Umbono WeBhayibheli

Ingabe Ikhona Ingozi Ekwenzeni Umlingo?

‘SEKUZOQALA umlingo. Ngokungazelele, umsindo wesigubhu uqeda lokhu kuthula. Wonke amehlo athe njó emadodeni amabili ambethe inyufomu aphethe izibhamu. Ephakamisela izibhamu zawo emahlombe, azikhomba kumenzi wemilingo waseChina ovunule econsa. Ubamba ipuleti lobumba esifubeni sakhe. Izibhamu ziyaqhuma. Ngokuphazima kweso lomenzi wemilingo uwela phansi, opha kakhulu. Umlingo wokuvimba izinhlamvu ngalelipuleti uphenduka inhlekelele.’ Iphutha lokusebenza kwesinye salezibhamu libangele inhlamvu ukuba iphume futhi ingene esifubeni salomenzi wemilingo. Ilandisa kanjalo incwadi ethi Henry Gordon’s World of Magic.

Yeka ukuchithwa kwesipho sokuphila—konke ngenxa yelukuluku elivusa amadlingozi, injabulo eshaqisayo, nokuzijabulisa okuhambisana nalolohlobo lomlingo. Ingabe yileyo indlela osabela ngayo? Noma ingabe unomuzwa wokuthi lokhu kumane nje kuyingxenye yengozi ehlobene nokwenziwa kwesenzo esinjalo eshashalazini? Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ungase usabele kanjani, lapho lomlingo wehluleka wa-ba yingozi ebhubhisayo. Lokhu kusishukumisela ukuba sibuze: Ingabe ikhona ingozi efihlekile ehlobene nokwenza umlingo? Ukuze sithole impendulo, ake sihlole umsuka walobuciko basendulo.

Ithonya Lomlingo Kuwo Wonke Umlando

Kusukela ekuqaleni komlando, umuntu uye waphicwa futhi wakhohliswa ngemfihlakalo yomlingo. Igama lesiNgisi elithi “umlingo” lithathwe egameni elithi “magi,” isigungu sobupristi sasePheresiya lasendulo esasisebenza ngezenzo zokukhulekela. Ngomqondo wawo oyisisekelo, umlingo uwumzamo wokulawula noma ukuphoqa amandla angokwemvelo noma angaphezu kwawemvelo ukuze akhonze umuntu. IGibithe langekhulu le-18 B.C.E. lalisebenzisa abapristi abenza imilingo. Umlingo futhi wawunengxenye evelele enkolweni yamaKhaledi aseBabiloni lasendulo ekhulwini lesishiyagalombili B.C.E. (Genesise 41:8, 24; Isaya 47:12-14; Daniyeli 2:27; 4:7) Lelithonya lalivelele phakathi kwamaGreki namaRoma asendulo kwehle kuze eNkathini Ephakathi futhi kuqhubeke kuze kube sekhulwini lethu lama-20.

Izinhlobo ezingafani zomlingo zingase zihlukaniswe ngezindlela eziningana. URobert A. Stebbins encwadini yakhe ethi The Magician uhlukanisa umlingo ngezigaba ezintathu.

Izinhlobo Ezintathu Zomlingo

Umlingo oyimfihlo, ‘uwukubonakaliswa kwamandla emimoya.’ Ubonisa ukuthi ‘izenzakalo noma izinqubo eziphikisana nolwazi lokwahlulela okuhle noma ulwazi olungokwesayensi ziyiqiniso noma zinengqondo.’ UStebbins uyaqhubeka echaza ukuthi “umlingo oyimfihlo uhambisana nokulumba, . . . ukuthakatha, i-alchemy, futhi ngaphansi kwezimo ezithile, inkolo.”

Ngomlingo wokuxhaphaza, “abawenzayo basebenzisa kabi noma baxhaphaze ukuqonda kwezibukeli iqiniso ukuze bazitholele udumo.” Bayazi ukuthi bakhohlisa umphakathi, kodwa ngokusho kukaStebbins, “bakhuthaza labo abazibonela lomlingo ukuba bakholelwe okuhlukile—ukuba bakholelwe ukuthi bona, njengabenzi bemilingo, banamandla angaphezu kwawemvelo noma baxhumana ngokukhethekile nemimoya.”

Injongo yomlingo wokuzijabulisa iwukubangela ukumangala ngokukhohlisa okuphicayo. Unezindlela ezinhlanu eziyisisekelo futhi ezinezici ezifanayo: “umlingo waseshashalazini, umlingo owenzelwa idlanzana, ubuciko bokuphica ngezandla, ukukhohlisa, nokufunda ingqondo.”

