Accra, Sept. 11, GNA - Dr Lawrence Tetteh, an international evangelist, has asked people in authority to be wary of utterances they make about religion, since it is a sensitive issue that has brought wars in a number of countries.

He expressed dissatisfaction about the disparaging remarks people make about religious leaders on political platforms and in the media. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the weekend to rap up a religious crusade in Accra, he said Nigeria, the Persian Gulf and Bosnia were hit by conflicts due to unguarded statements people made about particular religions and religious leaders.

He said it was time people got to know the significance of religious leaders in society and guard against statements that have the potential of undermining national integration and cohesion. "The peace we are enjoying as a nation is through the finger of God and not through politicians. Politicians must therefore not underestimate the power of prayer and religious organisations. "Religion plays a very important role in the growth and development of every nation," he added.

Dr Abraham Chigbundu, Presiding Bishop of Voice of Freedom Ministries International, who was the guest at the crusade organised by World Miracle Outreach, observed that the ancestors of Africa raised strange altars in their desire to give birth to children, attract money and favours, which he said was the bane of the Continent's under-development.

He expressed the need for Christians to destroy the altars in order to reverse their negative effects and to be able to achieve what their fathers were not able to accomplish. "David could not build a house for the Lord due to the many wars he was confronted with during his time, but Solomon his son was able to do so," he explained.