IBabiloni—Isikhungo Sokukhulekela Kwamanga

“LIWILE, liwile iBabele, nazo zonke izithombe ezibaziweyo zawonkulunkulu balo zidilizwe phansi.” IBabele aprofetha ngalo uIsaya laliwuhlobo luni lomuzi? Lokho kuyisihluthulelo esibalulekile ekuqondeni kwethu okushiwo yiBabiloni Elikhulu lanamuhla.—Isaya 21:9.

IBabiloni lasendulo lalaziwa ngokukhulekela kwalo onkulunkulu nonkulunkulukazi bobuqaba. Encwadini yakhe ethi Babylonian and Assyrian Religion, uProfesa S. H. Hooke uthi: “IBabiloni laliwumuzi lapho uMarduk ayenesikhundla esiyinhloko phakathi kwabanye onkulunkulu ababekhulekelwa lapho. . . . EBabiloni ngesikhathi sikaNebukadinesari II kwakunamathempeli angengaphansi kwamashumi amahlanu nesishiyagalombili anonkulunkulu bawo, kungasaphathwa amanye amathempeli amaningi angenabo onkulunkulu abaqondile. Ngakho-ke kungabonakala ukuthi kumelwe ukuba sasinendima enkulu kangakanani isikhundla sobupristi ekuphileni kwalowomuzi omkhulu.” Kuthiwa ithempeli likaMarduk eBabiloni lalinezindlu zokukhulekela eziseceleni ezingama-55. Yeka ukuthi kusikhumbuza kanjani ngamaningi amathempeli, amasonto, nezakhiwo zenkolo namuhla ezinezakhiwo zokukhulekela onkulunkulu abangaphansi, osanta, noMariya!

IBabiloni laliyisikhungo sokukhulekela izithombe ehlelweni lonkulunkulu. Okunye ukulandisa kuthi abapristi nabathembekile “babevame ukubhekisela ukunakekela ezithombeni zabo ezingcwele, bebheka lezithombe njengezibaxhumanisa nonkulunkulu. Izithombe zazigqokiswa izivunulo ezibizayo, zihlotshiswe ngemigexo, amasongo, nezindandatho; zazibekwa emibhedeni yokunethezeka futhi kuhanjwe nazo ezweni nasemanzini ngezinyawo, amakalishi nangezikebhe zabantu.”a Yeka ukuthi kufana kanjani nokukhulekela okwenziwa konkulunkulu, kosanta, nakoMariya kobanamuhla ubuHindu, ubuBuddha, nobuKatolika, lapho ngokufanayo bebukisa khona ngezithombe zabo emigwaqweni nasemifuleni nasolwandle!

Njengesinye isibonelo sokufana kweBabiloni lasendulo nenkolo yanamuhla, cabangela incazelo elandelayo ethathwe kuyiencyclopedia efanayo: “Amakholwa alo athembekile alibiza ngamagama amnandi kakhulu, aliyena nje kuphela unkulunkulukazi nenkosikazi kodwa futhi lingumama onomusa, yena olalela imithandazo, yena ongumkhulumeli . . . yena oye wanikeza indawo yonke nesintu sonke ukuphila.” Qhathanisa lokho nomthandazo olandelayo ovela kuyiEl Santo Rosario (IRosari ENgcwele): “Siyakubonga, Nkosazana Ephakeme, ngezipho zomusa esizithola nsuku zonke esandleni sakho esihle; yiba nomusa, Nkosazana, usifake ngaphansi kwesivikelo nomthunzi wakho manje naphakade.”

Ubani ochazwa ngalendlela nokuthandazwa kuye? Abaningi bayophetha ngokushesha ngokuthi, “INcasakazi UMariya.” Leyompendulo iqondile ngokwengxenye. Lomthandazo udluliselwa kuMariya. Nokho, njengoba iLas Grandes Religiones Ilustradas isitshela, ingcaphuno yokuqala iwukuchazwa kukaIshtar, “Inkosikazi Yothando,” unkulunkulukazi waseBabiloni wenzalo, uthando, nempi. Ngezinye izikhathi uvezwa emifanekisweni “njengomama oncelisa ingane yakhe yomfana.”b Nalesi singesinye isibonelo sendlela inkolo yanamuhla engaqhelile ngayo eBabiloni lasendulo!

Singathola futhi ukufana phakathi kweBabiloni lasendulo nemiqondo yalo yomphefumulo womuntu nonkulunkulu halo abangoZiqu-zintathu kanye nemiqondo efanayo namuhla, yomphefumulo ongafi nonkulunkulu abangoziqu-zintathu benkolo yanamuhla. Lobufakazi buqinisa ukuqonda kwethu ukuthi “iBabiloni Elikhulu” liwuphawu olufanelekayo lombuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga kaSathane.

