Accra, April 4, GNA – The Reverend Isaac Obed Asamoah, General Overseer of the Gospel Faith Ministries Ghana, has called on government and traditional authorities to collaborate to regulate and sanitise funeral practices in the country.
He also urged Christians to reduce excessive spending on funerals and rather cultivate the habit of saving to support the welfare of surviving family members after the death of a loved one.
Rev Asamoah said just as Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, was buried simply after His crucifixion, Christians must also emulate that example by avoiding elaborate and costly funeral ceremonies.
Preaching at an Easter retreat organised by the church in Accra, he expressed concern about the growing trend of excessive funeral expenditure in Ghana, coupled with what he described as “unbecoming behaviours” by some mourners.
“These include mishandling the dead, lying on the same bed with corpses, wining and dining around them, and in some cases attempting to feed the dead,” he said.
Rev Asamoah questioned the origin of such practices, noting that they were neither Christian nor part of Ghanaian culture.
He called on government, in collaboration with chiefs and traditional authorities, to introduce regulations to bring order and decorum to funeral ceremonies in the country.
While acknowledging that it was acceptable to organise befitting funerals for departed relatives, he stressed the need for moderation to prevent families from being saddled with huge debts long after burial.
Quoting from the Book of Ecclesiastes 7:2, Rev Asamoah said it was better to attend funerals than parties because funerals offered the opportunity for reflection and sober living.
“It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart,” he emphasized.
“Unfortunately, funerals today are turning into something else entirely,” he observed.
The four-day Easter retreat, which will climax on Sunday, April 5, is on the theme: “Christ Our Passover Lamb.”
Rev Asamoah urged Christians to remain steadfast in their faith in Jesus Christ, who laid down His life to grant eternal life to all who believe in His name.
He said Christ shed His blood to atone for the sins of the world and called on those who had not yet accepted Him to do so in order to enjoy free salvation.
Rev Asamoah also admonished Christians to eschew sin, including indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and gutters, and to contribute to keeping the environment clean for the safety and survival of humanity and aquatic life.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah