Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 2021
Book review of Damian Janus: Psychopathology and Religion: Structural Convergences Between Mental... more Book review of Damian Janus: Psychopathology and Religion: Structural Convergences Between Mental Disorders and Religion. London: Lexington Books, 2019, 248 pp.
Prayer Camps, Mental Health, and Human Rights Concerns in Ghana
Journal of Religion in Africa, 2022
This article discusses the role that Ghana’s prayer camps provide in mental health care and the h... more This article discusses the role that Ghana’s prayer camps provide in mental health care and the human rights concerns that are expressed. The article argues for the recognition of both state and nonstate actors in dealing with the problem of mental illness and its related human rights concerns. The article maintains that the mere existence of mental health legislation to protect the rights of mental health patients is not enough if it fails to recognise the religious dimensions – the beliefs, faith, or transcendental orientation – of the people who are the target object of such legislation. The article recommends to policy makers, academics, clinicians, and international organisations whose work focuses on mental health, ways in which religious views on mental illness can be harmonised to support modern projects such as human rights aimed at transforming the lives of people.
“Apparatus of Belief”: Prayer, Material Objects/Media and Spiritual Warfare in African Pentecostalism
Material Religion, 2020
The neo-Pentecostal churches which burgeoned between the late 1970s and early 1990s, have grown n... more The neo-Pentecostal churches which burgeoned between the late 1970s and early 1990s, have grown not only in numbers but have also become the representative face of global Christianity. One significant feature of the neo-Pentecostal movement is their emphasis on prayer and the need for one to be “born again” and enjoy life devoid of the manacles of the devil. To achieve this, there is the need for one, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to discern the activities of evil or demonic forces and through prayer and the blood of Jesus, neutralise their diabolic plans. This is usually referred to as “spiritual warfare”. Focusing on the theory of mass mediation and religious sensation, this article reveals how material objects and/or media such as stickers, wristbands and handkerchiefs expressed in this article as “apparatus of belief”, acquire enchanted qualities and are, therefore, used as weapons of protection to fight against the enemy to destroy destructive powers in people’s lives.
The autonomous cars are considered as a tremendous disruptive innovation in the coming years. The... more The autonomous cars are considered as a tremendous disruptive innovation in the coming years. They enable a driving automation system to replace human drivers to control the vehicle with better recognition, decision and driving skills and ultimately enhance the road users' experience and traffic safety. They can communicate with other cars as they are ready with the Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication technology based on Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs). One of the objectives of V2V communication is for the safety of all road users. Adequate reliability of routing protocol is subject of concern and must be taken into account to reach an immense standard of road safety accurately and timely. Having no reliability the critical road safety messages will be useless; consequently, the accident that might happen is unable to prevent or avoid. The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the quantitative measure of reliability. The reliabilities of a reactive single-path AODV and a multipath AOMDV routing protocols that comply with road safety requirements in various traffic conditions are studied. The traffic conditions that may impact the internetworking of autonomous cars include node density, size of road area and speed of the nodes. The methods used in this study are based on simulations by using Network Simulator version-2 (NS2) as a network simulator and Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) as a mobility simulator. The simulation results show that both routing protocols, a single-path AODV and a multi-path AOMDV, satisfy the road safety requirements in some conditions. AODV is better in packet delivery, whereas AOMDV has a better performance on average end to end delay. This study is expected to contribute to the determination of the appropriate protocol for use in road safety applications under certain traffic conditions. In conclusion, the reliability of routing protocol is an essential factor to consider in the operation of VANET-based autonomous cars so that the safety and comfort of road users can be guaranteed.
Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies, 2020
The provision of social services by Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in Ghana is discussed in thi... more The provision of social services by Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in Ghana is discussed in this article. Focusing on four selected Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in Ghana, it is argued that Pentecostal/Charismatic churches are not only concerned with the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ but are also actively engaged in the provision of social and welfare services aimed at transforming the lives of their constituents. This development, in the author’s view, points to a paradigm shift from the well-known otherworldly nature of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements and projects a rather new movement whose growing social sensitivity has implications for national development.
