Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa (ACAA) Rev. Opuni Frimpong has challenged Ghanaians, especially opinion leaders not to fall prey to spiritualizing social challenges like COVID-19, LGBTQI, and even road carnages in the country as prophecies, thereby leaving it to fate as the preserve of God rather than dealing with them holistically.

The former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) said this on TV3’s Midday Live on Tuesday, February 23 while debunking religious fears running wild in the country over some social and health issues.

When asked his opinion on the phenomenon of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) individuals in the country, the Reverend said “if we have a problem with LGBT, LGBT is as old as anything so please don’t let us spiritualize challenges that confront us like medical challenges, like economic challenges in the name of end-time, if we do that we will become irresponsible beings”.

“When we wake up in the morning, whether end-time has come or not human beings must do what human beings are supposed to do without hiding behind any religious beliefs and positions."

“So yes, I believe in the end-time but if we have Covid, let us address it as a medical challenge confronting us a people, if we have LGBT, let’s address it, if it’s poverty, let’s address it, if it’s accidents on our roads, let’s be responsible and do what human beings are supposed to do.”

In addressing the news of the LGBTQI community situating an office in Accra, he said “for these people to have an office, I don’t see it as any big deal but for such bodies to issue statements that suggest putting pressure on our government, we must be allowed to have our own national priorities. We just finished election, the president’s ministers are going through vetting, Ghana must be allowed to set our own national priorities without external force and pressure on us”.

“For us as a country, we must protect the sanctity of marriage and family life values, we cherish family, I would want my son and daughter to go into a marriage that can guarantee childbirth, child upbringing that will guarantee a sound moral value inheritance of the family. I can’t guarantee that if my son gets into a marriage with another man, I will be able to protect the future of our family.”

He went on to say that “for us, family and marriage are more than sexual pleasure, so yes! Somebody can say that: this is the kind of sexual pleasure that I have when I meet a man-man, woman-woman but marriage should not just be built around sexual pleasure, it’s bigger than that”.