Osanta

Incazelo: Ngokwemfundiso yamaRoma Katolika, osanta ilabo abafa futhi manje abanoKristu ezulwini abaye baqashelwa iSonto ngenxa yobungcwele obuvelele negunya. Isivumo sokholo seSigele samaKatolika esasiseTrent siphawula ukuthi osanta kumelwe bancenge njengabakhulumeli kuNkulunkulu nokuthi kokubili izinto ezingcwele zosanta nezithombe zosanta kumelwe zidunyiswe. Nezinye izinkolo futhi, zincenga usizo lwawosanta. Izinkolo ezithile zifundisa ukuthi wonke amalungu azo angosanta futhi akhululekile esonweni. IBhayibheli libhekisela kaningi kosanta, noma abangcwele. Libhekisela kubalandeli bakaKristu abagcotshwe ngomoya abayizi-144 000 njengabanjalo.

Ingabe iBhayibheli lifundisa ukuthi umuntu kumelwe athole inkazimulo yasezulwini ngaphambi kokuba abhekwe njengosanta?

Ngokuqinisekile iBhayibheli liyabhekisela kwabangcwele, noma osanta, abasezulwini. UJehova ukhulunyelwa ‘njengoNgcwele [ngesiGreki, haʹgi·on].’ (1 Pet. 1:15, 16; bheka uLevitikusi 11:45.) UJesu Kristu uchazwa ngokuthi “ungoNgcwele [haʹgi·os] kaNkulunkulu” lapho esemhlabeni ‘nanjengongcwele [haʹgi·os]’ ezulwini. (Marku 1:24; IsAm. 3:7) Nezingelosi futhi ‘zingcwele.’ (IzE. 10:22) Igama elifanayo eliyisisekelo esiGrekini sakuqala lisetshenziswa kubantu abaningi emhlabeni.

IzE. 9:32, 36-41: “Kwathi uPetru ehambela izindawo zonke, wehlela nakwabangcwele [ha·giʹous] abakhé eLida. EJopha kwakukhona umfundikazi othile ogama lakhe linguThabitha [owafa] . . . [uPetru] waphendukela esidunjini, wathi: Thabitha, vuka! Wayesevula amehlo akhe, wabona uPetru, walulama.” (Ngokusobala, labosanta babengakayi ezulwini, futhi umuntu ovelele nje njengoPetru wayengabhekwa njengosanta.)

2 Kor. 1:1; 13:12: “UPawulu, umphostoli kaKristu Jesu ngentando kaNkulunkulu, noThimothewu umzalwane kulo ibandla likaNkulunkulu eliseKorinte nakubo abangcwele [ha-giʹois] bonke abakulo lonke laseAkhaya.” “Bingelelanani ngokwanga okungcwele. Abangcwele bonke bayakhonza kini.” (Wonke lamaKristu akuqala ayehlanzwe ngegazi likaKristu futhi ahlukaniselwa inkonzo kaNkulunkulu njengezindlalifa zakusasa kanye noKristu kwakubhekiselwa kuwo njengawosanta, noma abangcwele. Ukuqashelwa kwawo njengawosanta ngokusobala kwakungahlehliswa kuze kube ngemva kokufa kwawo.)

Ingabe kungokomBhalo ukuthandaza ‘kosanta’ ukuba basebenze njengabakhulumeli kuNkulunkulu?

UJesu Kristu wathi: “Anokhuleka kanje, nithi: Baba wethu osezulwini, . . . ” Ngakho-ke imithandazo kumelwe iqondiswe kuBaba. UJesu futhi wathi: “Mina ngiyindlela, neqiniso, nokuphila; akakho oza kuBaba ngaphandle kwami. Uma nicela utho kimi egameni lami, ngolwenza.” (Math. 6:9; Joh. 14:6, 14) Ngaleyondlela uJesu wawususa umqondo wokuthi ukhona omunye ongafeza indima yokuba umkhulumeli. Umphostoli uPawulu wanezela ngokuqondene noKristu: “Owafayo, yebo impela, owavuswa kwabafileyo, ongakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu, nguyena osinxuselayo.” “Abeza kuNkulunkulu ngaye, lokhu ephilela njalo ukubamela.” (Roma 8:34; Heb. 7:25) Uma sifuna ngempela ukuba imithandazo yethu izwiwe uNkulunkulu, bekungeke yini kube ukuhlakanipha ukuya kuNkulunkulu ngendlela eqondiswa yiZwi lakhe? (Bheka futhi ikhasi 353, ngaphansi kwesihloko esithi “UMariya.”)

