Ghana church official says poverty, unemployment 'cause' homosexuality

[News_Editor]

Ghana church official says poverty, unemployment 'cause' homosexuality

2011-10-09 08:18:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

ACCRA (BNO NEWS) -- A Ghanaian church official on Friday warned local youth about homosexuality and said it is largely 'caused' by poverty and unemployment, local media reported on Saturday.

Reverend Dr. Bugri Nagbo, the Northern Regional Chairman of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, was addressing youth groups, political parties and chiefs in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, during a peace-building seminar organized by the church.

"He said the actors (homosexuals) give their victims fat envelopes of money and assorted gifts to entice them into the act and advised the youth to beware," the state-run Ghana News Agency said in a news report. Nagbo claimed same-sex relations are usually between an older, richer person and a poor young person.

Meanwhile, in the fishing town of Winneba in southern Ghana, psychologist Alhasan Baba Mamudu warned youth to get rid of homosexuality because 'it could destroy their lives' in the future. He also called on parents, Christian and Muslim leaders and the government to intensify their campaign against homosexuality.

The law in Ghana makes consenting homosexual acts a misdemeanor, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenders (LGBT) face widespread discrimination as well as police harassment and extortion attempts. Gay men in prison are often subjected to sexual and other physical abuse.

In late July, Western Region Minister Paul Evans Aidoo ordered the arrest of all homosexuals in the region and tasked security agencies to 'smoke out' all citizens suspected to be engaging in homosexual acts. "All efforts are being made to get rid of these people in the society," he was cited as saying by local radio station Joy FM.

In June 2010, more than 1,000 people protested in the city of Takoradi against reports of gay and lesbian activities in their city. There are no registered LGBT organizations in the African country.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-09

[Steely Dan]

<deleted>, It's as if the world is spinning backwards at the moment.

[mrdome]

Wow, the Rev. is really on the ball(s), isn't he?

As the majority of the world's population seems to be poor and getting by on near unemployment things would not look good, then. On the other hand as overpopulation is perhaps the largest issue we are facing, this might just be 'God's solution' to this problem, prayers answered - done & dusted.

[Jingthing]

<deleted>, It's as if the world is spinning backwards at the moment.

This virulent homophobia in Africa (sometimes death penalties and local lynching as involved) is actively in encouraged in some African countries by American Christian fundamentalist hate churches.

[Scott]

I certainly hope your not suggesting that this wouldn't be happening without the Christian fundamentalists from the US?

Explain why the Muslim countries in Africa and mixed religious countries in Africa also are so intolerant?

[Jingthing]

I certainly hope your not suggesting that this wouldn't be happening without the Christian fundamentalists from the US?

Explain why the Muslim countries in Africa and mixed religious countries in Africa also are so intolerant?

You hope in vain. There is evidence that it wouldn't be happening in the same way in Uganda particularly. The Americans came in and taught some local Christian leaders how to POLITICIZE hatred of gays. I don't believe they are limited to Uganda.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html

Americans’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

Published: January 3, 2010

KAMPALA, Uganda — Last March, three American evangelical Christians, whose teachings about “curing” homosexuals have been widely discredited in the United States, arrived here in Uganda’s capital to give a series of talks.

Also ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/13/death-penalty-uganda-homosexuals

Anti-gay bigots plunge Africa into new era of hate crimes

Uganda is likely to pass a law within months that will make homosexuality a capital offence, joining 37 other countries in the continent where American evangelical Christian groups are increasingly spreading bigotry

More ...

Notice the sign with the AMERICAN flag in the hall, and the anti-Obama rhetoric. The right wing American churches are of course also strongly anti-Obama. The Obama administration has spoken up against the anti-gay hate in Africa.

Edited October 9, 2011 by Jingthing

[Steely Dan]

I certainly hope your not suggesting that this wouldn't be happening without the Christian fundamentalists from the US?

Explain why the Muslim countries in Africa and mixed religious countries in Africa also are so intolerant?

You hope in vain. There is evidence that it wouldn't be happening in the same way in Uganda particularly. The Americans came in and taught some local Christian leaders how to POLITICIZE hatred of gays. I don't believe they are limited to Uganda.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html

Americans’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

Published: January 3, 2010

KAMPALA, Uganda — Last March, three American evangelical Christians, whose teachings about “curing” homosexuals have been widely discredited in the United States, arrived here in Uganda’s capital to give a series of talks.

Also ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/13/death-penalty-uganda-homosexuals

Anti-gay bigots plunge Africa into new era of hate crimes

Uganda is likely to pass a law within months that will make homosexuality a capital offence, joining 37 other countries in the continent where American evangelical Christian groups are increasingly spreading bigotry

More ...

Notice the sign with the AMERICAN flag in the hall, and the anti-Obama rhetoric. The right wing American churches are of course also strongly anti-Obama. The Obama administration has spoken up against the anti-gay hate in Africa.

I don't want to stray too far off topic, but Obama has also supported the so called Arab spring and that threatens to be a disaster for gay rights if sharia becomes the accepted jurisprudence. As it is there are two areas of major sectarian violence in Africa, Sudan and Nigeria in both cases my advice to any gay males would be 'Go south'.

[TAWP]

The church, the right and the left all support Authoritarian governments that oppress the people - and openly show a dislike for homosexuals.

Don't kid yourselves into thinking this is limited to a small subset of the political spectrum - it is the majority view/goal.

Only anti-Authoritarian groups support a complete legalization of homosexuality as a crime and support the complete acknowledgement that also homosexual people can live together as a couple with equal rights as a heterosexual one.

[Scott]

JT, I'll concede defeat to you if you can show me that prior to the interference or help from these churches, gays were living in some sort of harmony in Africa.

I think you have a linking of like-minded people supporting their own positions--not particularly different than a lot of other issues.

I seem to remember the Vatican and the Muslim clerics agreeing at some meeting some year back (In Africa, I believe) about birth control, abortion and homosexuality.

I don't see Churches in the US using poverty and unemployment as the cause of homosexuality. The hatred may be the same, but the rationale seems quite different.

[Scott]

A series of off-topic posts have been removed.

Hint from the OP: 'A Ghanaian church official....'

[geriatrickid]

It is a cop out to blame American Christian groups for the problems in Ghana or Uganda, just as it is a cop out for some Africans to blame westerners for spreading the "scourge of homosexuality". There is no argument that some evangelical groups have not been very Christian in Uganda. However, if one looks at the situation on the continent, it should be evident that the situation was present long before the arrival of the evangelicals.

Africa is a big continent. Look at North Africa. There aren't any evangelical American Christians to speak of in Morrocco, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, etc. Yet, homosexuals are still discriminated against, killed, hearrassed etc. So much for the arab spring spreading freedom to all.

South Africa which considers itself an important force for civil and human rights still has a serious problem with discrimination against non heterosexual males. Get outed in a South African township and you can lose your job, get a beating or worse. Zimbabwe doesn't have any American evangelicals and yet the litany of hate crimes against gays is one of the worst in AFrica.

Being "out" is not an accepted way of life in most of Africa. It has never been. This is their culture. One might be able to be out in Nairobi or Capetown, but it's not possible in Mombassa or elsewhere.

The question now is whether people like Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general from Ghana will speak out. He was always wagging his finger at westerners. Let's see what he says now.

[flying]

tasked security agencies to 'smoke out' all citizens suspected to be engaging in homosexual acts.

poor choice of wording in this case....

[Jingthing]

tasked security agencies to 'smoke out' all citizens suspected to be engaging in homosexual acts.

poor choice of wording in this case....

You wouldn't think it's time for a sex joke if they were smoking out heterosexuals to send them to prison.