Kufanele Sikhulekele Muphi UNkulunkulu?
NGOKUNGAFANI nezilwane, thina bantu sinekhono lokukhulekela. Lokhu kuyingxenye yendlela esenziwa ngayo kusukela ekuzalweni. Futhi sinomuzwa wokuziphatha okufanele, unembeza osiqondisayo mayelana nokulungile nokungalungile. Ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene sonke silalela lowonembeza, futhi lapho benza lokho, abaningi babheka kunkulunkulu noma konkulunkulu ukuze bathole isiqondiso.
Phakathi nekhulu leminyaka elilodwa noma amabili adlule, izihlakaniphi ezithile zezwe ziye zangabaza ubukhona bukaNkulunkulu ongumninimandla onke noMdali. Ngo-1844, uKarl Marx wabiza inkolo ngokuthi “umlaliso wabantu.” Kamuva, uCharles Darwin waqhamuka nombono wokuziphendukela kwemvelo. Kwase kufika ukuvukela kwamaBolshevik. EMpumalanga Yurophu ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu kwaba isimiso sombuso esingokomthetho, futhi kwathiwa inkolo yayizophela nesizukulwane sika-1917. Kodwa labobantu abangakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu babengenakuyishintsha indlela abantu abenziwa ngayo. Lokhu kufakazelwa ukusimama kwenkolo eMpumalanga Yurophu kulesikhathi samanje.
Nokho, njengoba iBhayibheli lisho, kunabaningi ‘okuthiwa onkulunkulu, nokuba kusezulwini nokuba kusemhlabeni, njengokuba bakhona onkulunkulu abaningi namakhosi amaningi.’ (1 Korinte 8:5) Phakathi neminyaka edlule isintu siye sakhulekela onkulunkulu abaningi. Kuye kwaba nonkulunkulu benzalo, bothando, abempi, nabewayini nokuzitika. Enkolweni yobuHindu iyodwa, onkulunkulu babalelwa ezigidini.
OZiqu-zintathu bonkulunkulu baye bachuma eBabiloni, eAsiriya, naseGibithe, kanye nasemazweni obuBuddha. ELobukholwa nalo linowalo uZiqu-zintathu “ongcwele.” UbuIslam, njengoba benqaba uZiqu-zintathu, “abunaye omunye unkulunkulu ngaphandle kuka-Allah.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngisho nalabo abawuhleka usulu umbono wokuthi kunoNkulunkulu ongabonakali nongumninimandla onke banonkulunkulu babo siqu. Ngokwesibonelo, kweyabaseFilipi 3:19, iBhayibheli lithi ngabantu ababanjwe ugibe lokuphishekela izinto ezibonakalayo: “[U]nkulunkulu wabo yisisu.”
Abantu abaningi bakhulekela unkulunkulu noma onkulunkulu bezwe noma abomphakathi okwenzeka bazalelwa kuwo. Lokhu kuphakamisa imibuzo. Ingabe zonke izinhlobo zokukhulekela ziholela endaweni efanayo—njengezindlela eziholela phezulu esiqongweni sentaba? Noma ingabe eziningi zezindlela eziyimfihlakalo zenkolo ziholela enhlekeleleni—njengezindledlana eziholela eweni? Ingabe kunezindlela eziningi ezifanele zokukhulekela noma yinye kuphela? Ingabe kunonkulunkulu abaningi abafanele udumo noma munye kuphela uNkulunkulu onguMninimandla onke ofanelwe ukuzinikela kwethu okuphelele nokukhulekela?
Ukuvela KoNkulunkulu Bamanga
Imibuzo engenhla ifanele ukuba siyihlolisise. Ngani? Ngoba incwadi ebhaliwe egunyaza inkolo endala kunazo zonke, iBhayibheli, ichaza indlela unkulunkulu wamanga, owayesebenza ngenyoka, abayengela ngayo okhokho bethu bokuqala enkambeni eyisa enhlekeleleni. Sisabhekene nemiphumela ecindezelayo yecebo lakhe kuze kube namuhla. (Genesise 3:1-13, 16-19; IHubo 51:5) UJesu, “iNdodana kaNkulunkulu,” wabiza lowonkulunkulu owahlubuka ngokuthi “umbusi walelizwe.” Omunye wabaphostoli bakaJesu wambiza ngokuthi “unkulunkulu walelizwe.” (Johane 1:34; 12:31; 16:11; 2 Korinte 4:4) Encwadini yesAmbulo isahluko 12, ivesi 9, uchazwa ngokuthi “inyoka endala ethiwa uMhlebi noSathane, odukisa izwe lonke.” Umbuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga ungaphansi kokulawula kukaSathane.
