Chenjerani ndi “Aepikureya”

“Ndi munthu wabwino kwambiri! Ali ndi khalidwe labwino kwambiri. Sasuta, kumwa mankhwala osokoneza bongo, kapena kutukwana. Ndipotu ndi munthu wabwino kuposa ena amene amati ndi Akristu!”

KODI mwamvapo ena akulingalira motero popereka chifukwa chopalira maubwenzi osayenera? Kodi amenewo amakhala malingaliro abwino atasanthulidwa mwa Malemba? Chitsanzo cha mumpingo wina woyambirira wachikristu chimathandizira kuimvetsa nkhaniyi.

M’zaka za zana loyamba, mtumwi Paulo anachenjeza mpingo wa ku Korinto kuti: “Musanyengedwe; mayanjano oipa aipsa makhalidwe okoma.” Mwina Akristu ena ankayanjana kwambiri ndi anthu amene anali kukhulupirira filosofi yachigiriki, kuphatikizapo ya Aepikureya. Kodi Aepikureya anali ayani? Kodi nchifukwa ninji akanaika Akristu a ku Korinto pangozi yauzimu? Kodi alipo anthu ofanana nawo lerolino, amene tiyenera kuwapeŵa?​—1 Akorinto 15:33.

Kodi Aepikureya Anali Ayani?

Aepikureya anali otsatira a wafilosofi wachigiriki Epicurus, amene anakhalako kuyambira 341 mpaka 270 B.C.E. Anaphunzitsa kuti kusanguluka ndiko chinthu chachikulu kapena chinthu chabwino koposa m’moyo. Kodi zimenezo zikutanthauza kuti Aepikureya anali a khalidwe loipa, opanda malamulo, okonda zochitachita zonyansa pofunafuna zosangulutsa mosalekeza? Modabwitsa, Epicurus sanaphunzitse otsatira ake kukhala ndi moyo wotero! M’malo mwake, anaphunzitsa kuti munthu amasanguluka kwambiri mwa kukhala wanzeru, wolimba mtima, wodziletsa, ndi wachilungamo. Analimbikitsa kulondola zosangulutsa zokhalitsa kwa moyo wonse, osati zamwamsanga ndi zosakhalitsa. Choncho, Aepikureya ayenera kuti anaoneka ngati a khalidwe labwino powayerekezera ndi ochita machimo aakulu.​—Yerekezerani ndi Tito 1:12.

Zofanana ndi Chikristu?

Ngati munali mumpingo woyambirira wa ku Korinto, kodi mukanachita nawo chidwi Aepikureya? Ena mwina anaganiza kuti makhalidwe a Aepikureya ooneka ngati abwinowo anawapangitsa kukhala mayanjano abwino a Akristu. Popereka zodzikhululukira zina, Akorinto ayenera kuti anaona kufanana kwina pakati pa malamulo a Aepikureya ndi a m’Mawu a Mulungu.

Mwachitsanzo, Aepikureya sanali kuchita zosangulutsa zawo mopambanitsa. Iwo anali kufuna kwambiri zosangalatsa maganizo osati thupi. Zimene munthu anali kudya sizinali zofunika kuposa unansi wake ndi munthu amene anadya naye. Ndipo Aepikureya anali kupeŵa kuloŵa m’zandale ndi kuchita zinthu zoipa mobisa. Kunalidi kwapafupi chotani nanga kuganiza kuti: “Iwo amafanana kwambiri ndi ife!”

Komabe, kodi Aepikureya analidi ngati Akristu oyambirira? Kutalitali. Amene anali ndi mphamvu ya kuzindikira yozoloŵera bwino anatha kuona kusiyana kwakukulu. (Ahebri 5:14) Kodi inu mungazione? Tiyeni tisanthule mosamalitsa ziphunzitso za Epicurus.

