The Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has stated that religious differences should rather foster tolerance and peaceful co-existence among the various religious groups, particularly Christians and Muslims. He asserts that this is the case because they hold comparable beliefs.
Speaking at the 175th Anniversary of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church Ghana at the Accra International Conference Centre on Sunday, Dr. Bawumia observed the commonality between the Christian religion and the Muslim religion, which, according to him, should rather serve as a source of unity between these two faiths, not division.
“As children of the only and one true God, whether Christian or Muslim, we all believe in the God of Isaac, Jacob, and Abraham. We all believe in the virgin birth of Mary. We all believe that Jesus Christ is the savior and that Jesus Christ will come back again to save the world. “
“It is gratifying to note that in Ghana we have such a religiously tolerant and acceptable society that makes it effortless for a Christian priest to worship with Muslims and vice versa, to the point that a Muslim Chief Imam could celebrate his 100th year anniversary with Christians in the church,” he added.
While highlighting the achievement of the country as one of the most peaceful in the West-African sub-region, he encouraged Christians and Muslims to consolidate this gain by recognizing and suppressing anything that could trigger confusion between them.
He also used the opportunity to thank the EP Church Ghana for their contribution to nation building in the areas of health delivery, education, and advocacy.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Ghana), established on November 14, 1847 by German missionaries, is the mainline Protestant Christian denomination in Ghana. It has more than 600,000 members in nearly 750 congregations in Ghana and abroad. It is headquartered in Ho in the Volta Region.