Church Branding and Self-Packaging: the Mass Media and African Pentecostal Missionary Strategy
Journal of Religion in Africa, 2018
The use of the mass media has become a contemporary and fast-growing religious phenomenon within ... more The use of the mass media has become a contemporary and fast-growing religious phenomenon within Pentecostal and charismatic churches. By drawing implications on the use of modern media technologies, this article presents a popular case of a Charismatic church in Ghana and shows how the idea of branding evolves around the use of the mass media. This article argues that the branding of the leaders’ personality and the church is a marketing strategy aimed at attracting more people into the church.
Pentecostalism, Media, Lived Religion and Participatory Democracy in Ghana
PentecoStudies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 2019
This article discusses the public manifestation of religion in contemporary Ghana. It reflects on... more This article discusses the public manifestation of religion in contemporary Ghana. It reflects on how the synergy of the mass media, and democracy precipitates new forms of religious expression. The article argues that the dominance of the Pentecostal movement in the media, fuels democratic participation that results in the amalgamation of religious ideas, beliefs and practices in the discussion of national issues that affects the everyday – politics, economics, legal and educational matters. The article argues that these forms of religious expression in the media by Pentecostal/ Charismatic churches on national issues engenders inclusiveness and generate belongingness in both the political, economic, and socialcommunal decision making process that has implications for effective democratic participation, good governance and development.
Pentecostalism and Development Discourse in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mission Studies, 2019
Until recently, religion has been quite a neglected subject of enquiry to development workers and... more Until recently, religion has been quite a neglected subject of enquiry to development workers and policy makers. This neglect is as a result of the suspicious, corrosive and irrational view many attach to religion as a vital instrument for development. This article, discusses how Pentecostal theology of salvation evinces a development ethos that needs to be taken seriously by policy makers and development workers. Focusing on some of the religious practices and initiatives undertaken by Pentecostal/Charismatic churches as an aspect of their theology of salvation, this article demonstrates how the Pentecostal movement in sub-Saharan Africa, especially Ghana, has made what others see as developmental goals part of an indigenous faith. The paper argues that in order to achieve a desired transformative development, development workers and policy makers need to recognize and place maximum attention to the religious resources that serve as a driving force for most development initiatives ...
This article focuses on the role of religion, specifically Pentecostal Christianity, and the medi... more This article focuses on the role of religion, specifically Pentecostal Christianity, and the media in shaping the public debate on homo-sexuality. Pentecostal leaders have generally used the media as a main platform for their politicisation of homosexuality. Using the theory of mediatisation, this article examines ways in which religion and the media play a role in sensitising, influencing, and shaping people’s perceptions and attitudes towards homosexuality in Ghana. The article argues that the increasing role of the media and the infusion of religious ideas, beliefs, and values in the debate on homosexuality has a tendency of influencing, framing, and shaping people’s minds and attitudes towards homosexuality.
A recurrent critique towards socialization theory is its emphasis on stability and disregard for ... more A recurrent critique towards socialization theory is its emphasis on stability and disregard for change. Some case studies in the YARG project, particularly that of Ghana, do indeed point to the central role and influence that young adults ascribe to their primary socialization agents. In these contexts, personal religiosity is described as being in accordance with the values of parents and family, making religious transmission from one generation to another appear like a seamless affair. However, data from these contexts also point to how secondary socialization agents, such as peers, media and secular education, play a central role for how young adults maintain their personal religiosity. The aim of this paper is to analyze how young adults in Ghana, India and Poland describe the role of primary socialization agents on their religiosity, but also, to critically discern this influence as against that of secondary socialization agents. This article builds on both survey and interview data.
Previous research has pointed to the central role of media for the current young adult generation... more Previous research has pointed to the central role of media for the current young adult generation when it comes to finding information about religion, exploring beliefs, and developing a religious identity. This article explores how young adult university students in three different contexts-Ghana, Turkey, and Perureport using digital media for religious purposes. The article builds on previous research on the role of media in religious socialization and explores the usefulness of the notion of self-socialization in a transnational study. The studied contexts are all shown to differ when it comes to levels of self-reported religiosity and use of media for religious purposes. The article illustrates the independent use of digital media in all contexts and selfsocialization taking place on a general level, but also highlights the continuous importance of traditional socialization agents, thus questioning simplistic understandings of the role of media in religious socialization.
