It's Biblical

Ok, so it is about time you learned a little bit more about Ghanaian culture and one of the biggest influences on the culture over here, is religion. Religion is one of those topics that is just riddled with tensions and drama. Everybody has their own opinions and its one of those subjective notions that seems to render people inflexible. I have no problem with religious fanatics or stringent atheists as long as neither group tries to convert me. I'm one of those ambiguous religious people, I definitely believe in god and in the basic metaphor and message that the bible implies but on the actual bible and religious passages I remain undecided and rather dubious.

Religion over here has a different meaning, instead of complementing education and guiding values it is more of an excuse. An easy justification for bad behaviour, laziness and apathy. Christianity is the foremost religion and its sentiment can be felt absolutely everywhere. Catholic epithets are titled on shop doors, car windows and eateries. Children in classes sing if you love jesus and you know it clap your hands and other worshiping songs. I wouldn't really have a problem with this religious overload, except that I really believe that they forget the actual values associated with the faith, and simply regurgitate the same religious drivel that they've been taught to unquestioningly believe. Things like: its ok to hit women, and children because the bible says so. Gays are wrong because the bible says so. And it really makes me angry when people use God to condone the behaviour that, the very principles of Christianity deplore. And I've legitimately spoken to people who believe these things. If you ask them them, their response is a resolute 'because the bible says so'- yet I'm positive that hardly any of these people have actually bothered to read even one proverb from the bible and so merely fall back on what others preach. Yet, they seem oblivious to the truth that the Bible was written and interpreted by man and has inevitably been distorted to fit whichever truth their agenda requires. I think that is the crux of the problem over here- religion is coupled with ignorance which perpetuates the cycle of inequality and poverty because people are unwilling to change things for themselves because they believe god will do it for them, and they continue to harbour backward values and ideology because they don't question they just embrace man's words (*not god's). Because I don't believe in any god who discriminates, or condones violence. Those sentiments are a human creation, figments of human nature, and unfortunately God usually takes the blame.

I was going to write more on the subject but I find that this topic makes me restless and frustrated so I've given up. Maybe i'll delve into it again some other time.