Hɛl La​—La ni Miitso loo La ni Miigbo?

PROTESTANT shiɛlɔ Jonathan Edwards kɛ gbeyei woɔ afii ohai 18 lɛ mli Amerikahii Shihelɔi lɛ atsuii amli kɛtsɔɔ bɔ ni etsɔɔ hɛl mli fitsofitso ehaa lɛ nɔ. Gbi ko lɛ etsɔɔ ehe saji lɛ eko mli akɛ Nyɔŋmɔ kɛ eshafeelɔi etsotsoro tso nɔ yɛ la yiteŋ tamɔ anaanui ni aahi. Edwards kã esafo lɛ mlibii lɛ ahiɛ akɛ: “O eshafeelɔ, otsotsoroɔ kpãa legelege nɔ, yɛ be mli ni Nyɔŋmɔ mlifu la lɛ tsoɔ yɛ he lɛ, ni efee klalo be fɛɛ be ni ebaashã lɛ blɛoo, ni eshã lɛ ni etse.”

Shi, beni Edwards kɛ nɛkɛ shiɛmɔ gbonyo nɛɛ ha sɛɛ be fioo nɔŋŋ, kɛkɛ ni, kɛji wɔɔkɛɛ lɛ, hɛl lalilɛii lɛ bɔi shibaa ni la lɛ bɔi gbomɔ.a Wolo ni atsɛɔ lɛ The Decline of Hell ni D. P. Walker ŋma lɛ wieɔ akɛ “beni shɛɔ afii ohai 18 lɛ mli afii nyɔŋmai ejwɛ mli lɛ, no mli lɛ aate shi aawo mɛi ni abuɔ amɛ fɔ lɛ anaanɔ piŋmɔ tsɔɔmɔ lɛ yɛ faŋŋ mli .” Yɛ afii ohai 19 lɛ mli lɛ hɛl lalilɛii tee nɔ enaa ba shi, ni beni shɛɔ afii ohai 20 lɛ teŋgbɛ lɛ, no mli lɛ bɔ ni Edwards susuɔ yɛ hɛl he ákɛ ‘la flɔnɔɔ, he ni ajeɔ gbɛ apiŋɔ mɛi yɛ jɛmɛ yɛ faŋŋ mli yɛ amɛjwɛŋmɔi kɛ amɛgbɔmɔtsei amli kɛyaa naanɔ’ lɛ etsake kwraa ni ejeee saneyitso kɛha sanegbaa dɔŋŋ. Adafitswaa wolo mli niŋmalɔ Jeffery Sheler wie akɛ: “Akɛni ŋmɛnɛŋmɛnɛ beaŋ woloŋlee tutua lɛ, ni Hiroshima kɛ Gbɔmɛi Hiɛkpatamɔ lɛ mli piŋmɔi lɛ anaa wa kwraa fe no hewɔ lɛ, eha bɔ ni asusuɔ hɛl he kɛ gbeyeishemɔ lɛ tamɔɔɔ tsutsu lɛ dɔŋŋ.”

Shiɛlɔi pii hu elaaje bɔ ni tsutsu lɛ amɛsumɔɔ la kɛ swɔɔ amɛhaa lɛ. Hɛl gbeyei nibii ahe shiɛmɔi ni yɔɔ kpɛŋŋ lɛ laaje kwraa kɛjɛ Kristendom shiɛmɔ kpokui anɔ wiemɔi amli yɛ amɛsɔlemɔi ni ale waa lɛ amli. Yɛ Nyɔŋmɔ jamɔ he nikaselɔi pii agbɛfaŋ lɛ, hɛl batsɔ saneyitso ko ni be eho kwraa kɛha nikasemɔ ni hiɛdɔɔ yɔɔ he. Afii komɛi ni eho nɛ Iɛ, sɔlemɔ yinɔsaneŋmalɔ ko miitao nibii amli kɛba univɛsiti nitsɔɔmɔ yɛ hɛl he, ni ekwɛ woji ni woloŋlelɔi eŋmala lɛ babaoo mli saji ataomɔ hei. Enaaa hekome po ni atsi ta yɛ. Taakɛ Newsweek wolo tɛtrɛɛ lɛ tsɔɔ lɛ, yinɔsaneŋmalɔ lɛ mu sane naa akɛ: “Hɛl elaaje kwraa. Ni mɔ kɔ mɔ ko enaaa beni elaaje.”

