Religion and Environmental Conservation: A Case Study of Abasua Prayer Mountain Ministry
Francis Fiahenoo 
, Victor Selorme Gedzi & Ernest Owusu
Issue: Vol.10 No. 8 August 2024 Issue Article 3 pp.299-309
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20241083 | Published online 29th August, 2024.
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Contemporary environmental issues continue to take center stage in various local and international discourses. This paper sought to examine the role of religion, in this context Christianity in environmental conservation at the Abasua prayer center. The study adopted an interpretivism approach which enabled the utilization of a qualitative research approach. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design and both primary and secondary data sources were used. The primary data was collected with the help of interview guides where detailed interview was conducted across the ten prayer camps. The respondents were selected through a purposive sampling technique and the collected data was transcribed and thematically analyzed in the light of the study objectives. The results from the study indicated excessive environmental degradation which was evident in the continuous cutting down of trees by the camps to build without planting. The study furthermore showed that there are no proper waste management systems and the camps do not have environmentally friendly waste management systems. The study has highlighted the nexus between Christians and their role in environmental conservation. It could be asserted from all indications that, without intentional and pragmatic measures, the ecological circle at the Abasua forest reserve will continue to deteriorate with detrimental effects on future generations. It would be recommended that multi-sectoral stakeholder collaborations be conducted to educate the Christians who patronize the forest reserve on the need to protect the environment as it forms part of their basic mandate as Christians.
Keywords: Environmental Conservation, Religion, Abasua Prayer Retreat Center, Degradation
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Francis Fiahenoo is currently a doctoral candidate at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. He is an Ordained Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana stationed at Ramseyer Memorial Congregation, Adum-Kumasi Ghana. He holds B.Ed Arts, Bachelor of Divinity, and Master of Theology from the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon. His research interest is in contemporary Pentecostalism, Religion and Development.
Prof. Victor Selorme Gedzi is a Professor (Associate) in Religion/Culture and Development in the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. His area of specialization is Religion and Development. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague, the Netherlands. Internationally, Prof. Gedzi is a Nuffic Fellow; member of African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR); a Cambridge Publishing Editorial Advisory Board Member; a member of the European Centre for Research Training and Development (ECRT) UK.
Ernest Owusu is currently a doctoral candidate at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He holds an MA in Ministry (Ghana Baptist University College); MPhil in Religious Studies (Central University) and BA. Geography and Rural Development (KNUST). He is a multi-disciplinary trained researcher whose work cuts across other disciplines. His research focuses on Philosophy of Religion, African Traditional Religion, Ethics, Eco-theology and Religion and Ecology. His current PhD work seeks to examine the role of religion in climate change and poverty discourse.
Fiahenoo, Francis, Victor Selorme Gedzi & Ernest Owusu. “Religion and Environmental Conservation: A Case Study of Abasua Prayer Mountain Ministry,” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 10 no.6 (2024): 299-309. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20241083
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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