Mbali Yoipa ya Chiphunzitso cha Aepikureya

Kuti athandize anthu kusiya kuopa milungu ndi imfa, Epicurus anaphunzitsa kuti milungu siisamala za anthu ndipo siimaloŵerera pankhani za anthu. Malinga ndi kunena kwa Epicurus, milungu sindiyo inalenga zinthu zonse, ndipo moyo unangokhalapo mwa ngozi. Kodi zimenezi sizinaombane mwachindunji ndi chiphunzitso cha Baibulo chakuti kuli “Mulungu mmodzi,” Mlengi, ndi kuti amasamala za zolengedwa zake zaumunthu?​—1 Akorinto 8:6; Aefeso 4:6; 1 Petro 5:6, 7.

Epicurus anaphunzitsanso kuti munthu atamwalira sangakhalenso ndi moyo. Komatu zimenezi zinasemphana ndi chiphunzitso cha Baibulo cha chiukiriro. Kwenikweni, mtumwi Paulo atalankhula pa Areopagi, Aepikureya ayenera kuti anali pakati pa awo amene anatsutsana ndi Paulo pa chiphunzitso cha chiukiriro.​—Machitidwe 17:18, 31, 32; 1 Akorinto 15:12-14.

Zikuoneka kuti mbali yangozi kwambiri m’filosofi ya Epicurus ndiyo inalinso yonyenga kwambiri. Kukana kwake za moyo wina pambuyo pa imfa kunamchititsa kufika poganiza kuti munthu ayenera kusangalala monga momwe angathere m’nthaŵi yake yaifupi yokhala padziko lapansi. Monga momwe taonera, lingaliro lake silinali kwenikweni kukhala mwauchimo, koma, makamaka, kusangalala mokwanira tsopano, popeza lero likapita kulibenso maŵa.

Choncho, Epicurus analetsa kuchita zinthu zoipa mobisa popeŵa kukhala ndi mantha akuti mwina angakutulukire, chinthu chimene chingawonongedi chimwemwe cha panthaŵiyo. Analimbikitsa kusapambanitsa popeŵa zotsatirapo za kumwerekera, chopinganso china cha chimwemwe cha munthu cha panthaŵiyo. Analimbikitsanso kukhala pamaunansi abwino ndi ena chifukwa chakuti kubwezera kwawo kumapindulitsa. Zoonadi, kupeŵa kulakwa mwamtseri, kusapambanitsa, ndi kukulitsa maubwenzi nzabwino mwa izo zokha. Chotero nchifukwa ninji filosofi ya Epicurus inali yangozi kwa Mkristu? Chifukwa chakuti uphungu wake unazikidwa pa lingaliro lake lopanda chikhulupiriro lakuti: “Tidye timwe pakuti maŵa timwalira.”​—1 Akorinto 15:32.

Zoonadi, Baibulo limasonyeza anthu mmene angakhalire achimwemwe tsopano. Komabe, limalangiza kuti: “Mudzisunge nokha m’chikondi cha Mulungu, ndi kulindira chifundo cha Ambuye wathu Yesu Kristu, kufikira moyo wosatha.” (Yuda 21) Inde, Baibulo limagogomezera kwambiri za mtsogolo mosatha, osati zalero zosakhalitsazi. Kwa Mkristu, kutumikira Mulungu ndiko chinthu chachikulu kwambiri, ndipo amapeza kuti ataika Mulungu pamalo oyamba, Mkristuyo amasangalala ndi kukhutiritsidwa. Mofananamo, Yesu, m’malo motanganitsidwa ndi zinthu zake za iye mwini, anathera nyonga yake modzimana pakutumikira Yehova ndi kuthandiza anthu. Anaphunzitsa ophunzira ake kuchitira ena zabwino, osati moyembekezera kuti awabwezere, koma chifukwa chowakondadi. Ndithudi, malingaliro aakulu osonkhezera chiphunzitso cha Aepikureya ndi Chikristu ngosiyana kotheratu.​—Marko 12:28-31; Luka 6:32-36; Agalatiya 5:14; Afilipi 2:2-4.

