Ukwenqatshwa KukaNkulunkulu Kwekhulu Lama-20

“Abantu baziyekelele embonweni wokuthi uNkulunkulu akekho futhi bazihlelela bona ukuphila kwabo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi imiphumela iba yini, nangaphandle kokucabanga ngoNkulunkulu.”—One Hundred Years of Debate Over God—The Sources of Modern Atheism.

NAKUBA uhlaba umxhwele lapho ubonwa okokuqala, umuthi omkhulu ekugcineni ubhekwa njengento evamile. Ukuba khona kwawo kujwayelekile; ukuphakama kwawo akusethusi.

Kungokufanayo ngokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Nakuba kwabangela izinkulumo-mpikiswano eziningi phakathi nekhulu le-19, ukwenqatshwa kobukhona bukaNkulunkulu akusethusi noma kukhathaze abantu namuhla. Inkathi yokubekezela iye yavumela ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu ukuba kuhlale ngokuvumelana okunokuthula nokukholelwa kuNkulunkulu.

Lokhu akusho ukuthi abantu abaningi benqaba uNkulunkulu ngokuqondile; ngokuphambene, imiphumela yokuhlolwa kwemibono yabantu emazweni angu-11 kuwo wonke amazwe aseNyakatho naseNingizimu Melika, eYurophu, nase-Asia ibonisa ukuthi, ngokwesilinganiso, cishe abangaphezudlwana kwamaphesenti amabili bathi abakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Nakuba kunjalo, umoya wokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu udlangile—ngisho naphakathi kwabaningi abakholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona. Kungenzeka kanjani lokhu?

Ukwenqaba Igunya LikaNkulunkulu

“Ngezinye izikhathi ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu kumane kubhekisela ekwenqabeni uNkulunkulu ngokoqobo noma ukungamnaki,” kuphawula i-Encyclopedia Americana. Ngenxa yalokho, i-New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary inikeza lencazelo yesibili elandelayo “yomuntu ongakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu”: “Umuntu owenqaba uNkulunkulu ngokokuziphatha; umuntu ongenankulunkulu.”—Omalukeke sizenzele.

Yebo, ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu kungahlanganisa ukwenqaba ukuba khona kukaNkulunkulu noma igunya lakhe, noma kokubili. IBhayibheli libhekisela kulomoya wokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu kuThithu 1:16: “Bavuma ukuthi bayamazi uNkulunkulu, kodwa bayamenqaba ngezenzo zabo.”—The New English Bible; qhathanisa neHubo 14:1.

Umnyombo wokwenqatshwa okunjalo kwegunya likaNkulunkulu ungatholakala ngokuhlehlela emuva embhangqwaneni wokuqala wabantu. U-Eva wakuvuma ukuba khona kukaNkulunkulu; nakuba kunjalo, wafuna ‘ukuba njengoNkulunkulu, azi okuhle nokubi.’ Lokhu kwakusho ukuthi ‘wayezozibusa’ futhi azenzele isimiso sakhe semithetho yokuziphatha. Kamuva u-Adamu wahlanganyela no-Eva kulokhu kwenqaba igunya likaNkulunkulu.—Genesise 3:5, 6.

Ingabe lesisimo sengqondo sivamile namuhla? Yebo. Ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu okungabonakali kubonakaliswa ngokuhahela ukuzibusa. “Abantu namuhla bakhathele ukuphila ngaphansi kokuqondisa kukaNkulunkulu,” kuphawula incwadi ethi One Hundred Years of Debate Over God—The Sources of Modern Atheism. “Bakhetha ukuphila ngokukhululeka.” Isimiso seBhayibheli semithetho yokuziphatha sibukelwa phansi njengesingasebenzi futhi esingeyona into engokoqobo. Ukucabanga kwabantu abaningi kufana ngezinga elikhulu nokukaFaro waseGibithe owathi ngokweyisa: “Ngubani uJehova ukuba ngilalele izwi lakhe, . . . ? Angimazi uJehova.” Walenqaba igunya likaJehova.—Eksodusi 5:2.

Ukwenqaba KweLobukholwa UNkulunkulu

Ukwenqatshwa kwegunya likaNkulunkulu okuthusa kakhulu kuvela kubefundisi beLobukholwa, abafake amasiko enziwe abantu esikhundleni samaqiniso eBhayibheli. (Qhathanisa noMathewu 15:9.) Ngaphezu kwalokho, baye basekela izimpi zokuchithwa kwegazi okukhulu kunakho konke zekhulu lama-20, ngaleyondlela benqaba umyalo weBhayibheli wokubonakalisa uthando oluqotho.—Johane 13:35.