IBabiloni—Isitha Esivokomele Sokukhulekela Kweqiniso

IBabiloni nalo laliyisitha esivokomele sabantu bakaJehova basendulo, uIsrayeli, nomdeleli wokukhulekela kwabo kweqiniso. IBabiloni labhubhisa ithempeli eJerusalema ngo-607 B.C.E., lathatha zonke izitsha eziyigugu zokukhulekela uJehova, futhi lazingcolisa edilini likaBelishasari.—Daniyeli 5:3, 4.

Ngokufanayo, ezikhathini zanamuhla, iBabiloni Elikhulu belilokhu liwumphikisi ononya wokukhulekela kweqiniso. Ezikhathini eziningi lapho oFakazi BakaJehova beshushiswa khona, abefundisi baye bakushoshozela, ngokuvamile ngokuba kwabo nobungane nababusi bezombangazwe.

Esinye isibonelo esicacile sokuphikiswa okushoshozelwa abefundisi sihlehlela emuva lé ngo-1917, futhi lesimo siye saphindaphindwa. Ngalowonyaka abaFundi BeBhayibheli Bezizwe Zonke, njengoba oFakazi babaziwa ngalesosikhathi, bakhipha incwadi ethi The Finished Mystery. Amakhasi ambalwa alencwadi achazwa njengavukelayo ngabefundisi baseCanada nabaseU.S., abamazwe abo ayehileleke eMpini Yezwe I. Baphuthuma batshela amashende abo ezombangazwe ngalencwadi. Waba yini umphumela? NgokukaProfesa Martin Marty, encwadini yakhe ethi Modern American Religion—The Irony of It All: “Abefundisi baphendukela abalandeli bakaRussell [oFakazi] futhi bakujabulela ukuzwa ukuthi abaholi boFakazi BakaJehova ababoshiwe babezogwetshwa iminyaka engamashumi amabili [ngenxa yokwakuthiwa ukuhlubuka].”

Kodwa kwaba yini ukusabela kwabefundisi ezinyangeni ezimbalwa kamuva lapho labobaholi ababeboshiwe bekhululwa kulawomacala? “Awazange ajabule amalungu esonto lobuorthodox.” OFakazi bazimela bodwa izimiso zeBhayibheli “kwaze kwaba sephuzwini lokuba bacasule uhulumeni wamaqembu ezombangazwe ngenkolo yabo.” OFakazi babengazimisele futhi abakaze bazimisele ukuba abangane abavuma konke bababusi bezombangazwe, ngisho nangaphansi kokubusa kwamaNazi eJalimane noma ngaphansi kokubusa kobuFasci eNtaliyane, eSpain, nasePortugal.

IBabiloni Lidaluliwe Futhi Ladunyazwa

Khona-ke, yeka ukuthi kufaneleka kanjani lapho isAmbulo sithi iBabiloni Elikhulu ‘lidakwe yigazi labangcwele negazi lawofakazi bakaJehova’ nokuthi ‘kwafunyaniswa kulo igazi labaprofethi nelabangcwele nelabo bonke ababebulewe emhlabeni.’ Icala legazi lezinkolo zezwe ngokuhlanganyela ngokuqondile noma ngokuthethelela izimpi nokushushiswa kwamaKristu eqiniso ngomshoshaphansi lihlehlela emuva kusukela emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka adlule.—IsAmbulo 17:6; 18:24.

IBabiloni Elikhulu, umbuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga, liye lajabulela ukunethezeka namandla kuwo wonke umlando. Kodwa ingelosi yaxwayisa uJohane ngokuthi usuku lwalesosifebe esikhulu lwaluyofika. Lokho kulandisa kuyasitshela: “Yamemeza ngezwi elinamandla, yathi: Liwile, liwile iBabiloni Elikhulu, selibeyindawo yokuhlala amademoni, nendawo yokubopha bonke omoya abangcolileyo, nendawo yokubopha zonke izinyoni ezingcolileyo nezizondekayo.”—IsAmbulo 18:2.

Liyowa nini iBabiloni? Noma ingabe seliwile kakade? Liwa ngayiphi indlela? Futhi lokho kukuthinta kanjani? Lemibuzo neminye ehlobene nayo iyophendulwa kumagazini wethu olandelayo wenqabayokulinda.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 8, 9]

Umsuka weBabiloni Elikhulu usenkolweni yasendulo yobuBabiloni