Ngozi Yosaonekera Msanga

Modabwitsa, pamene kuli kwakuti Aepikureya anali kugogomezera kwambiri za kukhala wachimwemwe, chimwemwe chawo chinali chochepa zedi. Pokhala wopanda “chimwemwe cha Yehova,” Epicurus anatcha moyo kukhala “mphatso yoŵaŵa.” (Nehemiya 8:10) Powayerekezera, Akristu oyambirira anali achimwemwe chotani nanga! Yesu sanali kulimbikitsa moyo wopanda chimwemwe ndipo wodzilanga. Kwenikweni, kutsatira njira yake ndiko njira yopezera chimwemwe chachikulu koposa.​—Mateyu 5:3-12.

Ngati ena mumpingo wa ku Korinto anaganiza kuti akhoza kuyanjana ndi anthu amaganizo a Aepikureya popanda kuika chikhulupiriro chawo pangozi, iwo analakwitsa. Panthaŵi imene Paulo analemba kalata yake yoyamba kwa Akorinto, ena a iwo anali atataya kale chikhulupiriro m’chiukiriro.​—1 Akorinto 15:12-19.

Chiphunzitso cha Aepikureya Lerolino?

Ngakhale kuti Chiphunzitso cha Aepikureya chinazimiririka m’zaka za zana lachinayi C.E., lerolino pali awo amene alinso ndi lingaliro lofananalo lakuti lero likapita kulibenso maŵa. Anthu ameneŵa ali ndi chikhulupiriro chochepa kapena alibiretu chikhulupiriro m’lonjezo la Mulungu la moyo wosatha. Komabe, ena a iwo ali ndi malamulo abwino kwambiri a khalidwe labwino.

Mkristu angakopeke kuti apalane ubwenzi ndi anthu otero, mwinamwake akumalingalira kuti mikhalidwe yawo yabwino ndiyo chifukwa chokhalira nawo paubwenzi. Komabe, ngakhale kuti sitikudzikweza, tiyenera kukumbukira kuti “mayanjano [onse] oipa”​—ngakhale awo amene chisonkhezero chawo sichimaonekera​—“aipsa makhalidwe okoma.”

Filosofi yakuti lero likapita kulibenso maŵa imaloŵanso m’misonkhano ina ya zamalonda, m’mabuku ophunzitsa maluso, m’manovelo, m’mafilimu, m’maprogramu a pawailesi yakanema, ndi m’nyimbo. Pamene kuli kwakuti samasonkhezera khalidwe lauchimo mwachindunji, kodi lingaliro lopanda chikhulupiriro limeneli lingatikhudze m’njira zina zosaonekera? Mwachitsanzo, kodi tingakhale otanganitsidwa kwambiri ndi kufuna kudzikhutiritsa moti nkuiŵala za nkhani ya uchifumu wa Yehova? Kodi tingasokere mwa kulingalira za ‘kuchepetsako changu,’ m’malo mokhala “akuchuluka mu ntchito ya Ambuye”? Kapena kodi tingasokere moti nkukayikira kulondola kwa malamulo a Yehova ndi mapindu ake? Tiyenera kupeŵa khalidwe loipa lenilenilo, chiwawa, ndi kulambira mizimu ndi awo okhala ndi malingaliro akudziko!​—1 Akorinto 15:58; Akolose 2:8.

Chotero, tiyeni tikulitse mayanjano athu, makamaka ndi awo amene akutsatira chitsogozo cha Yehova ndi mtima wonse. (Yesaya 48:17) Tikatero, makhalidwe athu okoma adzalimbitsidwa. Chikhulupiriro chathu chidzalimbitsidwa. Tidzakhala mwachimwemwe osati lero lokha koma mtsogolo, ndi chiyembekezo cha moyo wosatha mtsogolo.​—Salmo 26:4, 5; Miyambo 13:20.

[Chithunzi patsamba 24]

Epicurus anaphunzitsa kuti milungu siisamala za anthu

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Mwa chilolezo cha The British Museum