Abefundisi baye futhi benqaba uNkulunkulu ngokufulathela izindinganiso zakhe zokuziphatha—ngokwesibonelo, njengoba kuboniswa uchungechunge lwamacala asenkantolo abekwe abapristi abanukubeza izingane ngokobulili. Isimo seLobukholwa sifana nesimiso sakwa-Israyeli nesakwaJuda wasendulo. Umprofethi uHezekeli watshelwa: ‘Izwe ligcwele igazi, nomuzi ugcwele ukuhlanekezela, ngokuba bathi: UJehova ulishiyile izwe, uJehova akakuboni.’ (Hezekeli 9:9; qhathanisa no-Isaya 29:15.) Akumangalisi ukuthi abaningi baye bawashiya ngokuphelele amasonto eLobukholwa! Kodwa ingabe kumelwe bayeke ukuba nokholo kuNkulunkulu?

Ingabe Zikhona Izizathu Ezizwakalayo Zokungakholelwa Ebukhoneni BukaNkulunkulu?

Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi baye babona ukuzenzisa kwenkolo noma cha, abaningi abangakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu bamane abakwazi ukuhlanganisa ukukholelwa kuNkulunkulu nokuhlupheka okusezweni. USimone de Beauvoir wake wathi: “Ngiye ngakuthola kwamukeleka kakhudlwana kimi ukucabanga ngezwe elingenaye umdali kunokucabanga ngomdali osindwa yikho konke ukuphikisana kwezwe.”

Ingabe ukungabi nabulungisa kwezwe—kuhlanganise nalokho okushoshozelwa izazi zenkolo ezingabazenzisi—kubonisa ukuthi akekho uNkulunkulu? Cabangela okulandelayo: Uma ummese usetshenziselwa ukusongela, ukulimaza, noma ngisho nokubulala umuntu ongenacala, ingabe lokhu kubonisa ukuthi lommese awunamklami? Akubonisi yini ukuthi kunalokho lelothuluzi lasetshenziswa kabi? Ngokufanayo, usizi lwabantu lunikeza ubufakazi bokuthi abantu bawasebenzisa kabi amakhono abo abawanikwe uNkulunkulu kuhlanganise nomhlaba ngokwawo.

Nokho, abathile banomuzwa wokuthi akunangqondo ukukholelwa kuNkulunkulu, njengoba singenakumbona. Kodwa kuthiwani ngomoya, amaza omsindo, nephunga? Ayikho neyodwa yalezizinto esingayibona, kodwa siyazi ukuthi zikhona. Amaphaphu ethu, izindlebe, namakhala kusenza sikwazi lokhu. Ngokuqinisekile, siyakholelwa kulokho esingenakukubona uma sinobufakazi.

Ngemva kokuzindla ngobufakazi obusobala—kuhlanganise ama-electron, ama-proton, ama-athomu, ama-amino acid, nengqondo eyinkimbinkimbi—isazi sesayensi yemvelo u-Irving William Knobloch sashukunyiselwa ukuba sithi: “Ngikholelwa kuNkulunkulu ngoba kimina ukuba khona kwaKhe okungokwaPhezulu kuwukuphela kwencazelo enengqondo yendlela izinto ezihlelwe ngayo.” (Qhathanisa neHubo 104:24.) Ngokufanayo, isazi sokwakheka komzimba uMarlin Books Kreider uthi: “Njengomuntu ovamile, nanjengomuntu ozinikele emfundweni yesayensi nokucwaninga, anginakho nokuncane ukungabaza ngokuba khona kukaNkulunkulu.”

Lawa akuwona ukuphela kwamadoda akholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Ngokusho kukaprofesa wesayensi yezinto zemvelo uHenry Margenau, “uma ucabangela ososayensi abasezingeni eliphezulu, uthola abambalwa kakhulu kubo abangakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu.” Ukuthuthuka kwesayensi noma ukwehluleka kwenkolo akufanele kusiphoqelele ekubeni silahle ukholo kuMdali. Ake sihlole ukuthi kungani.

