A Religious Response To Environmental Degradation In Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly And Ejisu – Juaben Municipal Assembly

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Date
2011
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Abstract
This long piece of writing brings to light a religious response to environmental degradation in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and Ejisu – Juaben Municipal Assembly. It pinpoints the causes of the ecological crisis that is currently on the rampage in the two study areas and how they can be curtailed and managed effectively. This thesis states emphatically that environmental degradation is human-induced and therefore postulates the following: Christians’ understanding of stewardship, exploitation of nature by Christians, refusal to condemn environmental destroyers outright, poor management of nature, human population growth, spiritism, poor interpretation of the gospels, noise, frequent shortages and high prices of liquefied petroleum gas, bad gases, refusal of sand and stones winners to reclaim the land, inability to implement the environmental rules prescribed by the prophet, agrochemicals, modernity, concessionaires, chain sawing, leachates, Christians’ understanding of the ecological triangle, technological advancement, relegation of farmers to the background, improper waste disposal and the use of pestles, mortars and canes. Now, since environmentalists have explored all avenues to curb the crisis and it’s still going on, this thesis recommends religion as the final arbiter because the three main religions (Christian, Islamic and Traditional) in Ghana teach how humans should be treated and how humans should relate to nature. These religions provide basic interpretive stories of who humans are, what nature is, where humans have come from and where they are going. It attempts to use the multi-faith principles in the study areas to provide lasting cure-alls for the ecological crisis confronting the inhabitants. This thesis tries to accentuate the three main religions in the study areas because they consider environmental destruction as a sin against God, humans and nature. It teaches that it’s only religion that can lead people to be circumspect as far as environmental issues are concerned without any circumvention. It is defined by some people as: The life of God in the soul of man, the conservation of values etc.
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A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Religious Studies, 2011
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