Ngaba Abefundisi Bafanele Bangenelele Kwezobupolitika?
“UBHISOPHU omkhulu waseKhanada waxelela abahambi ngezonqulo ukuba ukungenelela kwezobupolitika kunokunceda amahlwempu . . . Nangona inkqubo yezobupolitika ibonakala ingavisisani nokuthanda kukaThixo, ‘sifanele singenelele ukuze amahlwempu aphathwe ngokusesikweni.’”—Catholic News.
Iingxelo zeenkokeli zonqulo ezixhasa ukungenelela kwezobupolitika aziyonto ingaqhelekanga; kuquka neenkokeli zonqulo ezinezikhundla kwezobupolitika. Ezinye ziye zazama ukulungisa imeko yezobupolitika. Ezinye ziyahlonelwa yaye zikhunjulwa ngamaphulo azo anjengokulwela amalungelo eentlanga nokupheliswa kobukhoboka.
Sekunjalo, amalungu eecawa amaninzi iyawakhathaza into yokuba abefundisi babo bathabathe icala kwimibandela yezobupolitika. Inqaku elingezifundo zobupolitika iChristian Century lithi: “YayingamaProtestanti awayekuthandabuza maxa wambi ukungenelela kwabefundisi kwizinto zasekuhlaleni.” Abantu bonqulo abaninzi bavakalelwa kukuba icawa ingcwele gqitha ngenxa yoko ayifanele ibandakanyeke kwezobupolitika.
Oku kuvelisa imibuzo ebangel’ umdla exhalabisa abo bafuna ihlabathi elibhetele. Ngaba abefundisi bobuKristu banokuyilungisa imeko yezobupolitika?a Ngaba ukushumayela ngezobupolitika yindlela kaThixo yokuzisa urhulumente nehlabathi elibhetele? Ngaba ubuKristu baqala njengendlela entsha yokubonakaliswa kwegunya lezobupolitika?
Indlela Ezaqala Ngayo Ezobupolitika Egameni LikaKristu
Kwincwadi ethi The Early Church, umbhali-mbali uHenry Chadwick uthi ibandla lamaKristu okuqala lalisaziwa “ngokungabi namdla kwigunya leli hlabathi. Eli yayilibutho labantu ababengenanxaxheba kwezobupolitika, abona babezolile yaye babeyichasile imfazwe okanye ugonyamelo.” IA History of Christianity ithi: “AmaKristu ngokubanzi ayenembono yokuba akafanele abe nezikhundla kwezobupolitika . . . Ngasekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yesithathu uHippolytus wathi ngenxa yesiko lamaKristu elaziwayo omnye umantyi kwafuneka asishiye isikhundla sakhe ukuba wayefuna ukuba lilungu leCawa.” Noko ke, ngokuthe ngcembe, amadoda anyolukele igunya aqalisa ukukhokela amabandla amaninzi, ezinika izibizo ezikhulu. (IZenzo 20:29, 30) Amanye ayefuna ukuba ziinkokeli zonqulo kwanezobupolitika. Ukuguquka ngesiquphe kolawulo lwaseRoma kwavulela loo madoda ithuba awayelifuna.
Ngowe-312 C.E., umhedeni onguMlawuli wamaRoma uConstantine waqalisa ukukuthanda oko kufane kubizwe ngokuba bubuKristu. Okumangalisayo kukuba, oobhishophu babekulungele ukwenza isivumelwano nalo mlawuli ungumhedeni ukuze bafumane amalungelo awayethembise ukubanika wona. UHenry Chadwick ubhala athi: “ICawa yabandakanyeka ngakumbi nangakumbi kwizigqibo ezibalulekileyo zobupolitika.” Kwaba nayiphi impembelelo ukungenelela kwabefundisi kwezobupolitika?
Indlela Ezobupolitika Ezabachaphazela Ngayo Abefundisi
Ingcamango yokuba uThixo wayeya kusebenzisa abefundisi njengamalungu ezobupolitika yakhuthazwa ngokungakumbi nguAugustine, umfundi wezakwalizwi ongumKatolika nodumileyo wenkulungwane yesihlanu. Wayenembono yokuba icawa iya kulawula iintlanga ize izise uxolo ebantwini. Kodwa umbhali-mbali uH. G. Wells wabhala: “Imbali yaseYurophu ukususela ngenkulungwane yesihlanu ukusa kweyeshumi elinesihlanu ubukhulu becala iyimbali yokusilela kwale ngcamango ibalaseleyo yokuba oorhulumente behlabathi balawule ngokwemigaqo yobuthixo.” INgqobhoko ayikhange izise uxolo eYurophu, kuquka nakwihlabathi liphela. Abantu abaninzi baye baphelelwa yintembelo koko bebekukholelwa njengobuKristu. Konakala phi?