Efe. 6:18, 19: “Nilinde ngesineke sonke nangokunxusela abangcwele bonke, ninginxusele nami ukuba ngiphiwe izwi, nxa ngivula umlomo wami, ngize ngishumayele ngesibindi imfihlakalo yevangeli.” (Omalukeke banezelwe.) (Lapha kunikezwa isikhuthazo sokuthandazela osanta kodwa hhayi esokuthandaza kubo noma ngabo. INew Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Umq. XI, k. 670, iyavuma: “Ngokuvamile eT[estamenteni] E[lisha], yonke imithandazo yangasese kanye neyasobala eningini, iqondiswa kuNkulunkulu uYise ngoKristu.”)

Roma 15:30: “Ngiyanincenga, bazalwane, ngenxa yeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu nangenxa yothando lukaMoya ukuba nilwe kanye nami ekungikhulekeleni kuNkulunkulu.” (Umphostoli uPawulu, owayengongcwele ngokwakhe, wacela amanye amaKristu ayengangcwele ukuba amthandazele. Kodwa phawula ukuthi uPawulu akazange abhekise imithandazo yakhe kwabanye, abangcwele njengaye, futhi ngisho nemithandazo yabo ngenxa yakhe ayizange ithathe isikhundla sobuhlobo obuseduze uPawulu ngokwakhe ayebujabulela noYise ngomthandazo. Qhathanisa neyabase-Efesu 3:11, 12, 14.)

Umkhuba wokudumisa izinto ezingcwele nezithombe ‘zawosanta’ kumelwe ubhekwe kanjani?

INew Catholic Encyclopedia iyavuma: “Ngaleyondlela kuyinto eyize ukufuna ukuvunyelwa kwenkolo yokuthatheka yezinto ezingcwele eTestamenteni Elidala; futhi ayikhathalelwa kangako indaba yezinto ezingcwele eTestamenteni Elisha. . . . [“Ubaba” weSonto] uOrigen kubonakala ukuthi wabheka lomkhuba njengowuphawu lobuqaba lokuhlonipha izinto ezibunjiwe.”—(1967), Umq XII, kk. 234, 235.

Kungokuphawulekayo ukuthi uNkulunkulu wangcwaba uMose, nokuthi akukho muntu owake wathola ukuthi ithuna lakhe likuphi. (Dut. 34:5, 6) Kodwa uJuda 9 usitshela ukuthi ingelosi enkulu uMikayeli yaphikisana noDeveli bebanga isidumbu sikaMose. Kungani? Injongo kaNkulunkulu yokuba asisuse ngendlela yokuba kungabi namuntu owaziyo ukuthi angasitholaphi iphawulwe ngokusobala. Ingabe iSitha sasifuna ukuqondisa abantu kulesosidumbu ukuze sibekwe obala mhlawumbe sibe yinto yokudunyiswa?

Ngokuqondene nokudunyiswa kwezithombe zawo“santa,” bheka isihloko esikhulu esithi “Izithombe.”

Kungani “osanta” bamaKatolika beboniswa benemiqhele?

INew Catholic Encyclopedia iyavuma: “Isifanekiso esivame kakhulu, esisetshenziswa kubo bonke osanta, yifu, eliwumfanekiso okhanyayo ozungeze ikhanda likasanta. Umsuka walo ungaphambi kobuKristu, futhi izibonelo zitholakala emidwebweni yamaGreki yokuphefumlelwa kwamaqaba; umqhele wawusetshenziswa ezithixweni ezincane nakonkulunkulu abanjengoNeptune, Jupiter, Bacchus, futhi ikakhulukazi uApholo (unkulunkulu welanga), njengoba kufakazelwa imihlobiso nezinhlamvu zemali.”—(1967), Umq. XII, k. 963.

IThe New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Emidwebweni yamaGreki neyamaRoma unkulunkulu welanga uHelios nababusi bamaRoma ngokuvamile babonakala benomqhele wemisebe. Ngenxa yomsuka wakho wobuqaba, lokhu kwagwenywa emidwebweni yamaKristu Okuqala, kodwa umqhele ovamile oyisiyingi wamukelwa ngababusi bamaKristu ezikhundleni zabo ezingokomthetho. Kusukela maphakathi nekhulu lesi-4, uKristu naye waboniswa enalesifanekiso sobukhosi . . . kwaze kwaba sekhulwini lesi-6 leminyaka lapho lomqhele waba ngovamile ngeNcasakazi uMariya nabanye osanta.”—(1976), Micropædia, Umq. IV, k. 864.

