NJENGOBA isikebhe sasinyuka ngeBelfast Lough, indawo ulwandle olungenisa kuyo, abagibeli abambalwa ababemi esikebheni baqala ukubona amagquma aluhlaza njengoba ilanga lasekuseni likhuphuka. KwakungoMeyi 1910. KuCharles T. Russel owayekuleso sikebhe, lolu kwakuwuhambo lwakhe lwesihlanu oluya e-Ireland. Njengoba esondela, wabona imikhumbi emikhulu ngokubabazekayo eyayakhiwa—i-Titanic yodumo kanye ne-Olympic. * Ngale kwaleyo mikhumbi eyakhiwayo, kwakumi Abafundi beBhayibheli abambalwa bemlindile ukuze bamamukele.

Eminyakeni engaba ngu-20 ngaphambili, efuna indlela engcono yokusakaza izindaba ezinhle emhlabeni wonke, uMfoweth’ uRussel wanquma ukuvakashela amazwe amaningana. Izwe lokuqala alivakashela yi-Ireland ngoJulayi 1891. Esesikebheni i-City of Chicago, esasisondela ogwini lwase-Queenstown, wayebuka ukushona kwelanga futhi kungenzeka nokuthi wakhumbula indlela abazali bakhe ababeyichaza ngayo le ndawo abadabuka kuyo. Njengoba uMfoweth’ uRussell nayehamba nabo bedlula emadolobheni ahlanzekile namahle, baqaphela ukuthi le ndawo yayiyinsimu ‘elungele ukuvunwa.’

UMfoweth’ uRussell wavakashela e-Ireland izikhathi eziyikhombisa. Uhambo lwakhe lokuqala lwabangela ukuba amakhulu, ngezinye izikhathi izinkulungwane zabantu zize zizomlalela lapho ephinda ebuya. Ohambweni lwakhe lwesibili, ngoMeyi 1910, kwafakwa izikhangiso zemihlangano yomphakathi eBelfast naseDublin emaphephandabeni endawo. URussell wathi “abantu babesilalelisisa” isihloko esithi “Isithembiso Esifungelwe” esasikhuluma ngokholo luka-Abrahama nezibusiso eziyotholwa abantu esikhathini esizayo.

Ngenxa yokuthi kwakunabantu abaningi abathakazelayo, i-Ireland yafakwa ohlwini lohambo lwesithathu lwamazwe aseYurophu uRussell ayezowavakashela. Abazalwane abahlanu bambingelela njengoba ehla esikebheni eBelfast ekuseni ngo-Ephreli 1908. Inkulumo yeningi eyayikhangisiwe eyayinesihloko esithi “Ukubhujiswa Kombuso KaSathane,” yaheha “abantu abayizifundiswa abangaba ngu-300” kusihlwa ngalolo suku. Omunye wabaphikisi owayelapho wanikwa izimpendulo ngokushesha kusetshenziswa iBhayibheli ngendlela enekhono. EDublin umphikisi ozimisele—uMnu. u-O’Connor ongunobhala we YMCA—wazama ukwenza izilalela ezingaphezu kwenkulungwane ukuba zijikele Abafundi BeBhayibheli. Kwenzekani?

Ake sibone ngeso lengqondo izinto okungenzeka zenzeka ngaleso sikhathi. Indoda efisa ukufunda iqiniso leBhayibheli inquma ukuya enkulumweni yeningi ekhangiswe ephephandabeni i-Irish Times. Icishe ingayitholi indawo yokuhlala kulelo hholo eligcwele. Le ndoda iyalalelisisa njengoba kukhuluma isikhulumi esinezinwele ezimhlophe nobhebhenene  lwentshebe, esigqoke ijazi elide elimnyama. Njengoba lesi sikhulumi sibeka le nkulumo, siyahambahamba sisebenzise izandla ngokukhululekile, sichaze imiBhalo; lokho kwenza le ndoda iqonde amaqiniso eBhayibheli. Ngisho noma singekho isikhulisa zwi, isikhulumi sizwakala kahle kubo bonke futhi izilaleli ziqhubeka zilalele ihora nesigamu. Bese kuthi engxenyeni yemibuzo nezimpendulo, isikhulumi siphikiswa u-O’Connor nabangane bakhe, kodwa kalula nje sibaphendula ngeBhayibheli. Izilaleli zibe sezishaya ihlombe. Ngemva kwalokho, le ndoda enesithakazelo iya kubazalwane icele ukufundiswa okwengeziwe. Abaningi ababelapho bayavuma ukuthi baningi abathola amaqiniso ngale ndlela.

Ngohambo lwakhe lwesine, esuka eNew York ngesikebhe i-Mauretania ngoMeyi 1909, uMfoweth’ uRussell wahamba nonobhala uMfoweth’ uHuntsinger, ukuze njengoba bekulolo hambo bakwazi ukubhala izihloko ze-Nqabayokulinda. EBelfast kwafika abantu bendawo abangu-450 bezolalela inkulumo yeningi kaMfoweth’ uRussell, abayikhulu kulabo bantu bama ngezinyawo ngenxa yokugcwala.

Uhambo lwesihlanu okukhulunywe ngalo ekuqaleni lwenzeka ngendlela efanayo. Ngemva kwenkulumo yeningi eDublin, imibuzo yesazi senkolo esaziwayo esasifike no-O’Connor yaphendulwa ngemiBhalo, okwajabulisa izilaleli. Ngosuku olulandelayo, izihambi zagibela isikebhe esasiya eLiverpool esihambisa izincwadi eziphuthumayo, ngemva kwalokho zagibela i-Lusitania edumile zaya eNew York. *

Izinkulumo zeningi ezikhangiswayo zaziyingxenye yohambo lwesithupha nolwesikhombisa lukaMfoweth’ uRussell ngo-1911. Entwasa hlobo, Abafundi BeBhayibheli abangu-20 bamema abantu abangu-2 000, abalalela inkulumo ethi “Ukuphila Ngemva Kokufa.” U-O’Connor wafika eDublin ehamba nomunye umfundisi owayebuza imibuzo, kodwa izilaleli zashaya ihlombe lapho ephendulwa ngemiBhalo. Ngalowo nyaka ekwindla kwavakashelwa namanye amadolobha futhi kweza abaningi. U-O’Connor nabangane bakhe abayikhulu bazama ukuphinde baphazamise umhlangano waseDublin kodwa izilaleli zasekela isikhulumi ngentshiseko.

Nakuba uMfoweth’ uRussell ngaleso sikhathi kwakunguye yedwa obeka izinkulumo zeningi, waqaphela ukuthi “akekho umuntu obaluleke kakhulu kunabanye” ngoba “lona akuwona umsebenzi womuntu; umsebenzi kaNkulunkulu.” Izinkulumo zeningi ezikhangisiwe—ezandulela uMhlangano Womphakathi—zavula amathuba amahle okumemezela amaqiniso eBhayibheli. Yaba yini imiphumela? Izinkulumo zeningi zasiza ekusakazeni izindaba ezinhle, kwaba namabandla emadolobheni amaningi e-Ireland.—Ezivela ezinqolobaneni zethu eBrithani.