Isonto LaseLatin America Lisenkathazweni—Kungani Izigidi Zilishiya?

KUSUKELA emngceleni waseMexico ongasenyakatho kuya ngasekupheleni kweningizimu yeChile, cishe alikho idolobha okungelaseLatin America elingaqhoshi ngokuba nesonto lamaRoma Katolika elisesikhungweni salo esiyinhloko. Nokho, “kunoshintsho olukhulukazi olwenzekayo eLatin America,” kuvuma uJoseph E. Davis, umqondisi wohlelo lwenhlangano ethuthukisa imisebenzi yamaKatolika. Wavuma futhi ukuthi iLatin America, indawo ebingaphansi kwethonya leSonto lamaRoma Katolika iminyaka engaphezu kwamakhulu amathathu, manje isonqenqemeni loshintsho olukhulu.

Akuyona imfihlo ukuthi ukuvelela kweSonto lamaKatolika kuya kuwohloka ngesivinini esikhulu. Muva nje, inani lamaKatolika ashisekayo lalinganiselwa kumaphesenti angu-15 kuphela engqikithi yabantu baseLatin America. I-Britannica Book of the Year ka-1991 yabika: “AbaBhishobhi bamaRoma Katolika nopapa ngokwakhe bazwakalisa ukwesaba ukuthi ngokusekelwe emlandweni iLatin America yobuKatolika yayilufulathela ngokunengozi ukholo oludala.” Kungani lokhu kwenzeka? Kungani abaningi kangaka beshiya umhlambi wamaKatolika? Kuye kwenzekani kulabo abawushiyile?

Ukuthungatha Incazelo

Abaholi bamaKatolika basola ukwanda “kwamahlelo” ngezinkinga abanazo. Umpristi waseYurophu osebenza eBolivia wakhononda: “Isonto linjengesihlahla esimandla aso athenwa amahlelo anjengokhula.”

E-Argentina, kubikwa ukuthi kuba khona izinkolo ezintsha ezingu-140 unyaka ngamunye, okungase kusize ekuchazeni isizathu sokwehla kwenani lamalungu eSonto lamaKatolika lisuka kumaphesenti angu-90 liya kwangu-60 noma angu-70 kusukela phakathi nawo-1970. ETijuana, eMexico, amaphesenti ayishumi ezakhamuzi eziyizigidi ezimbili aye aya ezinkolweni ezingu-327 zalapho ezingezona ezobuKatolika. Umagazini i-Time wabika: “Ngokumangalisayo, ngamaSonto cishe kuba khona amaProthestani aseBrazil amaningi kunamaKatolika esontweni.” Akumangalisi ukuthi, njengoba elinye iphephandaba lasho, lapho “okhadinali baseLatin America behlangana nopapa eDolobheni iVatican ukuze baxoxe ngezinto ezimbili ezibaluleke kunazo zonke eziphathelene nesonto namuhla,” enye yalezozinto “kwakuyinkinga yamahlelo.”

Emhlanganweni ayenawo nababhishobhi baseMexico, upapa wathi impumelelo yezinkolo eziningi ezintsha “yayibangelwa ukuba sivivi nokunganaki kwamadodana esonto angenzi ngokuvumelana nokuthunywa kwawo kobuvangeli.” Kungani “amadodana esonto” engakunaki ukugcwalisa izidingo ezingokomoya zabantu baseLatin America kuyilapho iningi lalabantu lilihlonipha iBhayibheli? Uhlu lomhleli kuyi-Última Hora yaseLa Paz, eBolivia, luyachaza: “Isonto liye langenela kakhulu kwezezwe kangangokuba  usuku ngalunye libonakala liyishiya ngokuqhubekayo indawo yalo efanelekile. Akufanele kusimangaze ukuthola ukuthi, njengoba eqinisweni kwenzeka, abapristi bayizazi zezenhlalo, izazi zezomnotho, izintatheli, noma izazi zezombangazwe ngaphezu kokuba abefundisi.”

Ingabe Bayizazi Zezombangazwe Ngaphezu Kokuba Abashumayeli?

Ukugxambukela kwesonto kwezombangazwe phakathi kwawo-1970 nawo-1980 ngokungangabazeki kwaba nengxenye enzondweni abantu abaningi baseLatin America abanayo manje ngobuKatolika. Ukuhlola okwanyatheliswa ngo-1985 kwaphawula okulandelayo ngokuqondene ne-Maryknoll, okuyinhlangano okuthiwa yi-Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, nemisebenzi yayo eminingi eLatin America: “I-Maryknoll iye yaphumelela ekwenzeni ukuba isigijimi sezinguquko zodlame zikaMarx noLenin zamukeleke emphakathini ngenxa nje yokuthi iye yavunyelwa ukusebenza njengengalo yeSonto lamaKatolika. Isigijimi sayo asifinyelelanga nje kuphela kumuntu ovamile osontayo, kodwa safinyelela nakubasunguli bemithetho abaholayo baseMelika.”