Umehluko Wenkolo Yeqiniso

Ngo-1803, umongameli wase-United States uThomas Jefferson wabhala: “Empeleni, ngimelene nokonakaliswa kobuKristu; kodwa angimelene nemithetho eqotho kaJesu.” Yebo, kunomehluko phakathi kweLobukholwa nobuKristu. Izimiso eziningi zeLobukholwa zisekelwe emasikweni abantu. Ngokuphambene, ubuKristu beqiniso busekela izinkolelo zabo ngokuyinhloko eBhayibhelini. Ngaleyondlela, uPawulu wabhalela abaseKolose bekhulu lokuqala ukuba bafune ‘ukwazi,’ ‘ukuhlakanipha,’ “nokuqonda okungokomoya.”—Kolose 1:9, 10.

Yilokhu okufanele sikulindele ngamaKristu aqotho, ngoba uJesu wayala abalandeli bakhe: ‘Nenze izizwe zonke abafundi, nibabhapathize, nibafundise ukugcina konke enginiyalé ngakho.’ (Omalukeke sizenzele.)—Mathewu 28:19, 20.

Namuhla, oFakazi BakaJehova bagcwalisa lomyalo emazweni angu-231 emhlabeni wonke. Baye bahumushela iBhayibheli ezilimini ezingu-12 futhi banyathelisa amakhophi angaphezu kuka-74 000-000. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngesimiso sesifundo seBhayibheli sasekhaya, kumanje basiza abantu abangaphezu kuka-4 500 000 ukuba ‘bagcine zonke izinto uJesu ayeyale ngazo.’

Lesisimiso sokufundisa sinemiphumela efinyelela kude. Siletha ukukhanyiselwa kweqiniso, ngoba asisekelwe ekucabangeni komuntu, kodwa ekuhlakanipheni kukaNkulunkulu. (IzAga 4:18) Ngaphezu kwalokho, sisiza abantu bazo zonke izizwe nezinhlanga ukuba benze okuthile “iNkathi yokuKhanyiselwa” eyayingenakukufeza—ukwembatha ‘ubuntu obusha’ obubenza bakwazi ukuba nothando lweqiniso komunye nomunye.—Kolose 3:9, 10.

Inkolo yeqiniso iyanqoba kulelikhulu lethu lama-20. Ayimenqabi uNkulunkulu—ayikwenqabi ukuba khona kwakhe noma igunya lakhe. Sikumema ukuba uzihlolele lokhu ngokwakho ngokuvakashela oFakazi BakaJehova kwelinye lamaHholo abo oMbuso.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 6]

UKUQINISA IZIMPANDE ZOKUNGAKHOLELWA EBUKHONENI BUKANKULUNKULU

Phakathi nekhulu le-18, isazi sefilosofi uDenis Diderot wanikezwa isabelo sokuhumusha i-encyclopedia enomqulu owodwa ewususela olimini lwesiNgisi kuya kwelesiFulentshi. Nokho, wafeza okungaphezu kwalokho umqashi wakhe ayekulindele. UDiderot wachitha cishe amashumi amathathu eminyaka ehlela i-Encyclopédie yakhe, incwadi enemiqulu engu-28 eyagcizelela umoya wenkathi ayephila phakathi kwayo emlandweni.

Nakuba le-Encyclopédie yayiqukethe ukwaziswa okuningi okuwusizo, yayigcizelela ukuhlakanipha komuntu. Ngokweqoqo lezincwadi ezinesihloko esithi Great Ages of Man, “yashumayela ngesibindi inkolelo eyeqisayo [yezazi zefilosofi] yokuthi umuntu angayithuthukisa indlela yakhe yokuphila uma esebenzisa ukucabanga esikhundleni sokholo njengesimiso sakhe esiqondisayo.” UNkulunkulu wayengekho ngokuphelele. “Ngokwendlela ababekhetha ngayo indaba efanele ukucatshangelwa,” kusho incwadi ethi The Modern Heritage, “abalobi bakwenza kwacaca ukuthi inkolo yayingezona ezinye zezinto abantu ababedinga ukuzazi.” Akumangalisi ukuthi isonto lazama ukuyivimbela le-Encyclopédie. Ummeli-jikelele wayichitha njengevukela ezombangazwe, izimiso zokuziphatha, nenkolo.

Naphezu kwezitha zayo, i-Encyclopédie kaDiderot yafunwa abantu abacishe babe ngu-4 000—inani elimangazayo, uma kucatshangelwa inani layo lemali elimba eqolo. Kwakumane nje kungakabi isikhathi sokuba lombono ofihlekile wokungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu uchume ube ukwenqatshwa kukaNkulunkulu negunya okungakaze kubonwe.