Ukufuna Kwensizwa Izimpendulo
ILANGA lasekuseni lalikhanya bhá, ukukhanya kwalo ezihlahleni kukhanyisa umfana owayeguqile ethandaza ngentshiseko. UJoseph oneminyaka engu-14 ubudala wayedidekile ngenxa yesiyaluyalu esingokwenkolo sangesikhathi sakhe. Amasonto angokwesiko ayehlaselwe ukuhlukana. Kwakunamahlelo amasha kuyo yonke indawo. Kufanele ajoyine liphi iqembu? Eguqile ethandaza wabuza: “Iyiphi kuzo zonke lezi zinhlangano eqinisile; noma, ingabe zonke zinephutha? Uma ikhona kuzo eqinisile, iyiphi, futhi ngiyoyazi kanjani?”
UJoseph Smith waluchaza kanjalo usizi lwakhe olungokomoya lwasebuntwaneni. Yingakho ayedidekile. Lapha kwakusemaphandleni asenyakatho-mpumalanga Melika ekuqaleni kwekhulu le-19 leminyaka, indawo eyayigcwele ukushisekela inkolo.a Kwakudingeka ithemba ngempela. Kubalimi abaningi ukuphila kwakulukhuni kuyitshe. Njengoba babelangazelela okuthile okungcono, bahuhwa izindaba zengcebo yamaNdiya egqitshiwe. Ngakho bafunisisa emagqumeni, bephethe amatshe ababoni omlingo, amazwi okuloya, nezinduku zokubhula. Izinganekwane zendawo zazilandisa ngempucuko ephambili yamaNdiya eyashabalala empini ehlasimulisayo ndawana-thile eNew York State.
Abashumayeli abadumile bangaleso sikhathi basakaza umbono wokucabangela, bethi amaNdiya aseMelika ayevela ezizweni eziyishumi zakwa-Israyeli ezalahleka. Ngokwesibonelo, ngo-1823, u-Ethan Smith wabhala incwadi ethi View of the Hebrews; or the Tribes of Israel in America.
Izingcwecwe Zegolide Nomprofethi
UJoseph Smith osemusha wakhuliswa kulesi simo esigcwele ukushisekelwa kwamasiko nenkolo. Nomkhaya wakubo wawuhilelekile kulokhu. Unina kaJoseph wabhala ngokuthola kwabo ukuphulukiswa, izimangaliso, nemibono. Kodwa lapho yena nezinye izingane bejoyina isonto, uJoseph wenqaba ukulandela. Kamuva, endabeni yokuphila kwakhe, wabhala ngomthandazo wakhe wokucela usizo nempendulo ayithola.
UJoseph walandisa ngombono uNkulunkulu amenqabela kuwo ukujoyina noma iliphi kulamahlelo ngoba wonke ayenephutha. Khona-ke, ngolunye usuku ekwindla ngo-1823, uSmith oneminyaka engu-17 ubudala watshela umkhaya wakubo ukuthi ingelosi ethile okuthiwa uMoroni yayimbonise izingcwecwe zegolide zasendulo. Eminyakeni emine kamuva wathi wayenikezwe lezi zingcwecwe namandla akhethekile aphezulu okuzihumusha, okwakudinga ukuba asebenzise itshe elikhethekile elibizwa ngokuthi “itshe lomboni” nezibuko zesiliva zomlingo—amadayimane amabili abushelelezi anamakhona amathathu ananyathiselwe engilazini. USmith waxwayisa ngokuthi kwakusho ukufa ngokuphazima kweso ngabanye ukubona lezi zingcwecwe ngaleso sikhathi.
USmith, owayekwazi ukufunda kodwa engakwazi kahle ukubhala, wayaleza “ukuhunyushwa” kwalezi zingcwecwe kubabhali abaningana. Ehleli ngemva kwekhethini, walandisa indaba okuthiwa yalotshwa indoda ethile engumHeberu okuthiwa uMormon. USmith wachaza ukuthi lezi zingcwecwe zazibhalwe ngombhalo “wesiGibithe ohlelwe kabusha,” owawungenalo uhlelo olubanzi njengesiHeberu. UMormon nendodana yakhe uMoroni bachazwa njengabanye babantu bokugcina abasala besizwe esasibizwa ngokuthi amaNephi, izizukulwane zamaHeberu ezinebala elikhanyayo okuthiwa zafudukela eMelika cishe ngo-600 B.C.E. zibalekela ukubhujiswa kweJerusalema.
Lokhu kulandisa kuthi uJesu wayezibonakalisé kulesi sizwe eMelika ngemva kokufa nokuvuka kwakhe futhi wayekhethe abaphostoli bamaNephi abangu-12. AmaLaman, nabo okwakungabantu abavela kumaHeberu, babenomoya wokuvukela futhi bethanda impi ngakho baqalekiswa uNkulunkulu ngesikhumba esinsundu. Ukulandisa kukaMormon ngokuyisisekelo kwabika ngezimpi eziqhubekayo phakathi kwalezi zizwe ezimbili. AmaNephi aba mabi futhi ekugcineni aqothulwa amaLaman, ayengokhokho bamaNdiya aseMelika.