Cabangela futhi lokho okubizwa ngokuthi impi engcolile, ngokushaqisayo okwathunjwa futhi kwabulawa kuyo abantu base-Argentina abasukela ku-10 000 kuya ku-30 000 ngaphandle kokuthethwa kwecala ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yawo-1970. Uhlu lomhleli kuyi-National Catholic Reporter, ngaphansi kwesihloko esithi “Igazi Lingcolisa ISonto E-Argentina,” lathi: “Okuhlangenwe nakho kwase-Argentina kucishe kufane nesenzo sesonto lamaKatolika eJalimane lamaNazi, kuphinde kuphakamise umbuzo wokuthi ingabe amandla abaluleke kakhulu yini esontweni kuneVangeli okufanele lifakazele iqiniso.”

Isifiso sesonto sokufuna ukulawula kohulumeni bezwe ngokusobala siliphawula njengelingelona umngane kaNkulunkulu. IBhayibheli lithi: “Aniqapheli yini ukuthi ukwenza izwe libe umngane wenu kuwukwenza uNkulunkulu abe isitha senu? Noma ubani okhetha izwe ukuba libe umngane wakhe uziphendula isitha sikaNkulunkulu.” (Jakobe 4:4, i-Jerusalem Bible yamaKatolika) Khona-ke, akumangalisi ukuthi abaningi abasabheki eSontweni lamaKatolika ukuze bathole isiqondiso esingokomoya. Kodwa yini eye yenzeka kubantu abashiye umhlambi wamaKatolika?

Izimvu Ezingenamalusi

Bafana ncamashí nabantu abaholi abangokomoya bamaJuda bekhulu lokuqala abehluleka ukubanakekela. IBhayibheli lithi uJesu “wabadabukela ngoba babekhathazekile futhi bedangele, njengezimvu ezingenamalusi.” (Mathewu 9:36, JB) Abaningi baye bashiya iSonto lamaKatolika baya ezinkolweni okuthiwa ezobuvangeli. Ingabe lezizinkolo ziye zazinakekela kangcono lezimvu ezidukuzayo? Ingabe amaProthestani athambekele kakhulu ekufaneni nalokho  uJesu akusho ngabalandeli bakhe beqiniso: ‘Abasibo abezwe, njengalokhu nami angisiye owezwe’?—Johane 17:14.

Izinkolo eziningi ezingezona ezobuKatolika zizama ukuzibonakalisa njengezilalela iBhayibheli kunokulandela isiko elingokwenkolo. Ngokuvamile lokhu kumane nje kuyinkohliso. Izimfundiso eziyisisekelo zezinhlangano zobuProthestani zifana nsé nalezo zeSonto lamaKatolika kangangokuthi abaningi ababukelayo bangasisebenzisa kalula isisho sesi-Andean esithi: “Es la misma cholita con otra pollera” (Kuseyiyo leyankosikazi yeNdiya igqoke isiketi esihlukile).

Ngokwesibonelo, cishe wonke amaqembu obuProthestani afundisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu unguZiqu-zintathu, kodwa lena akuyona imfundiso yeBhayibheli. I-Encyclopedia of Religion iyavuma: “Namuhla abahlaziyi bemibhalo nezazi zenkolo bayavumelana ngokuthi iBhayibheli lesiHeberu alinayo imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu . . . iTestamente Elisha nalo alinayo imfundiso ecacile kaZiqu-zintathu.” *

AmaProthestani axhumene ngokusobala nalelizwe nezombangazwe zalo njengamaKatolika. I-Encyclopedia of Latin America ithi: “UbuProthestani eLatin America nabo buye bazihlanganisa . . . nezombangazwe ezimelela ukuvikelwa kwamalungelo abantu abavamile. Abefundisi bendabuko ngokuvamile baba izithenjwa zezikhulu zezombangazwe bezivotela ukuze amasonto abo athole isasasa kuhulumeni.” I-Latin American Research Review ithi: “UbuProthestani bebulokhu bubhangqene nezombangazwe eGuatemala selokhu bafika kulelizwe,” inezela ukuthi “buye baba yinto yokudlulisela ukuziphatha okungokwezombangazwe nokungokwezenhlalo njengohlobo oluthile lwenkolo.”

