ISSN 2756-3405
African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 6 (4), pp. 001-007, April, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Religion as a tool in strengthening the democratic process in Ghana
Michael Perry Kweku Okyerefo1, Daniel Yaw Fiaveh2* and Kofi Takyi Asante3
1Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
2Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
3Department of Sociology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.
Accepted 12 October, 2019
Abstract
Recent elections in Ghana bear witness to the extraordinary power of religion to affect social and political change. This paper illustrates a few varieties of this power through case studies which examine the role of religious leaders in promoting peaceful elections, the way inter-faith dialogue enhances civic duties and fosters peace by bolstering values of justice, forgiveness and cooperation, and the State’s active use of religion to promote domestic agendas, such as government’s ‘courting’ religious groups ostensibly for their votes, and international relations.
Key words: Religion, peaceful elections, democratic process, national development agenda, social and political change, inter-faith dialogue, domestic agendas, international relations.