Religion in Ghana
Islam was the first Abrahamic religion to be introduced in the country between the tenth[7] and 15th centuries,[8] by Muslim traders.
[14][15][16] Ghana is a secular state and the country's constitution guarantees freedom of religion and worship.
In the past, vacation periods have been planned around these occasions, thus permitting both Christians and others living away from home to visit friends and family in the rural areas.
[17] The presence of Christian missionaries on the coast has been dated to the arrival of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century.
They began their conversions in the coastal area as "nurseries of the church" in which an educated African class was trained.
Church schools have been opened to all since the state assumed financial responsibility for formal instruction under the Education Act of 1960.
These Christian organizations, concerned primarily with the spiritual affairs of their congregations, have occasionally acted in circumstances described by the government as political.
The rise of Apostolic or Pentecostal churches across the nation partly demonstrates the impact of social change and the eclectic nature of traditional cultures.
[30]Islam made its entry into the northern territories of modern Ghana around the fifteenth century.
[32] Traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores.
The action of the living, for example, can affect the gods or spirits of the departed, while the support of family ancestors ensures prosperity of the lineage or state.
[30] To ensure that a natural balance is maintained between the world of the sacred and that of the profane, the roles of the family elders in relation to the lineage within society are crucial.
The religious functions, especially lineage heads, are clearly demonstrated during such periods as the Odwira, Homowo, or the Aboakyir festivals, that are organized in activities that renew and strengthen relations with ancestors.
Sang in Akan, the dominant non-English language in Ghana, popular songs reference witchcraft as explanation for things such as infertility, alcoholism, and death.
Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia (1930–1974), as God incarnate, the Second Advent, or the reincarnation of Jesus.
[38] The Rastafari movement encompasses themes such as the spiritual use of cannabis and the rejection of western society, called 'Babylon'.
Rastafari holds that evil society, or "Babylon", has always been white-dominated, and has committed such acts of aggression against the African people as the Atlantic slave trade.
It was established by a traditional Priest known as Kwesi Esel who travelled to Asia to seek healing powers.
Afrikania Mission is a Neo-Traditional Movement established in Ghana in 1982 by a former Catholic Priest, Kwabena Damuah, who resigned from the church and assumed the traditional priesthood titles, Osofo Okomfo.
The Mission aims to reform and update African traditional religion, and to promote nationalism and Pan-Africanism.
The Mission is also known by other names such as AMEN RA (derived from Egyptian religion, and interpreted to mean 'God Centred'), Sankofa faith (implying a return to African roots for spiritual and moral values) and Godian Religion, which it adopted briefly during a period of association with Godianism, a Nigerian-based neo-traditional Movement.
By requiring certification of all Christian religious organizations operating in Ghana, the government reserved the right to inspect the functioning of these bodies and to order the auditing of their financial statements.
According to a government statement, however, the law was designed to protect the freedom and integrity of genuine religious organizations by exposing and eliminating groups established to take advantage of believers.
Despite its provisions, all orthodox Christian denominations and many spiritual churches continued to operate in the country.
