MU MWAKA wa 1870, itsinda rito ry’i Pittsburgh (Allegheny) muri leta ya Pennsylvania, ho muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika, ryatangiye gukora ubushakashatsi mu Byanditswe. Abo bantu bari bayobowe na Charles Taze Russell bize ingingo irebana n’incungu ya Kristo, maze bahita basobanukirwa uruhare rw’ingenzi ifite mu mugambi wa Yehova. Bishimiye kumenya ko incungu ari yo yari guhesha abantu agakiza, ndetse n’abari bataramenya Yesu. Bumvise bagomba kugaragaza ko bashimira Yehova, bizihiza buri mwaka urupfu rwa Yesu kugira ngo bamwibuke.—1 Kor 11:23-26.

Umuvandimwe Russell yasohoye igazeti y’Umunara w’Umurinzi w’i Siyoni yagaragazaga ko incungu ari cyo kintu gikomeye kurusha ibindi byose kigaragaza urukundo rw’Imana. Uwo Munara w’Umurinzi wavuze ko igihe cy’Urwibutso rw’urupfu rwa Kristo ari “igihe cy’ingenzi cyane,” kandi washishikarije abasomyi bawo kurwizihiriza i Pittsburgh cyangwa bakarwizihiriza ahandi hantu bari mu matsinda. Wavuze ko “nubwo bari kuba ari babiri cyangwa batatu bafite uko kwizera kw’agaciro kenshi” cyangwa ari umwe, mu buryo runaka bari kuba “bari kumwe n’Umwami.”

Buri mwaka, abantu bazaga kwizihiza Urwibutso i Pittsburgh barushagaho kwiyongera. Urupapuro rw’itumira rwagiraga ruti “muzakirwa n’abantu bishimye.” Koko rero, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bo muri ako gace bishimiraga gucumbikira abavandimwe na bashiki babo bo mu buryo bw’umwuka no kubaha amafunguro. Mu mwaka wa 1886, mu gihe cy’Urwibutso habaye “Ikoraniro Rusange” ryamaze iminsi runaka. Umunara w’Umurinzi wateye abantu inkunga ugira uti “muzaze mufite umutima wuzuye urukundo mukunda Databuja, abavandimwe be n’ukuri kwe.”

Mu gihe cy’imyaka runaka, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya b’i Pittsburgh bagiraga amakoraniro yabaga arimo abantu bizeraga incungu, babaga baje mu Rwibutso. Uko Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bagendaga biyongera, ni na ko umubare w’abajyaga mu Rwibutso wiyongeraga ku isi hose. Ray Bopp wo mu itorero ry’i Chicago yavuze ko mu myaka ya 1910, gutambagiza ibigereranyo mu bantu babarirwa mu magana babaga bateranye byafataga amasaha menshi, kuko hafi ya bose bafataga kuri ibyo bigereranyo.

Ni ibihe bigereranyo byakoreshwaga? Nubwo byagaragaraga ko Yesu yakoresheje divayi mu gihe cy’Ifunguro ry’Umwami rya Nimugoroba, Umunara w’Umurinzi wamaze igihe runaka usaba ko hakoreshwa umutobe w’imizabibu mibisi cyangwa uw’imizabibu yumye itetse, kugira ngo “abafite intege nke” batagwa mu moshya. Icyakora, abumvaga ko “hagombaga gukoreshwa divayi” bo barayihabwaga. Nyuma yaho, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya basobanukiwe ko divayi itukura, itavanzemo ikindi kintu, ari yo ikwiriye kugereranya amaraso ya Yesu.