USathane ungumkhohlisi omkhulu. (1 Thimothewu 2:14) Ngobuqili usebenzisa kabi isifiso sokukhulekela isintu esazalwa naso ngokuthuthukisa izinhlobo eziningi zonkulunkulu—imimoya yokhokho, izithixo, imifanekiso, oMadonna. Uxhasa ngisho nokukhulekelwa konkulunkulu abangabantu, njengababusi abanamandla, ojenene abanqobayo, nezihlabani zamabhayisikobho nezemidlalo. (IzEnzo 12:21-23) Senza kahle ngokuhlala siqaphile, sizimisele ukufuna nokukhulekela okuwukuphela kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso, ngempela ‘ongekude kulowo nalowo kithi.’—IzEnzo 17:27.
Khona-ke, ungubani loNkulunkulu oyingqayizivele okufanele simkhulekele? Eminyakeni ecishe ibe ngu-3 000 edlule, umhubi waseBhayibhelini wamchaza ngokuthi “oPhezukonke . . . , [u]Somandla . . . , [u]Nkulunkulu wami engimethembayo,” futhi wambiza ngegama lakhe elikhazimulayo—elithi “Jehova.” (IHubo 91:1, 2) Ngaphambili, uMose wayethe ngaye: “UJehova uNkulunkulu wethu, uJehova, munye.” (Duteromoni 6:4) Futhi umprofethi uIsaya wacaphuna uNkulunkulu ngokwakhe ethi: “NginguJehova; yilo igama lami; angiyikunika omunye inkazimulo yami, nezithombe ezibaziweyo udumo lwami.”—Isaya 42:8.
UJehova uNkulunkulu uhlose ukuhlanza igama lakhe esihlambeni unkulunkulu wamanga uSathane aye walibheca ngaso. Wabonisa indlela lokhu azokwenza ngayo ngonyaka ka-1513 B.C.E., lapho esebenzisa umprofethi wakhe uMose ukuba akhulule abantu bakwaIsrayeli ekucindezeleni kwaseGibithe. Kulesosenzakalo, uNkulunkulu wahlobanisa igama lakhe elithi Jehova nalamazwi: “Nginguye enginguye.” (Eksodusi 3:14, 15) Wayezozilwela kuFaro waseGibithe, kodwa waqala ngokutshela lowombusi omubi: “Ngikumisé ngalokhu ukuba ngikubonise amandla ami, igama lami lishunyayelwe emhlabeni wonke.”—Eksodusi 9:16.
Isimo siyafana nanamuhla. NjengoFaro wasendulo, unkulunkulu walelizwe, uSathane, udelela uJehova uNkulunkulu futhi ngobuqili ulwa impi engokomoya nalabobantu abathanda ukulunga neqiniso. (Efesu 6:11, 12, 18) UNkulunkulu uye waphinda futhi wahlosa ukukhulisa igama lakhe naphezu kokuphikisa kukaSathane. Nokho, ngaphambi kokuba abonise amandla akhe ngokubhubhisa uSathane kanye nayo yonke imisebenzi yakhe, uJehova uthumela abakhulekeli bakhe ukuba bamemezele igama laKhe emhlabeni wonke. Lokhu kufakazelwa kwegama lakhe kuyingxenye ebalulekile yokukhulekela kweqiniso.
Ngokufanelekile, uNkulunkulu ngokwakhe uye wathi labakhulekeli babeyoba ofakazi bakhe, oFakazi BakaJehova, “abantu engizenzele bona ukuba bashumayele udumo lwami.” (Isaya 43:10-12, 21) Balandisa kanjani ngodumo lukaJehova? Bayashumayela futhi bafundise obala nasendlini ngendlu, bememezela izindaba ezinhle zokuthi uMbuso kaJehova, okubusa iNdodana yakhe kuwo, uJesu Kristu, uyoletha izibusiso zaphakade esintwini esilalelayo kulomhlaba. Kanjalo, bakhulekela uNkulunkulu ‘ngokungayeki,’ njengoba kwenza amaKristu eqiniso ekhulwini lokuqala leminyaka. (IzEnzo 5:42; 20:20, 21) Ingabe baye basithola isibusiso saphezulu kulokhu? Amakhasi alandelayo azonikeza impendulo.