Ngaba Ukho UMtyholi?
“Kwakukho ixesha kwimbali yeCawa yamaKristu xa umtyholi, uBhelezabhubhe okanye uSathana, ukumkani wobungendawo, wayengumntu wokwenene nonamandla njengokuba kunjalo ngenani elinciphayo labantu abakholelwa ‘kuThixo’ namhlanje; xa umtyholi wayegqalwa njengento eyilwe ngamaYuda namaKristu enenxalenye yomzimba womntu nenxalenye yerhamncwa ukuze anikele izizathu zokubakho kobungendawo awayebubona buwangqongile. Kamva amaKristu amgqala njengomntu wasentsomini ekungekho zizathu zibambekayo zakukholelwa ukuba ungumntu wokwenene yaye engakhange abhungise, amlahla kwelokulibala.”—“All in the Mind—A Farewell to God,” nguLudovic Kennedy.
NJENGOKUBA umbhali nomsasazi uLudovic Kennedy esitsho, kangangeenkulungwane akukho namnye kwiNgqobhoko owayebuthandabuza ubukho bukaMtyholi. Kunoko, maxa wambi amaKristu “ayethe phithi ngamandla kaSathana needemon zakhe,” njengoko eyibeka njalo uNjingalwazi uNorman Cohn. (Europe’s Inner Demons) Oko kuthi phithi kwakungaphelelanga nje kubantu abaphantsi nabangafundanga. Ngokomzekelo, inkolelo yokuba uMtyholi wayeziguqula aze abe sisilwanyana ukuze ongamele ubungendawo nezithethe ezingcolileyo, “yayingaveli kwintsomi yezithethe zenkoliso yabantu abangafundanga, kodwa, ngokwahlukileyo koko, yayivela kwimbono yehlabathi yabantu abafundileyo,” utsho uNjingalwazi uCohn. Aba “bantu bafundileyo”—kuquka nabefundisi abafundileyo—ngabo ababezingela amagqwirha eYurophu ukususela ngenkulungwane ye-15 ukusa kweye-17, xa kwathiwa icawa nabasemagunyeni bathuthumbisa baza babulala amagqwirha awayetyholwa amalunga nama-50 000.
Akumangalisi ke ngoko, ukuba abaninzi baye bakukhaba ngawo omane oko bakugqala kuziinkolelo ezingenasihlahla ngoMtyholi. Kwamandulo phayaa ngomnyaka we-1726, uDaniel Defoe wayihleka inkolelo yabantu yokuba uMtyholi wayeligongqongqo eloyikisayo “elinamaphiko elulwane, iimpondo, iinyawo ezicandwe kubini, umsila omde, ulwimi olunjengefolokhwe nezinye izinto ezifana nezo.” Wathi iingcamango ezinjalo “zazibonisa ingqondo e-ethe-ethe, izinto eziphuthileyo” ezayilwa “ngabantu abaxhasa nabavelisa ingcamango yokuba usathana uligongqongqo” abaye “bakhohlisa abantu abangazi nto, ngomtyholi abazenzela yena.”
Ngaba leyo yindlela ozibona ngayo izinto? Ngaba nawe ucinga ukuba “umtyholi ngokwenene yinto esungulwa ngumntu ngenxa yezono zakhe”? Loo mazwi akwiThe Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, yaye abaninzi abathi bangamaKristu bacinga ngolo hlobo. UJeffrey Burton Russell, uthi inkoliso yabafundi bezakwalizwi beNgqobhoko “iye yamtyeshela uMtyholi needemon njengeenkolelo eziphelelwe lixesha.”
Sekunjalo, kwabanye abantu, uMtyholi yinto yokwenene. Baqiqa ngelithi kumele ukuba kukho uhlobo oluthile lwamandla angaphezu kwawomntu nangendawo abangela ubungendawo obuqhubekayo obongamela imbali yomntu. URussell uthi: “Amashwangusha aye enzeka kwinkulungwane yamashumi amabini,” anikela esinye isizathu sokuba “ukukholelwa kuMtyholi, nto leyo eye yalityalwa kangangexesha elide, kuphinde kubuye ngamandla.” Ngokutsho kombhali uDon Lewis, inani labantu bale mihla abafundileyo “abazihlekayo” iinkolelo noloyiko “lookhokho babo abangafundanga” kwakhona “litsaleleka kwizinto ezingendawo ezenzekayo ezibonakala zingaphezu kwamandla emvelo.”—Religious Superstition Through the Ages.
Ngoko, yiyiphi inyaniso ngalo mbandela? Ngaba uMtyholi yinto nje ebubuvuvu ekukholelwa kuyo? Okanye ngaba ungumntu esifanele sicingisise nzulu ngaye nakule nkulungwane yama-21?
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]
Njengokuba kuboniswe kumfanekiso okroliweyo kaGustave Doré, iinkolelo zakudala zazibonisa uMtyholi eyinxalenye engumntu nenxalenye elirhamncwa
[Inkcazelo]
The Judecca—Lucifer/The Doré Illustrations For Dante’s Divine Comedy/Dover Publications Inc.