Ingabe Ikhona Ingozi KumaKristu?

Ake siqale sihlole umlingo oyimfihlo. Umlingo oyimfihlo wenziwa ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene. Ngokwesibonelo, bakhona abakhulekeli bakaSathane abenza kokubili umlingo “omnyama” “nomhlophe.” Umlingo “omnyama” uhilela ukuthumela iziphonso, iziqalekiso ezikhethekile, neso elibi ukuze umuntu alimaze izitha zakhe. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, umlingo “omhlophe” uhloselwe ukuveza imiphumela emihle ngokuxosha iziphonso nokuqeda iziqalekiso. Nokho, kokubili kuwukubonakaliswa kokusebenzisa imimoya noma imfihlo. Ngezinye izikhathi umlingo oyimfihlo uze ngisho usetshenziswe ukuze kuzanywe ukuba kutholwe isivuno esihle noma ukuze kuwinwe umncintiswano wokusubatha. Nokho, ngokuphathelene naloluhlobo lomlingo wokusebenzisa imimoya, iBhayibheli aligudl’ iguma: “Ningenzi imilingo, ningahloli imihlola.”—Levitikusi 19:26; Duteronomi 18:9-14; IzEnzo 19:18, 19.

Ikuphi ingozi emlingweni wokuxhaphaza? Abafundi bentende yesandla, ababikezeli benhlanhla, nabaphulukisa ngokuthandazela, uma sibala abambalwa, basebenzisa umlingo wokuxhaphaza ukuze bathuthukise izithakazelo zabo siqu. Ingabe abaqambi amanga ngomsebenzi wabo? IZwi likaNkulunkulu lithi: “Ningakhohlisani, ningaqambelani amanga.”—Levitikusi 19:11.

I-Encyclopedia Americana ithi: “Kwezinye izimo, izenzo zomlingo zingase zishukumise imimoya.” Ingabe sifuna ukumema inkinga yemimoya yamademoni ngokuhileleka ngisho nangokungenhloso emkhakheni onjalo? Uma enikezwa ithuba, amademoni angasixhaphaza futhi ayokwenza lokho. Abheka ‘izikhathi ezifanele’ futhi awaphumuli emizamweni yawo.—Luka 4:13; Jakobe 1:14.

Ingcweti ebucikweni bokukhohlisa nokuphica uSathane uDeveli ngokwakhe. Ubelokhu esebenzisa lobuciko kusukela esenzweni sakhe sokuqala phambi komuntu ensimini yase-Edene. (Genesise 3:1-19) Yimuphi umKristu ongafuna ukufana naye? Kunalokho, amaKristu alulekwa ukuba ‘alingise uNkulunkulu’ futhi ‘azithobe kuNkulunkulu, kepha amelane noSathane.’—Efesu 5:1; Jakobe 4:7.

Nokho, abantu abaningi bahlobanisa igama elithi “umlingo” nokuzijabulisa. Umuntu angase akhohlise ngokuphica ngezandla zakhe (ubuqili obenziwa ngesandla), ecabanga ukuthi ngokuvamile isandla sishesha ukwedlula iso. IBhayibheli lingase lingamelani nalokhu. Nokho, uma kunokuzenzisa kokusebenzisa umlingo wemimoya, ingabe umKristu angafuna ukunikeza umqondo wokuthi unamandla athile angaphezu kwawemvelo, angachazeki? Noma uma abanye benikezwa umbono ongalungile ngesenzo “somlingo,” ingabe umKristu ngeke athande ukugwema ukuzijabulisa okunjalo ukuze angakhubekisi abanye? (1 Korinte 10:29, 31-33) Ngaphezu kwalokho, kunengozi enkulu yokuba umuntu alingeke ukuba aqhubekele phambili, angene ebucikweni obujule ngokwengeziwe bokwenza imilingo.

Ngakho-ke, uma kuziwa emlingweni oxhumene ngokusobala nokusebenzisa imimoya, amaKristu eqiniso akugwema ngokuhlakanipha ukuwenza. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kuzo zonke izici zokuphila komKristu—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ihilela umsebenzi wokuziphilisa, ukuzilibazisa, noma ukuzijabulisa—uyofuna ‘ukuba nonembeza omuhle,’ unembeza ongakuvumeli ukona kuNkulunkulu noma kumuntu.—1 Petru 3:16; IzEnzo 24:16.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]

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