Ingabe UDeveli Ukhona?

“Kwake kwaba khona isikhathi emlandweni weSonto LobuKristu lapho udeveli, uBelzebule noma uSathane, inkosi yobubi, ayengumuntu ongokoqobo nonamandla njengoba ‘noNkulunkulu’ esenjalo enanini elinciphayo labantu namuhla; into eyayakhiwe amaJuda namaKristu okuqala ukuze achaze ububi ayebubona buwazungezile njengobuyinto eyisilwane esisamuntu. Kamuva amaKristu aqaphela ukuthi le nto iyinsumansumane ayeseyiyeka ngesinyenyela.”—“All in the Mind—A Farewell to God,” kaLudovic Kennedy.

NJENGOBA umlobi nomsakazi uLudovic Kennedy esho, kwaphela amakhulu eminyaka kungekho muntu kweLobukholwa ongabazayo ukuthi uDeveli ungokoqobo. Kunalokho, ngezinye izikhathi amaKristu “ayekhathazeka ngokweqile ngamandla kaSathane namademoni akhe,” njengoba kusho uProfesa Norman Cohn. (Europe’s Inner Demons) Lokhu kukhathazeka okweqile akugcinanga kubantukazana abangafundile. Ngokwesibonelo, inkolelo yokuthi uDeveli wayeba nomzimba wesilwane ukuze engamele imigidi yobubi neyichilo “awuvelanga emasikweni eningi elalingafundile, kodwa kunalokho, [wavela] embonweni wesigaba esiphakeme sezifundiswa,” kusho uProfesa Cohn. Lesi “sigaba esiphakeme sezifundiswa”—kuhlanganise nabefundisi abafundile—yisona esabangela ukuzingelwa kwabathakathi okwadlanga eYurophu ekhulwini le-15 kuya kwele-17, lapho iziphathimandla zesonto nezomphakathi kuthiwa zahlukumeza futhi zabulala abantu abangaba ngu-50 000 okwakuthiwa bangabathakathi.

Akumangazi ukuthi abaningi baye bakwenqaba lokho abakubheka njengemibono eyinqaba neyizinkolelo-ze mayelana noDeveli. Ngisho nango-1726, uDaniel Defoe wayeyihleka usulu inkolelo yabantu yokuthi uDeveli uyisilwane esesabekayo “esinezimpiko zelulwane, izimpondo, izinyawo eziklayeke phakathi, umsila omude, ulimi olunjengemfoloko nokunye okunjalo.” Wathi imibono enjalo “iwuwangala” oluqanjwe “abagqugquzeli bakadeveli nabaqambi bakadeveli” “ababekhohlisa abangazi ngodeveli ababezakhele yena.”

Ingabe nawe unalowo mbono? Uyavuma yini ukuthi “empeleni udeveli uyinto eqanjwe umuntu ukuze asulele kuyo izono zakhe”? Lawo mazwi akuyi-Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, futhi abaningi abazibiza ngamaKristu bacabanga kanjalo. UJeffrey Buron Russell uthi, ngokwengxenye enkulu, izazi zemfundiso yenkolo zeLobukholwa ziye “zamchitha uDeveli namademoni njengabayizinsalela zenkolelo-ze.”

Nokho, kubantu abathile uDeveli ungokoqobo  impela. Banomuzwa wokuthi kumelwe ukuba kukhona amandla athile angaphezu komuntu nalimazayo agqugquzela ububi obungaphezi kuwo wonke umlando wabantu. URussell uthi: “Izinto ezesabekayo eziye zenzeka ekhulwini lamashumi amabili” zinikeza esinye sezizathu ezenza “ukukholelwa kuDeveli kuphinde kwande ngokushesha, ngemva kokunyamalala isikhathi eside.” Ngokomlobi uDon Lewis, abantu abaningana besimanje nabafundile “abazibukela phansi” izinkolelo-ze nokwesatshwa “kokhokho babo ababengafundile” “bayaphinda bakhangwa ububi obusezintweni ezingavamile.”—Religious Superstition Through the Ages.

Yikuphi-ke okuyiqiniso ngale ndaba? Ingabe uDeveli umane uyinkolelo-ze engenangqondo? Noma ingabe kusafanele athathwe ngokungathi sína nakuleli khulu lama-21?

[Isithombe ekhasini 4]

Njengoba kuboniswe kulo mfanekiso owaqoshwa nguGustave Doré, izinkolelo-ze zakudala zazithi uDeveli ungumuntu osasilwane

[Umthombo]

The Judecca—Lucifer/The Doré Illustrations For Dante’s Divine Comedy/Dover Publications Inc.