Batizani! Batizani! Batizani!​—Koma Chifukwa Ninji?

“MKATI mwa miyezi yoŵerengeka ndabatiza amuna, akazi, ndi ana oposa zikwi khumi.” Analemba motero mmishonale wa Chijesuit Francis Xavier ponena za ntchito yake mu ufumu wa Travancore, India. “Ndinamka kumudzi ndi mudzi ndi kuwapanga kukhala Akristu. Ndipo kulikonse kumene ndinapita ndinasiya kope la mapemphero ndi malamulo athu m’chinenero cha kumaloko.”

Pokondweretsedwa kwambiri ndi makalata a Francis Xavier, Mfumu John wa ku Portugal analamula kuti aŵerengedwe mofuula pagome lirilonse mu ufumu wake wonse. Kalata ya January 1545 imene yangogwidwa mawu kumene inavomerezedwanso kuti ifalitsidwe. Kodi chinatsatira nchiyani? “Posapita nthaŵi theka la ophunzira mu Ulaya, ‘akumagwada ndi kugwetsa misozi,’ anali kupempha kuti apite ku India kukatembenuza akunja,” analemba motero Manfred Barthel m’buku lake The Jesuits​—History & Legend of the Society of Jesus. Iye anawonjezera kuti: “Anthu ambiri panthaŵiyo sanalingalire kuti kungafunikire anthu ochuluka owaza madzi oyera ndi matrakiti ambirimbiri kuti dziko lonselo litembenuzidwe.”

Kodi nchiyani kwenikweni chimene chinakwaniritsidwa ndi kutembenuzidwa kotero kwa makamu a anthu ochuluka? Jesuit Nicolas Lancilloto anapereka lipoti mowona mtima ku Roma kuti: “Ambiri amene abatizidwa ali ndi zolinga zadyera. Akapolo a Aluya ndi Ahindu akuyembekezera kupeza ufulu wawo mwa ubatizo kapena kupeza kutetezeredwa kwa ambuyawo otsendereza kapena kuti angopeza mwinjiro kapena nduwira yatsopano. Ambiri akutero kuti apewe chilango. . . . Aliyense amene amasonkhezeredwa ndi kutsimikiza kwawo pofunafuna chipulumutso m’ziphunzitso zathu amayesedwa anthu openga. Ambiri amapatuka nabwerera ku miyambo yawo yakale yachikunja pasanapite nthaŵi yaitali atabatizidwa.”

Chikhumbo chakutembenuza ndi kubatiza akunja chinalinso ndi otumba maiko a ku Ulaya anyengo imeneyo. Kwanenedwa kuti Christopher Columbus anabatiza “Amwenye” oyamba amene anakumana nawo m’Caribbean. “Lamulo la Boma la Spain linaika kutembenuzidwa kwa nzika za dzikolo kukhala chinthu choyambirira,” ikutero The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. “Chakumapeto kwa zaka za zana la khumi ndi asanu ndi limodzi, Amwenye 7,000,000 a mu ufumu wa Spain anali Akristu mwa dzina lokha. Pamene tili ndi ziŵerengero za otembenuka (Pedro de Gante, wachibale wa Mfumu Charles V, amene anagwirizana ndi amishonale, anasimba zakubatiza anthu 14,000 mothandizidwa ndi tsamwali mmodzi m’tsiku limodzi), kumakhala kowonekeratu kuti panalibe maphunziro oyambirira amphamvu amene anaperekedwa.” Kaŵirikaŵiri kutembenuka kwa chiphamaso kotero kunali kuyendera limodzi ndi kuchitiridwa nkhalwe, nkhanza, ndi kutsenderezedwa kwa eni dzikowo.

Kufunika kumene kunaikidwa pa ubatizo kunasonkhezera otumba maiko ameneŵa ndi amishonale. Mu 1439, Papa Eugenius IV anapereka lamulo pa Msonkhano wa ku Florence limene linati: “Ubatizo Woyera uli ndi malo oyamba pakati pa masakalamenti, chifukwa ndiwo khomo la moyo wauzimu; pakuti mwa uwo timapangidwa kukhala ziŵalo za Kristu ndi kugwirizanitsidwa ndi Tchalitchi. Ndipo popeza kuti imfa inaloŵa mwa onse kupyolera mwa munthu woyamba, ngati sitibadwanso mwa madzi ndi Mzukwa Woyera, sitingathe kuloŵa mu ufumu wa Kumwamba.”

Komabe, panabuka mikangano yonena zakuti ndiubatizo uti umene unali wogwira ntchito. “Chifukwa chakuti unalinso dzoma lamaziko lokhalira chiŵalo cha tchalitchi, ubatizo unatengedwa mofulumira kukhala chinthu chofunika kwambiri ndi matchalitchi angapo otsutsa, chirichonse chikumadzitcha chosunga mwambo ndi kuneneza ena kukhala ampatuko ndi opanduka. Kukonzedwa kwa madzoma aubatizo kochitidwa ndi timagulu tampatuko tosiyanasiyana kunali kosapeweka,” imatero The Encyclopedia of Religion.

Komabe, chizoloŵezi cha ubatizo chinaliko chipembedzo cha Chikristu chisanakhale. Chinagwiritsidwa ntchito m’Babulo ndi Igupto wakale, kumene madzi ozizira a Nile analingaliridwa kukhala owonjezera nyonga ndi kupereka mkhalidwe wakusakhoza kufa. Ndiponso Agiriki anakhulupirira kuti ubatizo ukachititsa kubadwanso kapena kuchititsa otembenuka kupeza mkhalidwe wakusakhoza kufa. Kagulu ka mpatuko ka Chiyuda ku Qumran kanagwiritsira ntchito ubatizo monga dzoma loyambirira poloŵa m’chitaganya chawo. Amitundu otembenukira ku Chiyuda anafunikira kudulidwa ndipo pambuyo pa masiku asanu ndi aŵiri kubatizidwa mwakumizidwa pamaso pa mboni.

Mwachiwonekere, kufunika kokulira kwaikidwa pa ubatizo m’mibadwo yonse yapitayi. Koma bwanji lerolino? Kodi uli wofunika m’nthaŵi zamakono zino? Ngati zili choncho, chifukwa ninji? Ndithudi, kodi inu muyenera kubatizidwa?