Is the Church a Place of Solace or Frustration?

Abstract

Religion is seen to have both positive and negative impacts on the individual and the society. The present study sought to investigate the impact of neo-prophetic Christianity on the members of neo-prophetic churches in Ghana. Eighty-six congregants of six neo-prophetic churches in Accra and Kumasi were sampled for this study. Methods used in the gathering of data included in-depth interviews, church observations, and focused group discussions. Results indicated that neo-prophetic Christianity has both positive and negative impacts on their members and the society in general. Some of the negative impacts included exploitation by church leaders, discrimination among church members and against other religions, and attribution of spiritual causes to illness and misfortune. The positive impacts of religion included the adoption of good personal values, provision of social support, the use of religious coping, as well as fostering hope and optimism. The implications of these findings are discussed.