Bhapathizwa! Bhapathizwa! Bhapathizwa!—Kodwa Kungani?

“PHAKATHI nesikhathi esiyizinyanga ezimbalwa ngiye ngabhapathiza amadoda, abesifazane, nabantwana abangaphezu kwezinkulungwane eziyishumi.” Sabhala kanjalo isithunywa sevangeli esingum-Jesuit uFrancis Xavier ngokuqondene nomsebenzi waso embusweni waseTravancore, eNdiya. “Ngahamba idolobhana nedolobhana futhi ngabenza amaKristu. Futhi kuyo yonke indawo engangihamba kuyo ngangishiya ikhophi yemithandazo nemiyalo yethu ngolimi lwendawo.”

Ihlatshwe umxhwele kakhulu izincwadi zikaFrancis Xavier, iNkosi uJohn yasePortugal yayala ukuba zifundwe ngezwi eliphakeme kuwo wonke amapulpiti embusweni wayo wonke. Incwadi ka-January 1545 esanda kucashunwa yavunyelwa nanokuba isakazwe. Waba yini umphumela? “Ngokushesha iningi labafundi baseYurophu, ‘liguqe phansi ngamadolo alo futhi likhihla isililo,’ lamemeza lathi lifuna ukuya eNdiya liyoguqula abahedeni,” kubhala uManfred Barthel encwadini yakhe ethi The Jesuits—History & Legend of the Society of Jesus. Wanezela: “Umqondo wokuthi kwakungase kudingeke abantu abaningi ukuze bafafaze ngamanzi angcwele kanye namapheshana agcwele isikhwama ukuze kuguqulwe wonke umbuso akubonakali ukuthi wawukhona kwabaningi ngalesosikhathi.”

Yini ngempela eyafezwa ukuguqulwa okunjalo koquqaba lwabantu? Um-Jesuit uNicolas Lancilloto wabika isimo esingokoqobo eRoma: “Abaningi balabo ababhapathizwayo banesisusa esingalungile. Izigqila zama-Arabhu nezamaHindu zithemba ukuzuza inkululeko yazo ngalo noma zizuze isivikelo enkosini ecindezelayo noma zimane nje zithole ingubo entsha noma isigqoko. Abaningi benza kanjalo ukuze babalekele isijeziso esithile. . . . Noma yibaphi abashukunyiswa yizinkolelo zabo siqu ukuba bafune insindiso ezimfundisweni zethu babhekwa njengezinhlanya. Abaningi bayahlubuka futhi baphindele emikhubeni yabo yobuqaba yangaphambili kungakadluli isikhathi eside ngemva kokubhapathizwa.”

Isifiso sokuguqula nokubhapathiza abahedeni sahlanganyelwa futhi nangabahloli bamazwe baseYurophu bangalesosikhathi. Kuthiwa uChristopher Columbus wabhapathiza “amaNdiya” okuqala ahlangana nawo eCaribbean. “Isimiso esingokomthetho sobuKhosi BaseSpain sabeka ukuguqulwa kwabantu bendabuko njengento eza kuqala,” kusho i-Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. “Ngasekupheleni kwekhulu lesithupha leminyaka, amaNdiya angu-7 000 000 ombuso waseSpain ayesengamaKristu, okungenani ngegama. Lapho sinezibalo zokuguqulwa khona (uPedro de Gante, isihlobo soMbusi uCharles V, owayejoyine izithunywa zevangeli, wabika ngokubhapathiza abangu-14 000 ngosuku olulodwa esizwa umngane  oyedwa), kusobala ukuthi akukho ukufundiswa kwangaphambili okuye kwenzeka.” Ukuguqulwa okunjalo okukha phezulu ngokuvamile kwakuhambisana nokuphathwa ngokhahlo, unya, nokucindezelwa kwabantu bendabuko.

Ukubaluleka okwagcizelelwa ngobhapathizo kwashukumisela labahloli bamazwe nezithunywa zevangeli ukuba baqhubekele phambili. Ngo-1439, uPapa u-Eugenius IV wakhipha umyalo eMkhandlwini WaseFlorence owawuthi: “UBhapathizo Olungcwele luthatha indawo yokuqala phakathi kwezenzakalo ezingcwele, ngenxa yokuthi luwumnyango wokuphila okungokomoya; ngoba ngalo senziwa amalungu kaKristu futhi sihlanganiswe neBandla. Futhi njengoba ukufa kwangena kubantu bonke ngomuntu wokuqala, ngaphandle kokuba sizalwe ngokusha ngamanzi nangoMoya oNgcwele, ngeke singene embusweni weZulu.”

Nokho, kwaphakama impikiswano, ngokuthi olobani ngempela ubhapathizo olusebenzayo. “Ngenxa yokuthi futhi lwaluyisiko eliyisisekelo lokungena emphakathini wesonto, ngokushesha amasonto amaningana abangisanayo athi ubhapathizo luyilungelo elikhethekile, ngalinye lizibiza ngokuthi elobu-orthodox futhi libeka amanye icala lokuba nezimfundiso eziphikisanayo nelokwehlukanisa ibandla. Ukuguqulwa kwamasiko obhapathizo ngamahlelo ahlukahlukene kwakungenakugwenywa,” kuphawula i-Encyclopedia of Religion.

Nokho, ukwenziwa kobhapathizo kwandulela isikhathi sokholo lobuKristu. Lwalwenziwa eBabiloni naseGibithe lasendulo, lapho kwakucatshangwa ukuthi amanzi abandayo eNayili andisa amandla bese enikeza ukungafi. AmaGreki nawo ayekholelwa ukuthi ubhapathizo lungaletha ukuvuselelwa okungokomoya noma lungaletha ukungafi kwabaqalayo. Ihlelo lamaJuda eQumran lalibhapathiza abaqalayo ukungena emphakathini walo. Kwakufuneka ukuba abeZizwe abaguqulelwe ebuJudeni basokwe futhi ngemva kwezinsuku eziyisikhombisa babhapathizwe ngokucwiliswa phambi kofakazi.

Ngokusobala, kuye kwagcizelelwa ukubaluleka kobhapathizo kuyo yonke leminyaka. Kodwa kuthiwani namuhla? Ingabe luyadingeka kulezikhathi zanamuhla? Uma kunjalo, kungani? Empeleni, ingabe kufanele ubhapathizwe?