In Africa, religion, generally, has often been used as a medium to assuage difficulties in life. ... more In Africa, religion, generally, has often been used as a medium to assuage difficulties in life. The pragmatic-oriented function of religion, as found in Africa's economy of faith, makes religion a kind of an economic good/service that can be harnessed to deal with existential needs and aspirations. Operating within this worldview, and with the help of the media, some Ghanaian Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors-prophets have commodified the gospel by employing various means of marketing to advertise, brand, and package religion as a consumer or spiritual product that can be bought to solve lifedebilitating issues. This article focuses on some of the contemporary practices of the neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches that are symptomatic of the commercialization and the commodification of religion. In so doing, the article attempts to tease out the positive and negative socioeconomic implications of these practices. The work demonstrates that though there are some deleterious implications of the commodification of the gospel, the neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches, through such practices, have been able to raise substantial amounts of money to fund numerous social intervention projects that are helping transform the lives of people. Data used in this article was gleaned from the radio, television, and relevant literature.
Albinism, an inherited condition from birth as a result of the lack of melanin pigment which usua... more Albinism, an inherited condition from birth as a result of the lack of melanin pigment which usually changes the colour of the skin, hair and eyes, is usually greeted with resentment in most African communities. In Ghana, some communities and families consider it a misfortune to give birth to Albinos and hence, attempts are made to either kill them at birth or banish them from the community. They are constantly abused and ridiculed by the public with derogatory names and social tags that serve as a form of stigmatization. Evidently, it is clear that the discrimination against albinos in Ghana are underlain by religious and cultural beliefs. This article takes into perspective how religious beliefs and cultural values contribute to the plight of albinos in Ghana and further, discusses how the inculturation of human rights can help mitigate the violence that is perpetrated against persons with albinism.
Spiritual, Religious, and Faith-Based Practices in Chronicity, 2021
In Ghana, mental illness is culturally and socially perceived as a chronic condition. Among the A... more In Ghana, mental illness is culturally and socially perceived as a chronic condition. Among the Akans 1 in particular, a popular saying or proverb such as "ɔbɔdamfuɔ se ne dam kɔ a, na ɛnyɛ deɛ ɔde hunahuna mmɔfra" literally means "if a lunatic says he or she has been cured of the lunacy, many a time traces of the lunacy that is capable of being used to frighten children persist." In other words, "if a person decides to desist from a well-formed habit, many a time, traces of the habit, at least enough to frighten, remain" (Amfo et al. 2018, 4). This proverb depicts the chronicity of mental illnesses in the minds of people, especially in the Akan communities of Ghana, and defines the extent to which these views are socially integrated. People are conscious of their dealings or relationships with individuals who have had a history or suffered from some form of mental illness in the past, for fear of rekindling their past negative disorders at the least provocation (Amfo et al. 2018). Cultural idioms such as this explain the sustained cycle and the production of mutually amplifying negative behaviors meted out to persons with mental illness, either in the present or the past. These negative attitudes towards the mentally ill in Ghana affect their everyday routines and functionality in terms of individually, socially, and economically. This chapter investigates the use of spiritual and faith-based resources as coping mechanisms in dealing with the day-today dilemmas and uncertainties surrounding chronic mental illness in Ghana. The study is based on fieldwork conducted among persons with various forms of mental illness at two major prayer camps in Ghana. The chapter explores conceptions of mental illness and the strategies that are employed in their management and treatment. It also examines ways these approaches help in maintaining and sustaining hope amidst chronicity. In so doing, this chapter makes a significant contribution to the role and use of faith-based resources in aiding wellness for individuals with chronic mental illness conditions, especially those in the global south. This chapter is divided into four sections. The first section reviews the meaning and understanding of mental illness in the Ghanaian or the West African context, and how or why religion, spirituality, and/or faith remain an important resource in this regard. The second section gives an account of the methodological processes
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