Te Afi ʼo Te ʼIfeli — ʼE Kakaha Koa Peʼe Mate?

KO TE tagata faka mafola polotesita ko Jonathan Edwards neʼe ina fakamatakuʼi te ʼu loto ʼo te kau Amelika ʼo te temi ʼaē ʼi te 18 sēkulō ʼaki tana ʼu fakamatalatala fakatā ʼo te ʼifeli. ʼI tana tahi ʼana fakamatala, ko te ʼAtua neʼe ina lī te hahaʼi agahala ki te ʼu afi ulo ohage ko he ʼu kavelevele fakalialia. Neʼe fakatonutonuʼi e Edwards tana kokelekasio: “Tagata agahala, ʼe tautau koutou ʼi he kiʼi maea, pea ko te ʼu ulo ʼo te fakamāu fakaʼatua ʼe nātou talitali pe ke nātou tutu koutou pea mo vela talu ʼosi.”

Kae, ʼi te ʼosi fakahā e Edwards te akonaki ʼiloa ʼaia, neʼe kamata ai leva te puli ʼo te akonaki ʼo te ʼifelia. ʼI tana tohi (Déclin de lʼenfer, fakapilitānia), neʼe fakatokagaʼi e D. Walker, “ ʼi te ʼu taʼu e 40 ʼo te 18 sēkulō, ko te akonaki ʼo te mamahi heʼegata kia nātou neʼe fakatūʼa ʼi tanatou fakahā fakahagatonu tanatou fakafihi ʼo te ʼifeli”. ʼI te lolotoga ʼo te 19 sēkulō, ko te ʼifeli kakaha neʼe mole kei talanoa ki ai, pea ʼi te vaelua ʼo te 20 sēkulō, ko te manatu ʼa Edwards ko te ‘afi kakaha ʼaē ko tana ʼu vikitima ʼe fakamamahiʼi ʼaupito ʼi tonatou ʼatamai pea mo ʼonatou sino ʼo heʼegata’ neʼe mole kei talanoa ia ki ai. “Ko te ʼu meʼa fakamataku neʼe hoko ʼi Hiroshima pea mo te ʼu Holokoseta neʼe kovi age ia ʼi te ʼu meʼa fakalialia ʼo te ʼifeli”, ʼe fakahā e te tagata ta sulunale ko Jeffery Sheler, “ko te ʼu fakamatalatala ʼo te ʼifeli neʼe mole kei fakamataku ia ohage ko tona fai māhani”.

Tokolahi te kau faka mafola neʼe mole kei nātou fia lagolago te afi pea mo te sufe. Ko te ʼu akonaki mālohi ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼu meʼa fakalialia ʼo te ʼifeli neʼe puli noa ʼi te faka mafola ʼo te ʼu ʼēkelesia ʼo te keletiate. Ki te kau teolosia tokolahi, ko te ʼifeli kua liliu ko te talanoa ʼāfea ia ki te kau ako popoto. Kua hili ki ai te ʼu taʼu, ko te tagata hisitolia ʼo te ʼēkelesia neʼe ina kumi he tohi univelesitē ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼifeli, pea neʼe ina vakaʼi te ʼu kaupepa ʼa te kau hahaʼi popoto. Neʼe mole feala pe la ke ina maʼu he kupu e tahi ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼifeli. ʼO ʼuhiga mo te faʼahi ʼaia, ʼi te kaupepa Newsweek, ko te tagata hisitolia neʼe fakaʼosi ʼo fēnei: “Kua puli noa te ʼifeli. Pea neʼe mole he tahi neʼe ina tokagaʼi.”

Kua toe liliu mai te ʼifeli

Kua puli koa ia? Kailoa. ʼE mata fakapuna’maʼuli, ʼi te ʼu taʼu ʼaenī ko te akonaki ʼo te ʼifeli neʼe toe hā ʼi ʼihi koga meʼa. Ko te ʼu vote neʼe fai ʼi Amelika ʼe ʼiloga ko te hahaʼi tokolahi ʼe nātou ʼui ʼe nātou tui ki te ʼifeli ʼaē neʼe tuputupu ʼi te 53 ki te teau ʼi te taʼu 1981 ki te 60 ki te teau ʼi te taʼu 1990. ʼE koutou fakatahiʼi ki ai te mafola ʼo te ʼu kautahi faka evaselio ʼaē ʼe nātou fagonogono te ʼifeli, pea ʼe ʼiloga lelei ia ko te ʼifeli kua toe mālohi ʼi te manatu ʼo te keletiate ʼi te kele katoa.

Kae, ko te toe maʼu ʼo te manatu ʼaia ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼifeli ʼe lave koa pe ia ki te hahaʼi tui, peʼe kau ai mo te hahaʼi takitaki ʼo te keletiate? Ko te ʼifeli ʼaē ʼe faka mafola e Jonathan Edwards kua hili ki ai taʼu e 250 neʼe mole heʼeki puli ʼi ʼihi hahaʼi te manatu ʼaia ʼa te keletiate ʼaē ʼe lagolago ki te akonaki ʼaia. ʼI te taʼu 1991, ko te U.S.News & World Report neʼe fakahā, ʼo fēnei: “Māʼia mo ʼihi ʼu tauhi maʼuhiga faʼifaʼitaliha, ʼe ʼi ai te ʼu fakaʼiloga neʼe kamata fakakaukauʼi ʼaupito e te kau teolosia ʼo ʼuhiga mo te manatu ʼaē ki te ʼifeli neʼe mole nātou maʼu ʼi te temi kua hili.” ʼIo, ʼi te hili ʼo te temi neʼe mole kei fakaʼaogaʼi te manatu ʼaia, ko te ʼifeli kei logona pe ia ʼi te malamanei. Kae, kei fakamataku koa?

Ko te ʼu fehuʼi ʼe malaga

Ko te tagata teolosia ko W. Wolbrecht neʼe mole lotolotolua: “Ko te ʼifeli ʼe ko te ʼifeli, pea ʼe mole he tagata ʼe ina maʼu te manatu ʼaē ke tauteaʼi heʼegata anai ia.” ʼE tokolahi ia nātou ʼaē ʼe nātou lagolago kia ia ʼe mole nātou maʼu te manatu ʼaia. Logope la tanatou mole lotolotolua ʼaē ʼe ʼi ai te ʼifeli, neʼe nātou fai te ʼu fehuʼi ʼo ʼuhiga mo te natula ʼo te ʼifeli. ʼE fakamoʼoni ki ai te tahi tagata teolosia: “ ʼI taku manatu, ko te ʼifeli ʼe ko he moʼoni ia, ʼe lagolago te Tohi-Tapu ki te faʼahi ʼaia, kae ko tona ʼuhiga totonu ʼe kei faigataʼa.” ʼIo, ʼe tokolahi te kau teolosia pea mo te hahaʼi tui, ʼe mole kei nātou fai ia ʼaho nei te fehuʼi ʼaenī: “ ʼE ʼi ai koa he ʼifeli?” kae, “Koteā koa te ʼifeli?”

ʼE feafeaʼi anai hakotou tali? Koteā takotou maʼu ʼo ʼuhiga mo te natula ʼo te ʼifeli? Pea he koʼe koa ko te kau kilisitiano fakamalotoloto ʼe nātou loto hoha ʼi te akonaki ʼaia?

[Nota ʼi te lalo pasina]

[Haʼuʼaga ʼo te paki pasina 3]

Doré’s illustration of Devils and Virgil for Dante’s Divine Comedy