Don’t Believe in Science

Language
Language is quite ambiguous at times and we can be misled by the casual way we use it in our everyday lives. Most of the time this doesn’t really matter as ‘sloppiness’ is often a shorthand code and we can often understand the intention behind statements.

One problem that often occurs is when this casualness leads us into logical confusions because we were not specific enough in the way we employed language.

My Visit to a Traditional African Priest

by Agomo Atambire (member of the Humanist Association of Ghana)

I am a Ghanaian, born and bred within this area of the earth we call Ghana and I have not lived outside of it (note). Taking you even further, I am from an ethnic group known as Frafras. Like the other ethnic groups that make up this country, the Frafras are very superstitious! One of my names is in honour of one of the gods of my people. Christianity and Islam may be what my people portray but they are neck deep in the traditional practices and I have had my family to as a primary source to view this charade.

I Daresay, You don’t Believe in God!

By Paa Nii

In 2012, reports emerged that a Gallup poll involving 57 countries ranks Ghana as the most religious country in the world.  The publication read:

“Overall, 59% of those surveyed described themselves as religious, 23% said they are not religious, and 13% said they are convinced atheists.”

“The nations with the highest percentages of self-described religious persons are Ghana, Nigeria, Armenia, Fiji, Macedonia, Romania, Iraq, Kenya, Peru, and Brazil.”

“The nations with the highest percentages of self-described “convinced atheists” are China, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Iceland, Australia, and Ireland.”

(You can read the poll report here).

There is something peculiarly funny and interesting between in the socio-economics and living standards of countries which majority of citizens professed “religious” as opposed to those countries where majority professed “convinced atheists”; – but that is a matter for another day.

In this piece, I want to argue that in large parts, the socio-cultural parameters for the validation of belief, are to say the least, misleading. And that most people who gladly tick / respond ‘religious’ to survey questionnaires in fact, do not believe. Easy! Please indulge me.

Holy Scriptures in the 21st Century

It is fascinating to watch believers trawl through their ‘holy books’ attempting to find justification for what they think their religions should really mean. They pull out phrases such as “Whoever kills a person [unjustly] it is as though he has killed all mankind” (Qur’an 5:32) as if we are supposed to be impressed by their profundity.  

They emphasise how progressive various passages were in the Bronze and Iron Ages as if they are still progressive in the 21st century

Scientists are the real prophets

Prophets, psychics, mediums, soothsayers, those who claim to channel aliens or angels, all claim to predict future events or to bring important messages from “other dimensions”.

Often it appears these messages are more designed to give authority to these people rather than bringing anything of value. Some religions claim to have successions of prophets who run their organisations bringing new and updated information as humanity progresses, such as the Church of Latter Day Saints or the Baha’i Faith.

What is significant is the uninspiring and retrospective nature of these messages.

Africa’s First Humanist Wedding?

Humanist, Leo Igwe, writes how he was asked to officiate at the Ghanaian humanist wedding of Becca and Charles who met through the Humanist Association of Ghana.
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Humanism in Ghana

Leo Igwe writes in Modern Ghana:

“Ghana is one of the most religious nations on earth, it is also a beacon of hope for humanism and freethought in the region. The image of a deeply religious Ghana is not as entrenched as pollsters project. A humanist and freethinking Ghana exists and is slowly and solidly emerging. A skeptical and rational Ghana is a social fact.”

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Why do Humanists Value Reason?

Humanists put great value on how we treat others, our ability to care for others, make ethical judgements (decisions which assess the consequences of our actions), and the freedom to decide our own purpose and meaning in life. All these rely on our ability to reason.

Reason is the ability to think clearly and logically, to verify facts, and then to change or modify ourselves, our attitudes, traditions or institutions, based on that information. Reason is a form of freedom that prevents us being chained to beliefs or habits by prompting us to continually ask questions and examine our lives.

Doubting Religion

It can be difficult to free yourself from religion in a culture such as Ghana’s where everyone appears to believe in a god.

Your family talks about it and forces you to pray with them from an early age. You are taken to the church or mosque and even your respected school teachers appear to believe in a god. We even see the President praying!

All around you people are continually repeating their beliefs and appear to have personal emotional experiences. You are told, or you assume, your doubts, or lack of experiences, are because you are not ‘spiritually mature’. Why assume everyone else’s personal experiences must be real because they seem to believe in them so fervently?

African Communalism versus Western Individualism: A false dichotomy

This post is the personal opinion of the author and may not reflect the views of the Humanist Association of Ghana.

Professor Osei’s presentation at the International Humanist Conference in Accra, 2012 entitled The Relevance of Secular Humanism to the Contemporary African Society asserted that the Western construct of Humanism is bringing excessive individualism to Africa in opposition to its traditional values of communalism. Professor Osei also said we need to think about the issue of LGBT rights within this context.

To find a distinctly African expression of humanism sounds like an attractive project, yet the assertion has also been bothering me. I have been pondering on these issues since that presentation and hope I may have found a resolution to the apparent conflict.