2006年VOA标准英语-Religious Group in Ghana Brings Together Christ

By Efam Dovi
Accra
22 December 2006

As the world's Christian¹ community marks the birth of Jesus Christ, Ghanaian faithful are joining in the celebrations with various church activities, including conventions and all-night prayer sessions. However, a religious sect² in Ghana is not marking the December 25 holiday. Zetaheal, a spiritual church started by a woman, 31 years ago, brings believers of Christianity and Islam together to worship without a sense of conflict, on a continent dotted with religious conflicts. From the mission's premises³ at Zongo Junction⁴, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital, Accra, Efam Dovi reports the group disagrees with some generally accepted Christian teachings. 

 
Zetaheal members singing  

Hundreds of followers⁶, men, women and children, in all white attire⁷ and bare-footed, are kneeling, facing the east, on a huge compound of a magnificent white church building, as cocks crow to mark another dawn.

Comfort Narh, known to followers as Prophetess Lehem, is leading the first of the seven prescribed prayer sessions for the day. Members prostrate⁸ as the leader approaches, sprinkling Florida Water and blessing⁹ them in a local dialect. Then in a chorus they thank her for the blessings¹⁰.

Thirty-one years ago, Narh, then a seamstress, said she was instructed by angels to set up a church that will bring Muslims and Christians¹¹ together to worship, for peace to prevail in the world. She said that revelation saw the birth of Zetaheal, which she says is a Hebrew word meaning "lean on me for salvation¹²".

 
Daniel Opoku 
Daniel Opoku is spokesman of Lehem. He talks about other revelations that he says the angels made to Lehem.

"And that Christ was born on the 14th of November and not 25th [December] as most Christians know and Christ also died on the 11th [April] and his death is not a blessing because God was angry when Christ was killed and that we need to beg for forgiveness," said Opoku. "Christ was supposed to have come to stay with us and teach us the way of God that we should follower⁵ and have our salvation, the death is not a salvation for mankind, it is rather a curse for man, which Zetaheal has come to straighten."

 
Zetaheal church building
Followers also celebrate Ramadan, the Muslim festival.

The group believes Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Muhammad, the Islamic prophet, descended¹³ from Ishmael, and Jesus, who the group believes is a Christian prophet, descended from Isaac. The group sees followers of Islam and Christianity as being from one family, which must live in peace.

During service, those with Christian background sit on chairs and pews, while those of Muslim origin sit on mats.

Followers receive Islamic teachings on Fridays and Christian teachings on Sundays. Sermons are preached and interpreted in three Ghanaian languages, as well as English and Hausa. Children are also taught to read both the Koran and the Bible.

Opoku, an orthodox Christian, joined the mission 22 years ago. All his children were born into the church. Nana Serwaa, 22, is his oldest daughter, who gives Islamic lessons to children in the church. She says, even as a child, she was never confused about the Zetaheal doctrine¹⁴, saying she rather felt unique. She says she reads a lot and that helps her to better understand the two religions.

"There was a book I read, The Secret and Revelation of the Anti-Christ, and you could realize so many things in that book. There was a part that was like a woman is the religion, who is that woman? That was when I knew that, yes, I have that woman right here in Zetaheal. Because at the last days it claims in [the book of] Revelation that a woman is the religion, so if I have it, I don't get confuse, I'm so happy here, you don't have to get confused, and reading wide also help," said Serwaa.

 
Freddie Dankwa 
Followers have various reasons for joining the mission. Freddie Dankwa says he had unanswered questions that led him to Zetaheal.

"Why Christ came to die for us? Why is it that the prophet only comes through the white race and not the black race? Questions about what we've been told in our everyday life concerning rituals and spirituality, of the African and that of the Christian, the conflict that we have," said Dankwa. "We know we have a soul as we've been told in childhood and the life after the death, as one say there is one, others say there is no life and so forth¹⁵."

He says he now has answers to all sorts of problems and says he knows God better now, instead of being previously¹⁶ told to just believe.

 
Ramatu Lawal
Ramatu Lawal, a Muslim, is now one of the more than 5,000 members of the sect. She converted 28 years ago. Now she prays seven times a day, in accordance with the teachings of Zetaheal, and says the confusion between the tw religions comes as a result of misunderstanding,

She says, if Muslims and Christians across the world come together as one, she believes the world will be a nicer place. She blames the devil for conflicts between the two religions, and says the world needs to unite against the devil. She says Christians and Muslims will live in harmony if there is an understanding like what they have in Zetaheal.

The mission says its imposing¹⁷ church building, with a well manicured compound, was built from proceeds of its plantation¹⁸. Members help on the plantation during their free time and the proceeds are used to finance church activities.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

3 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

4 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

5 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

6 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

8 prostrate   

v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的

参考例句：

• She was prostrate on the floor.她俯卧在地板上。
• The Yankees had the South prostrate and they intended to keep It'so.北方佬已经使南方屈服了,他们还打算继续下去。

9 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

10 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

12 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

13 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

14 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

17 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

18 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。