Ukuhlanganyela kwamaProthestani kwezombangazwe ngokuvamile kuye kwaholela ekuhlanganyeleni kwawo empini. UHarry Emerson Fosdick ongasekho, owayebhekwa njengomunye wabefundisi bamaProthestani abanethonya elikhulu emlandweni waseMelika, wavuma: “Umlando wethu waseNtshonalanga uye waba ogcwele impi. Siye sazala amadoda empi, saqeqesha amadoda empi; siye sakhazimulisa impi; senza izilwi zaba amaqhawe ethu futhi ngisho nasemasontweni ethu siye sabeka amafulegi empi . . . Ngolunye uhlangothi lomlomo wethu siye sadumisa iNkosi yokuThula, kanti ngolunye siye sadumisa impi.”

Yini Okufanele Uyenze?

Ngemva kokuchaza inkolo yamanga njengesifebe esingokomfanekiso esifeba nohulumeni bomhlaba, incwadi yeBhayibheli yesAmbulo ithi: “Phumani, bantu bami, niqhelele kude nalo, ukuze ningahlanganyeli ebugebengwini balo bese nithola izinhlupho ezifana nezalo.”—IsAmbulo 18:4, JB.

Abaningi bayaqaphela ukuthi kunokonakala okuningi esontweni, nokho basemadolo-nzima ukulishiya ngenxa yokuthi iSonto lamaRoma linomlando omude kakhulu. Nokho, khumbula ukuthi isimiso samaJuda sokukhulekela sase sinesikhathi eside; nokho uNkulunkulu wawenqaba amaJuda njengabantu bakhe abakhethiwe lapho ehlubuka ezimfundisweni zakhe eziyiqiniso. Izinceku zikaNkulunkulu ezithembekile zabushiya ubuJuda lapho ziqaphela ukuthi uNkulunkulu manje wayesesebenzisa ibandla lobuKristu. Ungalibona kanjani ibandla lobuKristu leqiniso namuhla?

Abantu baseLatin America abacishe babe yisigidi baye baba oFakazi BakaJehova kulamashumi amabili eminyaka adlule. Kungani benza lolushintsho? Iphephandaba laseMartínez de la Torre, eVeracruz, eMexico, lahlola lombuzo. Lathi: “Labafundi beBhayibheli [oFakazi BakaJehova] bakhiwa cishe amaphesenti ayikhulu abantu ababengabashisekeli bezinkolo ezihlukahlukene, ikakhulukazi ezamaKatolika, abaye baphawula ukuhlehlela kwesonto kwezombangazwe nokuvumela nokwamukela kwalo imikhuba engasekelwe eBhayibhelini enjengokuxubana kwezinkolo, ukuziphatha okubi, nobudlova. Kuye kwaba umthombo wokwaneliseka kubo ukulandela izimiso ezingokomBhalo zokuziphatha ngaphandle kokuphendukela ekukhonzeni izithombe noma amasiko anomsuka ongacacile. Lokhu kuye kwabanikeza ubunye bokholo obuncomekayo  obubonakala bubehlukanisa nomaphi lapho betholakala khona.”

Elinye iphephandaba laseLatin America likubeka ngalendlela: “OFakazi BakaJehova bangabantu abazikhandlayo, abathembekile, abesaba uNkulunkulu. Abaguquguquki futhi basabambelele emikhubeni abayifundisiwe futhi inkolo yabo isekelwe ezimfundisweni zeBhayibheli.” Sikumema ukuba utadishe iBhayibheli noFakazi BakaJehova nomaphi lapho uhlala khona. Uyofunda ukuthi ithemba labo nayo yonke indlela yabo yokuphila kusekelwe eBhayibhelini. Yebo, uyofunda indlela yokukhulekela uNkulunkulu “ngomoya nangeqiniso.”—Johane 4:23, 24.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ishadi ekhasini 21]

OFAKAZI BAKAJEHOVA KWAMANYE AMAZWE ASELATIN AMERICA

1971 1992

Izwe Abamemezeli Abamemezeli

I-Argentina 20 750 96 780

IBolivia 1 276 8 868

IBrazil 72 269 335 039

IChile 8 231 44 067

IColombia 8 275 55 215

ICosta Rica 3 271 14 018

IDominican Republic 4 106 15 418

I-Ecuador 3 323 22 763

I-El Salvador 2 181 20 374

IGuadeloupe 1 705 6 830

IGuatemala 2 604 13 479

IHonduras 1 432 6 583

IMexico 54 384 354 023

Panama 2 013 7 732

IParaguay 901 4 115

IPeru 5 384 43 429

IPuerto Rico 8 511 25 315

I-Uruguay 3 370 8 683

IVenezuela 8 170 60 444

INGQIKITHI 212 156 1 143 175