Kwibuka urupfu rwa Yesu byatumaga abantu babona igihe cyo gutekereza cyane. Icyakora, mu matorero amwe n’amwe wasangaga abantu basa n’abari mu cyunamo, ku buryo iyo Urwibutso rwarangiraga bose basohokaga nta  wuvugishije undi. Ariko kandi, igitabo cyasohotse mu mwaka wa 1934 (cyari gifite umutwe uvuga ngo “Jéhovah”) cyavuze ko Urwibutso rutagomba kuba igihe cyo “guterwa agahinda” n’urupfu rubabaje rwa Yesu, ahubwo ko rugomba kuba igihe cyo “kwishimira” ko yatangiye gutegeka kuva mu mwaka wa 1914.

Mu mwaka wa 1935 habaye ihinduka rikomeye ryagize icyo rihindura ku birebana n’uko Urwibutso rwari kujya rwizihizwa, kuko icyo gihe basobanukiwe neza abagize “imbaga y’abantu benshi” bavugwa mu Byahishuwe 7:9. Mbere yaho, abagaragu ba Yehova bumvaga ko iryo ryari itsinda ry’Abakristo batagiraga ishyaka ryinshi. Icyo gihe noneho basobanukiwe ko iyo mbaga y’abantu benshi igizwe n’abagaragu ba Yehova bizerwa bafite ibyiringiro byo kuzaba ku isi izaba yahindutse paradizo. Umuvandimwe Russell Poggensee amaze kumva ibyo bisobanuro no kwisuzuma yitonze, yagize ati “Yehova ntiyari yarashyize mu mutima wanjye ibyiringiro by’ijuru binyuze ku mwuka we wera.” Uwo muvandimwe hamwe n’abandi benshi b’indahemuka baretse kujya bafata ku bigereranyo, ariko bakomeza kwizihiza Urwibutso.

Muri icyo ‘gihe cy’ingenzi cyane,’ gahunda zihariye zo kubwiriza zatumaga abantu bose babona uburyo bwo kugaragaza ko bashimira Yehova kubera ko yatanze incungu. Mu mwaka wa 1932, Umurimo Wacu w’Ubwami (icyo gihe witwaga Bulletin) wateye Abakristo inkunga yo kutaba “abera b’Urwibutso” gusa, ni ukuvuga abantu barya ku mugati bakanywa no kuri divayi ariko atari “abakozi nyabo” babwiriza ubutumwa bw’ukuri. Mu mwaka wa 1934, Umurimo Wacu w’Ubwami wateye abantu inkunga yo gukora umurimo w’“ubupayiniya bw’ubufasha” ugira uti “ese mu gihe cy’Urwibutso hazaboneka abapayiniya 1.000?” Ku birebana n’abasutsweho umwuka, Umurimo Wacu w’Ubwami (icyo gihe witwaga informateur) wagize uti “kubwiriza iby’Ubwami ni byo byonyine bishobora gutuma bagira ibyishimo byuzuye.” Nyuma y’igihe ibyo byari kwerekezwa no ku bafite ibyiringiro byo kuzaba ku isi. *

Abagize ubwoko bwa Yehova bose babona ko ijoro bizihizamo Urwibutso ari ryo ry’ingenzi cyane kurusha ibindi bihe byose by’umwaka. Bararwizihiza niyo baba bari mu mimerere igoye. Mu mwaka wa 1930, uwitwaga Pearl English na mukuru we witwaga Ora, bakoze urugendo rw’ibirometero 80 bagiye mu Rwibutso. Igihe umumisiyonari witwaga Harold King yari muri kasho mu Bushinwa, yanditse imivugo n’indirimbo ku bihereranye n’Urwibutso, kandi akora ibigereranyo mu nkeri no mu muceri. Kuva mu Burayi bw’i Burasirazuba kugeza muri Amerika yo Hagati no muri Afurika, Abakristo b’intwari bagiye bizihiza urupfu rwa Yesu nubwo babaga bari mu gihe cy’intambara cyangwa umurimo warabuzanyijwe. Aho twaba turi hose n’imimerere twaba turimo yose, duteranira hamwe mu gihe cy’ingenzi cyane cy’Urwibutso, kugira ngo tugaragaze ko twubaha Yehova Imana na Yesu Kristo.