Imvelaphi Yokungakholelwa Ebukhoneni BukaNkulunkulu

SIPHILA kuyiplanethi egcwele usizi; ukubheka kafushane izihloko zamaphephandaba kufakazela leloqiniso usuku ngalunye. Isimo esinganiki themba sezwe lethu siye sabangela abaningi ukuba bangabaze ukuba khona kukaNkulunkulu. Abanye, abathi bangabangakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu, bayakwenqaba ngisho nokuba khona kwakhe. Ingabe kunjalo nangawe?

Ukukholelwa noma ukungakholelwa kuNkulunkulu kungawuthonya ngokujulile umbono wakho ngekusasa. Ngaphandle kukaNkulunkulu, ukusinda kohlanga lwesintu kuxhomeke ngokuphelele kumuntu—umbono onganikezi themba, njengoba umuntu enamandla amakhulu okuzibhubhisa. Uma ukholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona, khona-ke cishe uyakwamukela ukuthi ukuphila kuleplanethi kunayo injongo—injongo ezogcwaliseka ekugcineni.

Nakuba ukwenqatshwa kokuba khona kukaNkulunkulu bekungavamile kuwo wonke umlando wesintu, kuye kwaba semakhulwini eminyaka amuva nje lapho ukuthandwa kokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu kuye kwasakazeka khona. Uyazi ukuthi kungani?

Ukubona Imvelaphi

Umuthi omkhulu uwumbono ohlaba umxhwele. Nokho, iso libona kuphela amaqabunga, amagatsha, nesiqu. Izimpande—umthombo wokuphila kwalomuthi—zicashe ekujuleni enhlabathini.

Kungokufanayo nangokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Njengomuthi ophakeme, ukwenqatshwa kokuba khona kukaNkulunkulu kwabonakala kuhlaba umxhwele ngekhulu le-19. Ingabe ukuphila nendawo yonke kwakungaba khona ngaphandle koMsunguli Wokuqala onamandla angaphezu kwawemvelo? Ingabe ukukhulekelwa koMdali onjalo kuwukuchitha isikhathi? Izimpendulo zezazi zefilosofi ezivelele zangalesosikhathi zazigcizelelwa futhi zicacile. “Njengoba nje singasasidingi isimiso somthetho wokuziphatha, nenkolo asisayidingi,” kwasho uFriedrich Nietzsche. “Inkolo iyiphupho lengqondo yomuntu,” kuqinisekisa uLudwig Feuerbach. Futhi uKarl Marx, ozincwadi zakhe zazizokuba nethonya elikhulu emashumini eminyaka ayezolandela, ngesibindi wathi: “Ngifuna ukwandisa inkululeko yengqondo ekugqilazweni inkolo.”

Izigidi zahlabeka umxhwele. Nokho, lokho ezazikubona kwakumane kungamaqabunga, amagatsha, nesiqu sokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Izimpande zazisendaweni yazo futhi zihluma esikhathini eside ngaphambi kokuqala kwekhulu le-19. Ngokumangalisayo, ukwanda kokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu kosuku lwanamuhla kwakhuthazwa izinkolo zeLobukholwa! Kanjani? Ngenxa yokonakala kwazo, lezizinhlangano zenkolo ziye zabangela izinga eliphakeme lokukhohlisa nokuvukela.

Imbewu Iyatshalwa

Phakathi neNkathi Ephakathi, iSonto LamaKatolika laliziphethe ngendluzula izikhonzi zalo. “Isigaba esibusayo sabefundisi sabonakala singakuhlonyiselwe ukunakekela izidingo ezingokomoya zabantu,” kuphawula i-Encyclopedia Americana. “Abefundisi abakhulu, ngokuphawulekayo ababhishobhi, babethathwa ezinhlwini zabacebile futhi babebheka isikhundla sabo ngokuyinhloko njengomthombo wokuvelela namandla.”

Abanye, abanjengoJohn Calvin noMartin Luther, bazama ukuguqula isonto. Nokho, izindlela zabo zazingafani nezikaKristu ngaso sonke isikhathi; ukungabekezeli nokuchitheka kwegazi kwaba uphawu lweNguquko. (Qhathanisa noMathewu 26:52.) Okunye ukuhlasela kwakunonya kangangokuba emakhulwini amathathu eminyaka kamuva uThomas Jefferson, umongameli wesithathu wase-United States, wabhala: “Bekungathethelelwa ngezinga elikhudlwana ukungakholelwa kunoma imuphi unkulunkulu ngokuphelele, kunokumhlambalaza ngezici zonya zikaCalvin.”a

Ngokucacile, leNguquko ayizange ikubuyisele ukukhulekela okumsulwa. Nakuba kunjalo, yawanciphisa amandla eSonto LamaKatolika. IVatican ayizange iphinde ibuse ngokuphelele phezu kokholo lwabantu olungokwenkolo. Abaningi bazihlanganisa namahlelo obuProthestani ayesanda kumiswa. Abanye, bedunyazwe inkolo, bakhulekela imibono yabantu. Kwaba nesimo sengqondo esiyekelelayo, esavumela imibono ehlukahlukene ngoNkulunkulu.

