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Christians Must Embrace Politics – Rev. Philip Naameh
President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, Most Rev. Philip Naameh has admonished Christians not to shy away from politics.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Probe on Sunday, he noted that Christians often do not want to engage in politics because they believe that “politics is a dirty game.”
He opined that by engaging in politics Christians can contribute their quota to nation-building and especially secure a better life for the vulnerable in society.
“There are some Christians who are afraid to muddy themselves. There are some who still believe that politics is a dirty game and therefore shy away from taking up that responsibility, but if we look at what Jesus’ death and resurrection actually mean, it is the power of God to resist the temptation to be selfish and care only about your family, your friends,” Rev. Philip Naameh noted.
He said this as part of discussions on The Probe regarding the relevance of the Easter to nation-building.
He said the kind of politics practiced in Ghana currently, has been highly condemned because politicians have not pursued the good of society.
He, thus, urged Christians to venture into politics and pursue the interest of all.
“So I think it’s still possible that Christians should embrace politics and work for the common good and not shy away from it and then try to criticize those who make mistakes because they do not have the values of nation-building, which I believe Christians in the doctrine about social teaching, all have,” he added.
“Christ’s resurrection after resisting all the temptations of the devil is actually telling Christians to commit ourselves to the common good (which he explained as taking up responsibilities and performing them as expected). If you have a responsibility in politics, you should try to live out this responsibility in such a way that not only people of your ethnic group or political section benefit from it but all Ghanaian
“You would have that perspective where Jesus left behind for us to spread his hands at the cross to embrace everybody. So I believe that if Christians of all denominations will have this vision of the resurrection, that means whatever corruption there is, you will not be part of it and on the contrary, you want to exercise the responsibility the President has given you in a way that everybody in Ghana can benefit,” he concluded.
