Ingabe Umphefumulo Awufi?
BETHULE, abangane nomndeni badlula eceleni kwebhokisi lomngcwabo elivuliwe. Bagqolozela isidumbu somfana oneminyaka engu-17 ubudala. Abangane bakhe basesikoleni abamboni kahle. Ukwelashwa ngamakhemikhali kumqothule izinwele; umdlavuza umzacise kakhulu. Ingabe umngane wabo ngempela lona? Emasontweni ambalwa nje adlule, ubenemibono, imibuzo eminingi, nobungqabavu—ephila! Ngezinyembezi, unina womfana ulokhu ephindaphinda ethi: “UTommy ujabula kakhudlwana manje. UNkulunkulu ubefuna uTommy abe sezulwini kanye naye.”
Lomama odabukile uthola isilinganiso esithile sethemba nenduduzo emqondweni wokuthi indodana yakhe isaphila ngandlela-thile. Esontweni uye wafundiswa ukuthi umphefumulo awufi, ukuthi uyisizinda sobuntu, imicabango, izinkumbulo—“umuntu uqobo.” Ukholelwa ukuthi umphefumulo wendodana yakhe awufile neze; ungumoya ophilayo, ushiye umzimba wayo lapho ifa waya ezulwini ukuze uyoba noNkulunkulu nezingelosi.
Ngesikhathi senhlekelele, inhliziyo yomuntu ibambelela ngokuqinile kunoma iyiphi inhlansi yethemba, ngakho akunzima ukubona ukuthi kungani lenkolelo ithandwa kakhulu. Ngokwesibonelo, cabangela indlela enokwesasa isazi semfundiso yenkolo uJ. Paterson-Smyth esikhuluma ngayo kwethi The Gospel of the Hereafter: “Ukufa kuyinto encane kakhulu uma kuqhathaniswa nalokho okuza ngemva kwako—lelozwe elimangalisa ngendlela engachazeki ukuFa okusingenisa kulo.”
Emhlabeni wonke nasezinkolweni namasiko amaningi, abantu bakholelwa ukuthi umuntu unomphefumulo ongafi phakathi kwakhe, umoya ophilayo oqhubeka uphila ngemva kokufa komzimba. Lenkolelo cishe ikuzo zonke izinkulungwane zezinkolo namahlelo eLobukholwa. Iyimfundiso engokomthetho naseNkolweni YobuJuda. AmaHindu akholelwa ukuthi i-atman, noma umphefumulo, yadalwa ekuqaleni kwesikhathi, ukuthi iboshelwa emzimbeni lapho uzalwa, bese kuthi ekufeni ithuthele komunye umzimba ngomjikelezo oqhubekayo wokuphindukuzalwa. AmaSulumane akholelwa ukuthi umphefumulo uba khona kanye nomzimba bese uqhubeka uphila ngemva kokuba umzimba ufile. Ezinye izinkolo—izinkolo zemimoya zase-Afrika, amaShinto, ngisho namaBuddha ngandlela-thile—zifundisa lendaba efanayo ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene.
Imibuzo Ethile Ekhathazayo
Nakuba kungenakuphikwa ukuthi umqondo womphefumulo ongafi uthandwa cishe emhlabeni wonke, noma kunjalo uphakamisa imibuzo ethile ephazamisayo. Ngokwesibonelo, abantu bazibuza ukuthi uyaphi umphefumulo wothandekayo wabo uma ebephila ukuphila okungesona isibonelo. Ingabe uyophinde azalwe eseyisidalwa esithile esiphansi? Noma, ingabe uthunyelwa esihlanzweni, lapho eyohlanzwa khona ngenqubo ethile yomlilo kuze kube yilapho kucatshangwa ukuthi useyakufanelekela ukuya ezulwini? Okubi nakakhulu, ingabe uzohlushwa phakade esihogweni esivuthayo? Noma ingabe ungumoya okumelwe kushwelezwe kuwo, njengoba izinkolo eziningi zemimoya zifundisa kanjalo?
Imiqondo enjalo ibangela ukuba abaphilayo babe nemicabango ecindezelayo. Ingabe kufanele sishweleze emimoyeni yabathandekayo bethu abafile ukuze bangaziphindiseleli kithi? Ingabe kufanele sibasize ukuba baphume esihlanzweni esithile esisabekayo? Noma ingabe kufanele simane siqhaqhazele sesatshiswa umcabango wokuthi bayahlupheka esihogweni sibe singenakwenza lutho? Noma ingabe kufanele siphathe izilwane ezithile eziphilayo njengokungathi zinemiphefumulo yabantu asebashona?
Imibuzo ephakamayo ngokuphathelene noNkulunkulu uqobo ayiduduzi ukuyaphi. Ngokwesibonelo, abazali abaningi, njengomama okukhulunywe ngaye ekuqaleni, baqale baduduzwe umqondo wokuthi uNkulunkulu “uwuthathile” umphefumulo ongenakufa wengane yabo wawuyisa ezulwini ukuze ube naye. Nokho, akuthathi isikhathi eside ukuba abaningi baqale ukuzibuza ukuthi uNkulunkulu onjani ongabangela ukugula okungathandeki enganeni engenacala, ayihlwithe lengane eyigugu kubazali abadabukile ukuze nje ayiyise ezulwini kungakabi nayisikhathi. Buphi ubulungisa, uthando, nesihe, kuNkulunkulu onjalo? Abanye baze bangabaze ngisho nokuhlakanipha kukaNkulunkulu onjalo. Bazibuza ukuthi uNkulunkulu ohlakaniphile ubengayibekelani yonke lemiphefumulo emhlabeni kuqala uma yonke kufanele igcine isezulwini? Bekungeke yini lokho kusho ukuthi ukudalwa komhlaba kwakuwukuchitha isikhathi okukhulu?—Qhathanisa noDuteronomi 32:4; IHubo 103:8; Isaya 45:18; 1 Johane 4:8.
Khona-ke, kuyacaca ukuthi imfundiso yokungafi komphefumulo womuntu, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ifundiswa ngayiphi indlela, iphakamisa imibuzo exakayo, ngisho nokungavumelani okuthile. Ngani? Ingxenye enkulu yenkinga ihlobene nomsuka walemfundiso. Ungase ukuthole kukhanyisela ukuhlola lomsuka kafushane; futhi kungase kukumangaze ukuthola lokho iBhayibheli ngokwalo elikushoyo ngomphefumulo. Linikeza ithemba elingcono kakhulu lokuphila ngemva kokufa kunalelo elivame ukufundiswa izinkolo zezwe.