Ukungabaza Kuyakhula

Ngekhulu le-18, ukucabanga okunengqondo kwakudunyiswa njengekhambi lezinkinga zesintu. Isazi sefilosofi esingumJalimane u-Immanuel Kant sagomela ngokuthi intuthuko yomuntu yayivinjelwa ukuthembela kwakhe kwezombangazwe nasenkolweni ukuze athole isiqondiso. Wanxusa: “Yiba nesibindi esanele sokufuna ukwazi kangcono! Yiba nesibindi sokusebenzisa ukuhlakanipha kwakho!”

Lesisimo sengqondo saphawula iNkathi Yokukhanyiselwa, eyayaziwa nangokuthi iNkathi Yokucabanga. Njengoba yayiqhubeka phakathi nekhulu le-18, lenkathi yaphawuleka ngezinga lokufunwa kolwazi eliphakeme ngokungenangqondo. “Ukungabaza kwathatha indawo yokholo olungangatshazwa,” kusho incwadi ethi Milestones of History. “Wonke amasiko angatshazwa.”

Elinye ‘isiko’ okwakumelwe lihlolisiswe kwakuyinkolo. “Abantu bashintsha indlela abayibheka ngayo inkolo,” kusho incwadi ethi The Universal History of the World. “Babengasanelisekile ngesithembiso sokuthola imivuzo ezulwini; babefuna ukuphila okungcono emhlabeni. Baqala ukuphelelwa ukholo kulowo onamandla angaphezu kwawemvelo.” Ngempela, izazi eziningi zefilosofi zangeNkathi Yokukhanyiselwa zaziyizonda inkolo. Zasola ngokukhethekile abaholi beSonto LamaKatolika abalambele amandla ngokugcina abantu bengenalwazi.

Zinganelisiwe inkolo, eziningi zalezizazi zefilosofi zaba ama-deist; zazikholelwa kuNkulunkulu kodwa zazigomela ngokuthi wayengenasithakazelo kumuntu.b Ezimbalwa zaba osaziwayo abaphika ubukhona bukaNkulunkulu, njengesazi sefilosofi uPaul Henri Thiry Holbach, esathi inkolo “yayiwumthombo wokwahlukana, wobuhlanya, nobugebengu.” Njengoba iminyaka yayidlula, abaningi baphelelwa isithakazelo kweLobukholwa futhi bavumelana nemizwa kaHolbach.

Yeka ukuthi kuyindida kanjani ukuthi eLobukholwa labangela ukwanda kokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu! “AmaSonto ayeyindawo okwakhulela kuyo ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu,” kubhala uprofesa wemfundiso yenkolo uMichael J. Buckley. “Abantu baseNtshonalanga baye badunyazwa ngokujulile futhi banengwa kakhulu izinkolo ezivumisa izono. AmaSonto namahlelo ayeyenze incithakalo iYurophu, abangela ukubulawa kwabantu ngesihluku, aphoqelela ukuphikisa noma ukuvukela okungokwenkolo, azama ukukhipha ababusi emasontweni nasezikhundleni zabo.”

Ukungakholelwa Ebukhoneni BukaNkulunkulu Kwamukelwa Kakhulu

Ngekhulu le-19, ukwenqatshwa kukaNkulunkulu kwakuzwakaliswa ngokukhululeka futhi kwakuchuma. Izazi zefilosofi nezesayensi azizange zibe namahloni okuveza ngesibindi imibono yazo. “Isitha sethu uNkulunkulu,” kusho othile owaziwayo ongakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. “Ukuzonda uNkulunkulu kuwukuqala kokuhlakanipha. Ukuze isintu sithuthuke ngempela, kumelwe kube sendabeni yokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu.”

Nokho, kuye kwenzeka ushintsho olungacacile phakathi nekhulu lama-20. Ukwenqatshwa kukaNkulunkulu akuzange kube namandla; kwaqala ukusakazeka uhlobo oluhlukile lokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu, luthonya ngisho nalabo abathi banokholo kuNkulunkulu.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 3]

UKarl Marx

[Isithombe ekhasini 3]

ULudwig Feuerbach

[Isithombe ekhasini 3]

UFriedrich Nietzsche

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 2]

COVER: Earth: By permission of the British Library; Nietzsche: Copyright British Museum (see also page 3); Calvin: Musée Historique de la Réformation, Genève (Photo F. Martin); Marx: U›S› National Archives photo (see also page 3); Planets, instruments, crusaders, locomotive: The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration/J. G. Heck; Feuerbach: The Bettmann Archive (see also page 3)