Ingabe Izithombe Zingakusondeza KuNkulunkulu?

INQWABA yezithombe zaseGibithe, eBabiloni, nezamaGreki igcwele eminyuziyamu namuhla. Izithombe ezake zaba yinto ehlonishwa ngentshiseko manje kubukiswa ngazo njengemisebenzi nje yobuciko basendulo. Yilabo ababezikhulekela kuphela ababecabanga ukuthi zinamandla. Njengoba abantu ababezihlonipha ekugcineni babefa, amandla okwakucatshangwa ukuthi zinawo nawo aphela. Izithombe zadalulwa njengezingenamandla—empeleni ebezilokhu zinjalo—izinto ezingaphili ezenziwe ngokhuni, itshe, noma insimbi.

Kuthiwani ngezithombe ezihlonishwa nezikhulekelwa abantu namuhla? Ingabe lezithombe zinamandla angeziwe ngandlela-thile kunezithombe zasendulo zaseGibithe, eBabiloni, nezamaGreki? Ingabe ngempela ziye zaba indlela yokusiza umuntu ukuba asondele kuNkulunkulu?

Njengoba isizukulwane ngasinye sidlula, isintu sibonakala siqhela ngokwengeziwe kuNkulunkulu. Futhi yini zonke izithombe ezikhona emhlabeni ezingayenza ngakho? Uma zinganakekelwa, zigcwala uthuli futhi ekugcineni zidleke noma zibole. Azikwazi ukuzinakekela, ingasaphathwa eyokwenzela abantu okuthile. Nokho, okubaluleke nangaphezulu ukuthi iBhayibheli lithini ngalendaba?

Ziyabiza, Zinemicikilisho, Kodwa Azinamsebenzi

Akumangalisi ukuthi iBhayibheli liveza izithombe njengezingenamsebenzi nezihluleka ngokuphelele ukusiza abantu abazinikele kuzo ukuba basondele kuNkulunkulu. Nakuba izithombe ezingokwenkolo ngokuvamile zibiza futhi zinemicikilisho, iBhayibheli libonisa ukubaluleka kwazo kwangempela lapho lithi: “Izithombe zabo ziyisiliva negolide, umsebenzi wezandla zomuntu. Umlomo zinawo, kepha azikhulumi; amehlo zinawo, kepha aziboni. Izindlebe zinazo, kepha azizwa; zinamakhala, kepha azihogeli. Zinezandla, kepha aziphathi; zinezinyawo, kepha azihambi; azikhulumi ngomphimbo wazo. Abazenzayo bayafana nazo, bonke abazethembayo.”—IHubo 115:4-8.

IBhayibheli aligcini nje ngokubonisa ukuthi izithixo azibalulekile kodwa futhi liyazilahla izithombe kanye nabakhulekeli bazo: “Ungumsebenzi okhandiweyo, awukhulumi; uyathwalwa nokuthwalwa, ngokuba awuhambi. Ungawesabi, ngokuba awenzi okubi, nokuhle awunakukwenza. Bonke abantu bayiziphukuphuku, abanakwazi; bonke abakhandi bajabhiswa nezithombe zabo ezibaziweyo, ngokuba izithombe zabo ezibunjiweyo zingamanga, nomoya awukho kuzo. Ziyize, umsebenzi wenkohliso.”—Jeremiya 10:5, 14, 15.

Umbono WamaKatolika

Yiqiniso, abaningi abakhothamela izithombe ezingokwenkolo, bazithandazele futhi bazikhanyisele amakhandlela futhi baziqabule abazibheki njengabakhonza izithombe noma abakhulekeli bazo. Ngokwesibonelo, amaKatolika athi awahloniphi izithombe zikaKristu noMariya ngoba zinobunkulunkulu obuthile zona ngokwazo, kodwa azihlonipha ngenxa yalowo ezimmelelayo. IWorld Book Encyclopedia ithi “eSontweni LamaRoma Katolika, izithombe zihlonishwa njengeziyizimpawu zabantu ezibamelelayo.” Abefundisi bamaKatolika baye bashumayela ngokuthi kufanelekile ukuhlonipha isithombe uma nje ukusihlonipha kungaphansi ngezinga kulokho okufanele kunikezwe uNkulunkulu ngokwakhe.

Iqiniso liwukuthi lezithombe ziyahlonishwa. Ngisho neNew Catholic Encyclopedia iyavuma ukuthi ukuhlonipha okunjalo ‘kuyisenzo sokukhulekela.’ Nokho, uJesu Kristu wakulahla ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe njengosizo lokusondela kuNkulunkulu lapho ethi: “Akakho oza kuBaba ngaphandle kwami.” (Johane 14:6) Khona-ke, akumangalisi ukuthi amaKristu ekhulu lokuqala leminyaka akulahla ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni.

Nokho, namuhla izinkolo zeLobukholwa zizidlula kude zonke ezinye ngenani lazo elikhulu lezithombe. Yebo, naphezu kwabo bonke ubufakazi obungokomlando nobungokomBhalo obudalula ubuwula bokuhlonipha isithombe, amaKristu okuzisholo emhlabeni wonke asaqhubeka ekhothamela futhi ethandaza phambi kwezithombe ekumfuneni kwawo okuqotho uNkulunkulu. Kungani kunjalo?

Ukuyengwa Yisitha

Umprofethi uIsaya wathi abakhulekeli bezithombe bosuku lwakhe behluleka ukubona ubuwula bezenzo zabo ngoba amehlo abo ‘ayenanyekiwe ukuze bangaboni, nezinhliziyo zabo ukuze bangaqondi.’ (Isaya 44:18) Ubani okwakungenzeka abe nethonya elinjalo kubantu? Umkhandlu wango-754 C.E. wokubhujiswa kwezithombe wathi ukuhlonishwa kwezithombe kwangeniswa uSathane ngenjongo yokuyenga umuntu ukuba asuke kuNkulunkulu weqiniso. Ingabe lesiphetho sasifanelekile?

