In a powerful display of unity, religious leaders and faith-based organisations gathered at the Etherean Mission in Accra to mark Planetary Liberation Day 2025. The event, held under the theme, “The Role of Religion in World Peace,” brought together diverse groups, including representatives from the Hindu Monastery, Eckankar Ghana, the Methodist Church, The Church of Latter-Day Saints, and the Hare Krishna Movement, among others.
The forum served as a critical platform for participants to engage in a group discussion on key questions facing global peace. The discussions focused on three main areas:
* Tackling Religious Extremism: Participants delved into the root causes of religious extremism, a pervasive issue threatening global stability. The conversation centred on how religious leaders and communities can actively address these issues, with an emphasis on promoting tolerance, understanding, and peaceful coexistence.
* Religion as an Instrument of Peace: The dialogue explored what role religion must play to become a genuine instrument of peace. Attendees examined the principles and actions that could transform religious institutions into forces for positive change, moving beyond mere coexistence to active collaboration.
* Measuring Peace Initiatives: In a forward-thinking segment, the group discussed potential metrics or indicators that could be used to measure the effectiveness of religions as peace-building institutions. This part of the discussion aimed to establish tangible benchmarks for progress, moving the conversation from abstract ideals to measurable outcomes.
In an interview following the Planetary Liberation Day event, Brother Dr. Ishmael Nii Nyaako Oblitey Tetteh, Founder of the Etherean Mission, offered a profound perspective on the role of religion in society and its potential to foster global peace. Speaking on the event’s theme, “The Role of Religion In World Peace,” Dr. Tetteh argued that religion is the foundational block of civilization and culture, and when it goes wrong, society is broken.
Dr. Tetteh, who initiated the event in 2001 in the United States in response to the September 11 attacks, said he chose the theme of “Planetary Liberation Day” to highlight that peace is not merely “the quiet of the graveyard,” but the “identification and free expression of your innate potentials.” He said that internal conflict arises when an individual’s potential is unfulfilled, which then leads to external conflicts and wars.
According to Dr. Tetteh, the mission’s goal is to create a “brand character” for what a religion should be. He explained that the word “religion” comes from the Latin word “religare,” which means “to unite” or “bring together.” However, he lamented that modern religion often causes division, leading to the disintegration of families, which are the fundamental units of society.
The seminar, which is in its 24th edition, has explored various topics over the years to address the root causes of conflict. Past topics have included:
* The Senses: How the five senses can contribute to conflict.
* Raising the Empowered Child: Challenging the notion that child-rearing is mere experimentation and advocating for a structured approach to raising children who are responsible, fearless, and conscious of their uniqueness.
* Raising the Empowered Family: Expanding on the family as a unit of society and exploring different ways to build strong, healthy families.
Dr. Tetteh said that these discussions are aimed at addressing the fundamental reasons for hatred and division, which go deeper than superficial factors like skin color. He stressed that achieving world peace starts with each individual finding inner peace by identifying their potential and living without being controlled by fear or anger. He concluded by saying the mission will continue to build a framework that can be used to assess whether a religious institution genuinely serves as a center for peace.
Dr. Baffour Jan, Founder of the Jan Cosmic Foundation, has called for a renewed focus on spirituality as the key to achieving world peace. In an interview on the sidelines of the Planetary Liberation Day event, Dr. Jan stated that true religion requires a balance between the social and spiritual aspects of life, a balance he says is currently lacking in modern society.
Dr. Jan used a powerful analogy of the brain to explain this imbalance. He noted that the left side of the brain, which handles social and worldly matters, is overactive, while the right side, responsible for spirituality, is non-functional. “We have to have the two legs to walk,” he said, emphasizing that humanity cannot progress by relying solely on its social and worldly aspects.
According to Dr. Jan, the root of global conflict is a fundamental lack of balance. He explained that humanity has become too identified with its worldly roles and material possessions, or what he called “false identities.” He likened this to an actor in a play who forgets their true identity outside of the role they are playing. He said that this overemphasis on false identities, such as nationality, religion, or social status, is the cause of hatred and discord.
Dr. Jan proposed that the solution lies in activating the spiritual part of the brain to achieve a 50/50 balance between the social and spiritual. He said that a baby’s innocence is a perfect example of humanity’s true state, a state that is free from false identities and the aggression that comes with them. He concluded that as long as humanity continues to express itself through its false identity, peace will remain elusive.
Reverend Josephine Kafui Tetteh, leader of the Etherean Mission International, has called for a fundamental shift in how religion is practiced, arguing that it must become a tool for unity rather than division. In an interview, Reverend Tetteh spoke about this year’s Planetary Liberation Day theme, “The Role of Religion In World Peace.”
Reverend Tetteh stated that religion, which is meant to gather and help people discover their best selves, has instead become a source of friction and antagonism. She said that many religious groups have segregated themselves, leading to a mindset of “my religion is the best” and looking down on others. She warned that this behavior is a “trigger for conflict.”
”We need to respect each other’s background and religious beliefs,” she said.
According to Reverend Tetteh, a key aspect of this understanding is recognizing that all people originate from the same source: God. She emphasized that different cultural backgrounds have given rise to various religions, but this diversity should not be a cause for segregation. Just as children from the same parents see themselves as one family, people of all faiths should see themselves as one family under one God.
She stressed that for true peace to be achieved, religious centers must help people discover their “true identities,” which she described as “divine, pure, and whole.” When individuals recognize their own divinity and see others as equally divine, a harmonious coexistence becomes possible.
”I wouldn’t look down on the other emanation or divine representation of God,” she said. “I would see all as divine representations of God in different natures, diversity in unity.”
Reverend Tetteh concluded that true religious unity requires an open mindset to see the good in everyone and to be willing to learn from and embrace one another. This, she believes, is the only way to achieve world peace.
The event concluded with a strong call for interfaith collaboration and a shared commitment to using religion as a tool for fostering harmony and mutual respect across communities.
By Kingsley Asiedu
Source: newsghana.com.gh