NgokukaSmith, indodana kaMormon, manje eyase iwumoya uMoroni, yayimnikeze lokhu kulandisa ngezingcwecwe zegolide nokuthunywa kokubuyisela isonto likaKristu. Ngokushesha uSmith wayesenabalandeli. Ikholwa elithile elichumile laxhasa ngokwezimali ukunyatheliswa kwencwadi kaSmith ebizwa ngokuthi i-Book of Mormon. Yanyatheliswa entwasahlobo ngo-1830. Emasontweni amabili kamuva, uJoseph Smith wamemezela isiqu sakhe esingokomthetho: “UMboni, uMhumushi, umProfethi, uMphostoli kaJesu Kristu.” Ngo-April 6, 1830, kwasungulwa iSonto LikaMormon, noma i-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.b
USmith wayenesithunzi esamzuzela ukuzinikela kwabantu abaningi abaguquka. Kodwa inkolo yakhe engahambisani namasiko yaba futhi nezitha. Leli sonto elalisafufusa lahlushwa; amalungu alo asuka eNew York aya e-Ohio futhi kamuva aya eMissouri efuna iJerusalema lalo Elisha. Njengomprofethi, uSmith wayekhipha izambulo njalo, ememezela intando kaNkulunkulu ngezindaba ezithinta iminikelo yezimali kuya emyalweni waphezulu wokuthatha isithembu. Lesi sambulo sakamuva sabangela ushushiso olukhulu ngempela. Ebhekene nokusolwa nobutha nxazonke, amaMormon athatha izikhali ukuze azivikele.
Ukudideka nosizi okwakugcwele ekuphileni kwasebusheni bukaJoseph Smith akuzange kunciphe. Amadolobha angasemingceleni, ayegcwala ngenxa yokuthutheleka kwabalandeli bakaSmith, amelana naye ngokunamandla. Ayengayidingi enye incwadi engcwele noma umprofethi ozimise ngokwakhe. Khona-ke, ngo-1839, okwamangalisa abantu bendawo, amaMormon amisa ikoloni elichumayo, elalinezigayo zalo, ifektri, iyunivesithi, nebutho lempi, eNauvoo, e-Illinois. Lapho kuqubuka ubutha, uSmith wabanjwa wavalelwa eCarthage, e-Illinois. Lapho, ngo-June 27, 1844, iqembu elithile lahlasela ijele futhi lamdubula lambulala.
Isonto Liyasinda Lapho Kufa Umprofethi Walo
Lendaba ayipheli neze ngokufa kukaJoseph Smith. UBrigham Young, umongameli we-Council of the Twelve Apostles, ngokushesha wathatha izintambo futhi wahola amakholwa amaningi ohambweni oluyingozi kakhulu lokuya esigodini saseGreat Salt Lake e-Utah, lapho indlunkulu yamaMormon ikhona kuze kube namuhla.c
Ngokwemithombo yama-LDS, isonto elasungulwa uJoseph Smith lisaqhubeka liguqula abantu, njengoba linamalungu ayizigidi ezingu-9 emhlabeni wonke. Liye lanabela ngalé kwendawo elasungulwa kuyo eNew York State kuya ezindaweni ezikude njengase-Italy, ePhilippines, e-Uruguay, naseZaire. Naphezu kobutha obuqhubekayo, iSonto LikaMormon eliphawulekayo liye lachuma. Ingabe ngempela liwukubuyiselwa kobuKristu beqiniso abantu bokholo abebekulindele?
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a Kamuva izazi-mlando zabiza lendawo esentshonalanga yeNew York State ngokuthi isifundazwe esishisiwe ngenxa yokushisekela inkolo okwesikhashana okwasabalala kulendawo ekuqaleni kwawo-1800.
b Njengoba ekuqaleni lalibizwa ngokuthi iSonto LikaKristu, ngo-April 26, 1838, labizwa ngokuthi i-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, noma i-LDS. Nakuba elithi LDS kuyigama elithandwa amalungu alo, igama elithi Mormon (elithathelwe kwethi The Book of Mormon) nalo liyasetshenziswa kulolu chungechunge lwezihloko, njengoba kuyigama abafundi abaningi abalijwayele.
c Kunamaqembu ahlukahlukene aye achezuka kuma-LDS, nawo azibiza ngokuthi angamaMormon. Elivelele phakathi kwawo i-Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, elinendlunkulu e-Independence, eMissouri.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 17]
Photo: Courtesy Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints/Dictionary of American Portraits/Dover