted twice in Tarkwa as he made his way to court.”
According to one MyJoyOnline article, in December 2019, as soon as word spread that Pastor Kobiri was in town, some angry customers accosted him demanding their investments following the closure of EL Real Estates and Tikowre Capital.
Another article also noted that his church has also barred media personnel from trespassing beyond the frontage of the church which is located at Ogbodjo, near American House, in Accra.
“The Zoe Outreach Embassy in Accra has barred journalists from taking photographs or recording activities within its premises, a public notice pasted on the church building has indicated.
The notice warned that persons who defied the directive did so at their own risk.”
I believe most people invested in his enterprises because of the trust and reverence placed in him being a man of God. Trust that clearly was misplaced.
5G Conspiracies
Then there is this:
“Ofcom has today imposed a sanction on Loveworld Limited, which broadcasts the religious television channel Loveworld, after a news programme and a live sermon included potentially harmful claims about Covid-19.”
This still boggles my mind. What does 5G have to do with a virus spread? I can’t wrap my head around the claims Pastor Chris made. Yes, there might be some conspiracy at play but 5G having a hand in the virus? How then do countries without 5G technologies suddenly have cases?
Then there is the case of Roberts Liardon, a pastor and author of God’s Generals. In late 2001, he stepped aside after confessing he had been having a relationship with a junior (youth) pastor. Yes, a man! You can go ahead and laugh. I did when I read the story because I was overwhelmed at the links Fitzgerald was sending me. Reading that reminded me of some of the points that were raised in Caught in the Pulpit, a book about ministers who’ve lost faith in God and are just using their titles as fronts because it provides a comfortable life which is not far from the truth.
According to one anonymous church member, not only did members leave the church as a result of Liardon’s actions but some members turned to homosexuality especially those who were already facing such problems.
Another twitter storm I missed was Duncan Williams talking about his son being bipolar. I’m not going to be biblical or argue with you here, but how many of these pastors ask for people with mental illness who come for deliverance or prayers to ever see a psychiatrist or medical practitioner?
God is good. God is good. God is good.
These are just a few stories that are mainstream. I’ve also heard a retired bishop of an orthodox church supporting his son in getting a divorce solely because his son’s wife had lost a child. This, therefore made her a witch. Yes, in the year of Corona 2020. Not because the wife killed the kid or her carelessness led to the kid’s death. And the number of pastors who sleep with married women, Catholic priests who’ve sworn to be celibate molesting children while others run through their congregation like a marathon. The number of occasions where religious leaders exploit their members are numerous. Some of these stories will shock you. These are men and women we’ve come to trust so much in.
We’re all human. We’re going to fall short of the glory. I ain’t seen nobody with a 23 on play as good as Michael Jordan. So, Christians are not going to be Christ. We are going to follow Christ and be Christ-like. — Kanye West
Most of us now look up to our religious leaders more than we do Christ (and therein lies our problem). The average Ghanaian trusts nobody more than their religious leader. The only thing that ties us to our faith are our personal experiences.
Andy Mineo’s pre-chorus on Clarity, with Madeleine L’Engle on the outro and interludes, pretty sums up my thoughts.
All I, all I want is clarity, clarity
’Cause all of my heroes are frauds just like me, just like me
So let every man be a liar, let only God be true
And all of your heroes are frauds just like you.
Disclaimer: I don’t have anything against pastors or men of God. I’m going on this rant because though they’re human and prone to err, some of the things we hear them say and or do each day rattle us as they go totally contrary to what we’ve grown to believe (or maybe our beliefs are misplaced) and we all expect better from them (“to whom much is given . . .”). This is not to judge them, but only point out what I believe is obvious but our reverence for them has blinded us to; they are not superhumans, they are mortals like you and me who face challenges and err as we do.
