The 2016 elections maybe have taken all of Ghana by storm in its build up over the last year. The candidates and their supporters have been crisscrossing the length and breadth of the country proselyting their agenda for the country for the next four years.
However, one group of people who could not be bothered by the media barrage from the campaign trail are Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are a minority Christian group in Ghana; where Christianity is the dominant religion.
According to the Watch Tower Society of Pennsylvania, (the mother body of Jehovah’s Witnesses), there are about 120,000 publishers of the faith in Ghana.
Publishers are in simple terms publicly baptised members who usually engage in field service to preach the ‘good news’ to people in their homes and business places.
“The fact that we are politically neutral doesn’t mean we wish bad for anybody. We are peace loving people and we respect any governmental authority”, says a Jehovah’s Witness in Ghana, who did not want to be named for this story.
“[Those who vote] have their rights, and I respect that...Our neutrality is not something new. Early Christians did not hold political office and maintained neutrality. We respect any government that comes and you will not see us also involved in demonstrations or coup d'etat to topple governments.”
What about if the person who is voted for does not implement good policies that affect your lives?
“For us, we know that we cannot rely on man to solve our problems. You cannot expect much from man”, he answered.
Voting is not the only political quietism Jehovah’s Witnesses engage in. They do not salute flags, sing anthems, recite pledge, join military service or even join the civil service (Witnesses could join after prayer and reflection although it is not encouraged).
The official position
We do not lobby, vote for political parties or candidates, run for government office, or participate in any action to change governments
We follow the example of Jesus, who refused to accept political office. (John 6:15) He taught his disciples to be “no part of the world” and made it clear that they should not take sides in political issues.—John 17:14, 16; 18:36; Mark 12:13-17.
We are loyal to God’s Kingdom, which Jesus spoke of when he said: “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth.” (Matthew 24:14).
As representatives of God’s Kingdom, commissioned to proclaim its coming, we remain neutral in the political affairs of all countries, including the one where we live.—2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 6:20.
By remaining neutral, we are able to speak freely to people of all political persuasions about the good news of God’s Kingdom. We try to show by our words and practices that we rely on God’s Kingdom to solve the world’s problems.—Psalm 56:11.
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