<\/p>\n
By Kodjo Adams<\/p>\n
Accra, December 29, GNA \u2013 The Reverend Dr Lawrence Tetteh, an International Evangelist and Founder, Worldwide Miracle Outreach, says the Police cannot stop the Church from making prophetic statements on December 31.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn every community, we have the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Police should not use the attitude of a few bad ones against the hard-earned reputation of the majority of the Clergymen. The work of the Church should not be taken for granted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Contributing to discussions on the ban on pastors making panic prophecies on December 31, Rev Tetteh disagreed with the directives of the Police, saying: \u201cWe have to be very careful not to throw the baby with the water away\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the first to agree that some of my colleagues have been irresponsible with their statements during December 31, by pronouncing death and horrifying things, but that should not undermine the fact that prophecies are real, and it is not in the place for the police to determine what prophecy should be given at the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that should be considered an insult to the Church, and I personally take a strong objection to the police assuming that authority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Clergyman said Ghana was a very religious community and that Ghanaians took December 31 very seriously because there were many people who did not get the opportunity to go to Church, except on that day to reaffirm their faith in God.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether we like it or not, in the Bible, prophecies are real and are of God, and the fact that somebody has given a scary prophecy does not mean that the Police should give such a \u2018blanket\u2019 statement that gags the Church.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very dangerous and undermines freedom of expression, freedom of views, and freedom of worship, and I think it is wrong for the Police to make such a pronouncement,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Rev Tetteh urged the Police to engage such Pastors and talk to them instead of making a general statement, stressing that the organs of government should be very mindful not to forget that, but for the religious community, everything would have been doomed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should also consider the Bible because there were prophecies that Nathan had to give to David. There are prophesies that are for the nation and those that are for individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the Police should be thinking about a variety of issues on December 31, such as armed robbery and not what the Church was doing, stressing \u201ca nation without a prophetic word is lost\u201d.
GNA<\/p>\n