Ingabe Kufanele Kusolwe Inkolo?

UMFUNDISI nomlobi wangekhulu le-18 uJonathan Swift wabhala: “Sinenkolo eyanele ukusenza sibe nenzondo, kodwa ayanele ukusenza sithandane.” Abaningi bagomela ngokuthi empeleni inkolo iyimbangela yokwahlukana kunobunye. Kodwa akubona bonke abavumelana nalokho.

Ngokwesibonelo, cabanga ngesiphetho esafinyelelwa yiqembu labacwaningi e-Department of Peace Studies eNyuvesi yaseBradford e-United Kingdom. Leli qembu lajutshwa yiNhlangano Yezokusakaza yaseBrithani ukuba linikeze impendulo enengqondo yombuzo ophathelene nokuthi inkolo iyimbangela yokuthula yini noma yempi.

Embikweni onyathelisiwe, laba bacwaningi bathi: “Ngemva kokubukeza umlando wocwaningo olwenziwa ochwepheshe bemikhakha ehlukahlukene saphetha ngokuthi, kuye kwaba nezimpi ezimbalwa ezisekelwe enkolweni ngempela ekhulwini leminyaka elidlule.” Leli qembu lachaza ukuthi ezinye izimpi “ngokuvamile imithombo yezindaba nabanye ababethi zingezenkolo, noma zibangelwa ukungezwani okungokwenkolo, empeleni beziyizimpi zobuzwe, zombango noma zokuzivikela.”

Kodwa, abaningi bathi abefundisi, ngezenzo zabo noma ngokungenzi lutho kwabo, baye bavuna futhi basekela ngokuqondile izimpi eziningi, njengoba kuboniswa yizinkulumo ezilandelayo:

● “Inkolo kubonakala ixhumene ngandlela-thile nobudlova obugcwele yonke indawo. Eminyakeni yamuva, ubudlova obungokwenkolo buye baqubuka phakathi kwamaKristu ase-United States, amaSulumane namaJuda athukuthele aseMpumalanga Ephakathi, ukuxabana okuphakathi kwamaHindu namaSulumane eNingizimu ye-Asia, nezinkolo zabomdabu emiphakathini yase-Afrika nase-Indonesia. Abantu abahilelekile kulezi zimpi baye bancika enkolweni ukuze bathole ukusekelwa ngokwezombangazwe futhi ifake izimfundiso zokuziphindiselela.”—Terror in the Mind of God—The Global Rise of Religious Violence.

● “Kuyadida ukuthi izizwe eziyithanda kakhulu inkolo ngokuvamile yizo ezenza ububi obukhulu emphakathini. Ukwanda kwenkolo kwehlulekile ukuvimbela ukwanda kobugebengu. Ubufakazi busobala: Ukuze uthole indawo yokuhlala ephephile, efanele, ehlelekile ‘nephucuzekile,’ gwema izindawo ezigcwele inkolo.”—Holy Hatred.

● “AmaBaptist aziwa kakhulu ngokulwa kunokudala ukuthula. . . . Lapho indaba yokugqilazwa kwabantu [eMelika] nezinye izinto ezazenzeka kubangela ukwehlukana ezinkolweni nasesizweni ngekhulu le-19, amaBaptist aseNyakatho  nawaseMpumalanga asekela impi ethi, iwumkhankaso olungile futhi ethi uNkulunkulu usekela uhlangothi lwawo. AmaBaptist abuye aba yingxenye yomzamo wesizwe kwezempi eNgilandi (ngo-1812), eMexico (ngo-1845) naseSpain (ngo-1898), ezithethelela ngokuthi izimpi ezimbili zokugcina ‘zaziwumzamo wokukhulula abantu abacindezelwe ngokwenkolo nokuvula izindawo ezintsha zomsebenzi wezithunywa zevangeli.’ Akukhona ukuthi amaBaptist ayethanda impi kunokuthula, kodwa ukuthi esikhathini esiningi lapho kuba nempi, amaBaptist ayeyisekela futhi abe nengxenye ekulweni.”—Review and Expositor—A Baptist Theological Journal.

● “Izazi-mlando ziye zaphawula ukuthi engxenyeni enkulu yomlando wesintu, kunezimpi eziningi eziye zabangelwa inkolo phakathi kwezinhlobo zabantu abanezizinda ezingafani, futhi ngokuvamile kuzo zombili izinhlangothi ezilwayo. Isiqubulo esithi ‘onkulunkulu basohlangothini lwethu’ sasiphakathi kwezinto ezindala kakhulu neziphumelelayo empini.”—The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000-1650—An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization.

● “Abaholi benkolo . . . kufanele bahlolisise ukwehluleka kwabo ukuba abaholi abaphumelelayo nofakazi bezindinganiso eziyisisekelo zezinkolo zabo. . . . Kuyiqiniso ukuthi zonke izinkolo zilangazelela ukuthula kodwa kuyangabazeka ukuthi inkolo iye yayifeza leyo ndima.”—Violence in God’s Name—Religion in an Age of Conflict.

Kuwo wonke umlando, isigungu sabefundisi bazo zonke izinkolo ezinkulu zeLobukholwa (amaKatolika, ama-Orthodx, namaProtestani) siye sathumela inqwaba yabapristi nabefundisi ukuze bafake amabutho ugqozi futhi bathandazele abafile nabafayo—kuzo zombili izinhlangothi ezilwayo. Ngokusekela impi ngale ndlela baye bakuvuna ukuchithwa kwegazi futhi bathandazela zombili izinhlangothi ezilwayo.

Abanye bangase bathi akufanele kusolwe inkolo ngenxa yezimpi ezikhona. Kodwa umbuzo uwukuthi, Ingabe inkolo iphumelele emizamweni yayo yokuletha ubumbano esintwini?

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 5]

“UMfu. uDkt. Charles A. Eaton, we-Madison Avenue Baptist Church, izolo umemezele epulpiti ukuthi indlu yesonto lakhe isizoba yindawo yokubhalisa izinsizwa ezifuna ukuba amasosha asemanzini noma asezweni.

“Wayengomunye wedlanzana labefundisi edolobheni ababeshumayela ivangeli lempi ezinkonzweni zabo ezivamile zangeSonto ekuseni, nababekhuthaza izinsizwa nezintombi ukuba zibonise ubuqotho bazo esizweni nasentandweni yeningi ngokusekela impi ngokushesha. Amasonto amaningi ayenamafulege.”—“The New York Times,” April 16, 1917.