Yebo, ngoba siyavumelana neBhayibheli eliphefumlelwe, lelo emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka ngaphambili elathi isitha esikhulu sikaNkulunkulu, uSathane uDeveli, ‘siphuphuthekise ingqondo’ yabantu ukuze ‘lingasi’ iqiniso. (2 Korinte 4:4) Ngakho lapho umuntu ehlonipha isithombe, kunokuba asondele kuNkulunkulu, eqinisweni ukhonza izithakazelo zamademoni.—1 Korinte 10:19, 20.

Ukusondela KuNkulunkulu

Izithombe ngeke zisisize ukuba sisondele kuNkulunkulu. UMdali Omkhulu, uJehova uNkulunkulu, uyakwenyanya ukuhlonishwa kwezithombe. (Duteronomi 7:25) “UJehova unguNkulunkulu [ofuna ukuzinikela okuphelele, NW].” (Nahume 1:2) Uthi: “NginguJehova; yilo igama lami; angiyikunika omunye inkazimulo yami, nezithombe ezibaziweyo udumo lwami.” (Isaya 42:8) Ngokufanelekile, iBhayibheli lixwayisa ngokuthi labo abahlonipha izithombe “abayikulidla ifa lombuso kaNkulunkulu.”—Galathiya 5:19-21.

Nokho, uJehova unguNkulunkulu onesihe nothethelelayo. IBhayibheli likhuluma ngalabo abaphendukela kuNkulunkulu bashiya izithixo zabo futhi kwathiwa balungile ngemva kokuyeka imikhuba yabo yokukhonza izithombe. (1 Korinte 6:9-11; 1 Thesalonika 1:9) Balalela amazwi kaJesu: “UNkulunkulu unguMoya; abakhuleka kuye bafanele ukukhuleka ngomoya nangeqiniso.”—Johane 4:24.

Ukutadisha iBhayibheli ngobuqotho kuyokwembula ukuthi akunzima ukusondela kuNkulunkulu. (IzEnzo 17:26-28) Unobuntu obunobungane, nothando, obumenza abe ngongenekayo, futhi uyasimema futhi ulindele ukuba sihlakulele ubuhlobo obuseduze naye.—Isaya 1:18.

OFakazi BakaJehova bayakumema ukuba wazi uBaba wethu wasezulwini njengoMuntu, ukuba ufunde ngegama lakhe, elinguJehova, nangezimfanelo zakhe nokusebenzelana kwakhe nesintu. Ngokufunda emakhasini eZwi lakhe, iBhayibheli, uyobona ukuthi kungani empeleni ungazidingi izinto ezibonwayo, njengezithombe nemifanekiso, ezingakusiza ukuba usondele kuNkulunkulu. Yebo, “sondelani kuNkulunkulu, khona uyakusondela kinina.”—Jakobe 4:8.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 6]

Izazi-mlando Ziphawula Ukuthi . . .

◻ “Kuyiqiniso elaziwayo ukuthi ubuBuddha, obasungulwa ngekhulu lesithupha leminyaka BCE, abuzange bube nesithombe sokuqala somsunguli wabo kwaze kwaba cishe ngasekhulwini lokuqala leminyaka CE.”

“Emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka, isiko lamaHindu ngokuyisisekelo lalianiconic [lingenazo izithixo noma izithombe].”

“UbuHindu nobuBuddha baqala bungenazo izithombe futhi bazamukela kancane kancane izithombe ekukhulekeleni kwabo. UbuKristu benza okufanayo.”—The Encyclopedia of Religion, kaMircea Eliade.

◻ “Kuyabonakala ekulandiseni okuhlukahlukene kweBhayibheli ukuthi ukukhulekela kweqiniso kukaNkulunkulu kwakungenazo izithombe. . . . Futhi, kuyiTE [iTestamente Elisha] ukukhulekelwa konkulunkulu abangaziwa nezithixo akuvunyelwe.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia.

◻ “Izithombe zazingaziwa ekukhulekeleni kwamaKristu okuqala.”—Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, kaMcClintock noStrong.

◻ “Akukho ndawo eTestamenteni Elisha, noma kunoma imiphi imibhalo yangempela yenkathi yokuqala yobuKristu, lapho kungatholakala khona noma imuphi umnonjana wokusetshenziswa kwezithombe noma imifanekiso ekukhulekeleni kwamaKristu, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kusobala noma kungasese.”—A Concise Cyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, kaElias Benjamin Sanford.

◻ “AmaKristu okuqala ayeyoshaqiswa ukusikisela nje kokuba kubekwe izithombe emasontweni, futhi ayeyobheka ukukhothama noma ukuthandaza phambi kwazo njengento efana nokukhonza izithombe.”—History of the Christian Church, kaJohn Fletcher Hurst.

◻ “Esontweni lokuqala, ukwenziwa nokukhulekelwa kwezithombe zikaKristu nosanta kwakuphikiswa ngokungaguquki.”—The New Encyclopædia Britannica.

◻ “Nakuba iSonto lokuqala lalingamelene nezobuciko, kodwa alizange libe nazo izithombe zikaKristu.”—Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.

[Isithombe ekhasini 7]

UJesu wagcizelela ukuthi uNkulunkulu ufuna labo ‘abakhuleka kuBaba ngomoya ngangeqiniso’