Ingabe kufanelekile ukuhlanganisa ubuKristu nezifanekiso zobuqaba?

“Ukukhanya nobumnyama akunabudlelwane. UKristu akayena umngane kaBeliyali [uSathane], ngisho nokholwayo akanalutho angaluhlanganyela nongakholwayo. Ithempeli likaNkulunkulu alihlangani ngalutho nezithixo, futhi yilokho esiyikho—ithempeli likaNkulunkulu ophilayo. . . . Khona-ke phumani kubo nibenyanye, kusho iNkosi. Ningathinti lutho olungcolileyo, khona-ke ngiyonamukela ngibe nguyihlo, nina nibe ngamadodana namadodakazi ami, kusho iNkosi uMninimandla onke.”—2 Kor. 6:14-18, JB.

Kungenzeka yini wonke amalungu eqembu lenkolo abe ngosanta ngaleyondlela akhululeke esonweni?

Ngokuqinisekile kuyiqiniso ukuthi bonke ababengamalungu ebandla lobuKristu lekhulu lokuqala babengosanta. (1 Kor. 14:33, 34; 2 Kor. 1:1; 13:13, RS, KJ) Bachazwa njengalabo abamukela “ukuthethelelwa kwezono” futhi ‘bangcweliswa’ uNkulunkulu. (IzE. 26:18; 1 Kor. 1:2, RS, KJ) Nokho, abashongo ukuthi bakhululeké kuso sonke isono. Bazalwa njengesizukulwane sesoni esinguAdamu. Lelifa ngokuvamile lalikwenza kube nzima ngabo ukwenza okulungileyo, njengoba umphostoli uPawulu avuma ngokuthobeka. (Roma 7:21-25) Futhi umphostoli uJohane washo ngokusobala: “Uma sithi asinasono, siyazikhohlisa, neqiniso alikho kithi.” (1 Joh. 1:8) Ngakho-ke, ukuba ngusanta ngomqondo leligama elisetshenziswe ngawo ngokuqondene nabalandeli beqiniso bakaKristu akusho ukuthi bakhululekile esonweni besesenyameni.

Ngokuqondene nokuthi wonke amaKristu namuhla angosanta abanokuphila kwasezulwini ngaphambi kwawo yini, bheka amakhasi 198-202.

Uma Umuntu Ethi—

‘Uyakholelwa kosanta?’

Ungase uphendule: ‘Ibaphi obhekisele kubo?’ Uma umuntu ephawula uMariya noma abaphostoli, ungase mhlawumbe unezele: (1) ‘Yebo, kuyabhekiselwa kubo emiBhalweni eNgcwele, futhi ngiyakukholelwa okulotshwe lapho. Kodwa nginesithakazelo ngokukhethekile kulokho abakwenzayo namuhla nokuthi kusithinta kanjani, akunjalo nangawe? . . . Ngiye ngathola okuthile okuthakazelisa kakhulu ngabo lapha emiBhalweni eNgcwele, futhi ngingathanda ukuxoxa nawe ngakho. (IsAm. 5:9, 10)’ [Phawula, ungakusebenzisa uma kuphakama umbuzo ngokuqondene nendlela umbhalo obekwe ngayo: iJB ithi “bayobusa izwe.” ICC ifundeka ngokuthi “bayobusa phezu komhlaba.” IKx ithi “bayobusa njengamakhosi phezu komhlaba.” Kodwa iNAB neDy ithi “babuse emhlabeni.” Ngokuqondene nokukhulumela ngohlelo lolimi lwesiGreki, bheka ikhasi 202, ngaphansi kwesithi “Izulu.”] (2) ‘Kuyoba njani ukuphila ngaphansi kukahulumeni onjalo? (IsAm. 21:2-4)’

Noma ungase uthi (uma wake waba umKatolika): ‘Eminyakeni eminingi ngangihlanganyela emikhosini yawosanta futhi ngangithandaza njalo kubo. Kodwa ngabe sengifunda okuthile emiBhalweni eNgcwele okwangibangela ngakubheka ngenye indlela engangikwenza. Ngicela ukukubonisa khona. (Bheka ikhasi 217.)’