Hɛl Sɛɛkuu

Elaaje? Elajeko jogbaŋŋ. Naakpɛɛ sane ji akɛ, hɛl tsɔɔmɔ lɛ epue ekoŋŋ yɛ bui komɛi, yɛ nyɛsɛɛ afii fioo nɛɛ amli. Niiamlitaomɔ ko ni afee yɛ Amerika lɛ tsɔɔ akɛ mɛi abɔ ni kɛɔ akɛ amɛheɔ amɛyeɔ akɛ hɛl yɛ lɛ ayifalɛ etee hiɛ kɛjɛ oha mlijaa 53 yɛ 1981 mli kɛyashɛ oha mlijaa 60 yɛ 1990 mli. Nɔ ni fata he hu ji sanekpakpa shiɛmɔ kui ni shiɛɔ hɛl he saji, ni miiya nɔ eefa babaoo yɛ je lɛŋ he fɛɛ he lɛ, ni anaa faŋŋ akɛ bɔ ni hɛl eku esɛɛ eba ekoŋŋ kɛ hiɛdɔɔ yɛ Kristendom susumɔ mli lɛ ji jeŋ muu fɛɛ susumɔ ko lɛlɛŋ.

Shi ani eshitee ekoŋŋ nɛɛ saa mɛi ni ji sɔlemɔyalɔi lɛ pɛ he, aloo eshɛ osɔfoi lɛ ateŋ hu? Anɔkwale lɛ ji akɛ, bɔ ni Jonathan Edwards shiɛ hɛl la he sane etsɔɔ aaafee afii 250 ni eho nɛ lɛ elajeko kɛjɛko Kristendom sɔlemɔi ni hiɛ blɛma saji amli lɛ ashiɛmɔ kpokui lɛ anɔ. Yɛ 1991 mli lɛ, U.S.News & World Report bɔ amaniɛ akɛ: “Yɛ sɔlemɔi titrii ni ŋmɛɔ susumɔi heei agbɛ lɛ po ateŋ lɛ, anaa okadii ni tsɔɔ akɛ Nyɔŋmɔ jamɔ he nilelɔi miije shishi amɛkɛ hiɛdɔɔ miisusu hɛl he jwɛŋmɔ lɛ he waa fe bɔ ni amɛfee afii nyɔŋmai abɔ ni eho nɛ lɛ.” Eyɛ faŋŋ akɛ, yɛ afii abɔ ni akɛkpoo lɛ sɛɛ lɛ, hɛl lɛ tsɔɔmɔ lɛ eku sɛɛ eba ekoŋŋ yɛ jɛ lɛŋ jamɔi fɛɛ mli. Shi, ani ekã he ehiɛ bɔ ni etsoɔ grigri lɛ mli nakai nɔŋŋ?

Sanebimɔi ni Ateeɔ Amɛ Shi

Nyɔŋmɔ jamɔ he nilelɔ W. F. Wolbrecht yiŋ efeee lɛ kɔshikɔshi kwraa: “Hɛl lɛ, hɛl ni, ni adesai atsɔmɔ nii loo susumɔ kɔ nyɛŋ atsake lɛ kɛjɛ naanɔ fɔbuu hé ni eji lɛ.” Sɔlemɔyalɔi pii ayiŋ feɔ amɛ enyɔnyɔ yɛ he. Eyɛ mli akɛ amɛjeee hɛl shihilɛ he ŋwane moŋ, shi amɛbiɔ saji yɛ bɔ ni hɛl ji lɛ he. Nyɔŋmɔ jamɔ he nilelɔ kroko hu kpɛlɛɔ nɔ akɛ: “Yɛ mihu migbɛfaŋ lɛ, hɛl ji he ko ni yɔɔ diɛŋtsɛ ni ŋwanejee kɔ bɛ he, ni atswa he adafi yɛ faŋŋ mli yɛ Biblia mli odaseyeli mli, shi bɔ ni eji diɛŋtsɛ lɛ, no lɛ naagba yɛ he.” Hɛɛ, yɛ Nyɔŋmɔ jamɔ he nilelɔi kɛ sɔlemɔyalɔi pii agbɛfaŋ lɛ, sane ni amɛbiɔ ŋmɛnɛ lɛ jeee, “Ani hɛl ko yɛ lo?” shi moŋ, “Mɛni ji hɛl?”

Tɛ obaaha hetoo tɛŋŋ? Mɛni ji nɔ ni akɛɛ bo yɛ bɔ ni hɛl ji hɔ lɛ he? Ni mɛni hewɔ ni Kristofoi anɔkwafoi ehao yɛ nɛkɛ tsɔɔmɔ nɛɛ he lɛ?

[Shishigbɛ niŋmai]

[He ni Mfoniri ni yɔɔ baafa 2 lɛ Jɛ]

Cover: Doré’s illustration of Tumult and Escape for Dante’s Divine Comedy

[He ni Mfoniri ni yɔɔ baafa 3 lɛ Jɛ]

Bɔ ni Doré fee Abomsamii kɛ Virgil he mfoniri eha yɛ Dante wolo Divine Comedy mli