The Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) has supported a recent call by religious leaders for a ban on small scale mining as a way of dealing with the illegal ones (Galamsey) among them.
The church also demanded that the galamseyers should be forced to work to reclaim the lands, water bodies and forest reserves that have been destroyed by their activities.
“We are also of the firm belief that there are laws in this country, and until they are enforced it will be difficult for perpetrators to stop this destructive act.
Bellow is the full statement issued.
Adventists join the call for a ban on galamsey on Creation Sabbath
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has designated the fourth Saturday in October as Creation Sabbath. Today, October 22, 2022 is being marked as the Creation Sabbath, a special time to remember and affirm our belief that the world and everything in it belong to God and He expects human beings, placed here as rulers, to exercise benevolent, and selfless stewardship of the earth.
As we mark this day therefore, the Adventist Church in Ghana condemns in no uncertain terms the blatant disregard, abuse and over-exploitation of our natural resources in the name of small scale mining (Galamsey).
We support the recent call by religious leaders for a ban on small scale mining (Galamsey), and demand that the perpetuators of this crime work to reclaim the lands, water bodies and forest reserves that have been destroyed by their activities. We are also of the firm belief that there are laws in this country, and until they are enforced it will be difficult for perpetrators to stop this destructive act.
Our stand is based on our belief that human beings were mandated to care for the earth as recorded in Genesis 1:26 “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” The command, “to have dominion” is not to be misconstrued as a right to abuse the earth.
As we mark the Creation Sabbath today, the Adventist Church in Ghana wishes to remind Ghanaians and Christians especially of our patriotic duty and Christian obligation to pass on this earth and its resources to the next generation in a manner that supports their livelihood and sustenance of life. In Revelation 11:18, we are told that God will destroy those who destroy the earth.
The Church appreciates the various efforts that have been so far to create awareness on the menace of galamsey and the efforts by Government to provide alternative income sources for those whose livelihoods will be affected by a ban on small scale mining.
The Adventist Church, on Creation Sabbath, reiterates that we are obligated to study nature, learn from it, and preserve it for future generations to do the same, and calls on all Ghanaians to see the fight against galamsey as a patriotic responsibility as well as s a Christian duty.