Abaninzi ababesithi bashumayela ubuKristu baba nomdla kwezobupolitika ngeenjongo ezintle, kodwa babandakanyeka kwizenzo ezingendawo. UMartin Luther, umfundisi nomguquleli weBhayibhile, waziwa ngemigudu yakhe yokuhlaziya iCawa yamaKatolika. Noko ke, ukuzichasa kwakhe ngenkalipho iimfundiso zecawa kwamenza wathandwa ngabo babevukela ngenxa yezizathu zobupolitika. Abantu abaninzi bayeka ukumhlonela uLuther xa naye waqalisa ukuthetha ngokuphandle ngemicimbi yezobupolitika. Ekuqaleni wayexhasa amahlwempu awayevukela abo bakwizikhundla eziphakamileyo ababewacinezela. Wandula ke, xa le mvukelo yaba nogonyamelo, wakhuthaza abo bakwizikhundla eziphakamileyo ukuba bayiphelise, nto leyo abayenzayo, bebulala abantu abangamawaka. Akumangalisi ke ngoko, ukuba amahlwempu amgqala njengomngcatshi. Kwakhona uLuther wakhuthaza iziphatha-mandla kwimvukelo yazo nxamnye nomlawuli ongumKatolika. Eneneni, amaProtestanti, njengoko abalandeli bakaLuther babesaziwa njalo, basuka nje baseka umbutho wezobupolitika. Kwamchaphazela njani uLuther ukuba negunya? Kwamonakalisa. Ngokomzekelo, nangona ekuqaleni wayekuchasile ukunyanzela abo baphikisa kwimibandela yonqulo, kamva wakhuthaza abahlobo bakhe bezobupolitika ukuba babatshise abo babengavumelani nokubhaptizwa kweentsana.
UJohn Calvin wayengumfundisi odumileyo eGeneva, kodwa ekugqibeleni naye waba nempembelelo enkulu kwezobupolitika. Xa uMichael Servetus wacacisa ukuba imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye ayisekelwanga Zibhalweni, uCalvin wasebenzisa impembelelo yakhe yezobupolitika ukuze axhase ukutshiselwa kukaServetus esibondeni. Hayi indlela ekwakuphambuke ngayo oku kwiimfundiso zikaYesu!
Mhlawumbi la madoda ayekulibele oko iBhayibhile ikuthethayo kweyoku-1 kaYohane 5:19 xa isithi: “Ihlabathi liphela lisemandleni ongendawo.” Ngaba ayenomnqweno onyanisekileyo wokulungisa imeko yezobupolitika yomhla wawo, okanye ayefuna igunya nokuba nabahlobo abakwizikhundla eziphakamileyo awayezincwasile? Enoba yayikukuphi na okuchanileyo, ayefanele akhumbule amazwi aphefumlelweyo omfundi kaYesu uYakobi athi: “Anazi na ukuba ubuhlobo kunye nehlabathi bubutshaba kunye noThixo? Nabani na, ke ngoko, ofuna ukuba ngumhlobo wehlabathi uzenza utshaba lukaThixo.” (Yakobi 4:4) UYakobi wayesazi ukuba uYesu wathi ngabalandeli bakhe: “Abayonxalenye yehlabathi, kanye njengoko nam ndingeyonxalenye yehlabathi.”—Yohane 17:14.
Sekunjalo, nangona beqonda ukuba amaKristu akamele abe yinxalenye yobubi beli hlabathi, abaninzi abafuni ukungathabathi cala kwezobupolitika, eneneni ukungabi “yonxalenye yehlabathi.” Bathi ukuba ngundilele kuthintela amaKristu ekubonakaliseni uthando kwabanye. Bakholelwa ukuba iinkokeli zeecawa zimele zithethe ngokuphandle zize zibe nendima ekulweni ukunganyaniseki nokungabikho kokusesikweni. Kodwa ngaba ukungathabathi cala kwimicimbi yezobupolitika uYesu awayethetha ngako kuyangqubana nokubonakalisa inkxalabo ngabanye? Ngaba umKristu unokuzinxwema kwimicimbi yezobupolitika ebangela ukungamanyani aze kwangaxeshanye anikele uncedo kwabanye? Inqaku elilandelayo lihlolisisa le mibuzo.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Ezobupolitika bezichazwa “njengemisebenzi enxulumene norhulumente welizwe okanye wengingqi, ingakumbi impikiswano okanye imfazwe eba phakathi kwabantu okanye amaqela athile anegunya okanye anethemba lokuba nalo.”—The New Oxford Dictionary of English.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]
Iinkokeli zeecawa zazithoba kubalawuli, abanjengoMlawuli uConstantine, ukuze zifumane igunya kwezobupolitika
[Inkcazelo]
Musée du Louvre, Paris
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 5]
Yintoni eyabangela ukuba iinkokeli zonqulo ezaziwayo zingenelele kwezobupolitika?
UAugustine
ULuther
UCalvin
[Inkcazelo]
Augustine: ICCD Photo; Calvin: Portrait by Holbein, from the book The History of Protestantism (Vol. II)