Te Lotu ʼe Ina Uga Koa Ki Te Meʼa ʼAē ʼe Lelei Peʼe Ki Te Meʼa ʼAē ʼe Kovi?

“ ʼE ʼAU fakamālo ki te Lotu Faka Kilisitiano, koia ʼe ʼau tui ai ʼe tonu ke toe feiā mo te mālama ʼaē ʼe tou maʼuʼuli ai ʼi te ʼu taʼu fakamuli e 2000.”​—Ko te ʼu ʼuluaki palalau, ʼi te tohi Two Thousand Years​—The First Millennium: The Birth of Christianity to the Crusades.

Ko te ʼu fakavikiviki ʼaia ki te “Lotu Faka Kilisitiano” neʼe fai e te tagata faitohi pea mo ʼiloa ʼi te televisio, ko Melvyn Bragg. ʼE fakahā e tana ʼu palalau te manatu ʼa te ʼu lauʼi miliona hahaʼi ʼi te kele ʼaē ʼe nātou toe loto fakafetaʼi pea mo agatonu ki he lotu. ʼE nātou tui papau ko te lotu ʼe ina uga mālohi nātou ke nātou fai te meʼa ʼaē ʼe lelei ʼi tonatou maʼuli. Ohage la neʼe ʼui e te tagata faitohi, ko te lotu Mahometa “neʼe malave ki te sosiete fakatagata lahi . . . ʼo fua lelei ai ki te malamanei katoa.”

ʼE Uga Koa e Te Lotu Ki Te Meʼa ʼAē ʼe Lelei Peʼe Ki Te Meʼa ʼAē ʼe Kovi?

Kae ko te ʼu palalau ʼaē neʼe fai e Bragg ki muli age ʼe ina lagaʼi ai he fehuʼi maʼuhiga, peʼe uga moʼoni koa e te lotu te hahaʼi ke nātou fai te meʼa ʼaē ʼe lelei. ʼE ina toe ʼui fēnei: “ ʼE tonu ke toe tuku mai e te Lotu Faka Kilisitiano he fakamahino.” Koteā te fakamahino ʼaē ʼe loto kiai? ʼE ina ʼui fēnei: “[Ko he fakamahino] ʼo ʼuhiga mo tana fakapalatahi, mo te agakovi, mo te heʼe manavaʼofa pea mo tana fia nofo ʼi te fakapōʼuli, ʼaē neʼe toe ʼiloga ʼaupito ʼi tona ‘hisitolia.’ ”

Tokolahi te hahaʼi ʼe nātou ʼui anai neʼe maʼu pe ʼi te ʼu lotu fuli ʼo te hisitolia te fakapalatahi, mo te agakovi, mo te heʼe manavaʼofa pea mo tanatou fia nonofo ʼaē ʼi te fakapōʼuli. ʼI tanatou manatu, neʼe faiga pe e te lotu ke hage ko he meʼa ʼe ʼaoga ki te malamanei​—ʼaki he faʼahiga vilitute pea mo he aga fakamaʼoniʼoni, kae ʼi tona ʼuhiga moʼoni ʼe fonu ʼi te malualoi pea mo te ʼu loi. (Mateo 23⁠:​27, 28) ʼE ʼui fēnei e te A Rationalist Encyclopædia: “ ʼE lahi ʼaupito te ʼu palalau ʼe fai ʼi tatatou ʼu tohi ʼe ʼui ko te lotu ʼe maʼuhiga ki totatou sosiete. Pea ʼe lahi ʼaupito te ʼu fakamoʼoni ʼi te hisitolia ʼe nātou fakahā te loi ʼo te ʼu palalau ʼaia.”

Ka koutou lau he nusipepa ia ʼaho nei, pea ʼe koutou lau ai anai ko te kau takitaki lotu ʼe nātou faka mafola te ʼofa, mo te tokalelei, pea mo te loto manavaʼofa, kae ʼe nātou uga te fehiʼa pea mo nātou fakaʼaogaʼi te huafa ʼo te ʼAtua moʼo faka lākatonuʼi tanatou ʼu tau ʼaē ʼe lahi ai te ligi toto. ʼE mole tou punamaʼuli ai ki te manatu ʼa te hahaʼi tokolahi ko te lotu ʼi te agamāhani ʼe ko he mālohi moʼo fakaʼauha ʼi te maʼuli ʼo te tagata!

ʼE Lelei Age Koa Mokā Pulihi Te Lotu?

Neʼe ʼui e ʼihi, ohage ko te tagata fai filosofia Pilitania ko Bertrand Russell, ʼe lelei anai mo kapau ʼaki te temi ʼe “pulihi te ʼu faʼahiga lotu fuli.” Maʼa nātou, ko te pulihi ʼo te lotu ʼe ko te puleʼaki pe ʼaia ʼe tahi ʼo talu ai ki te ʼu fihifihia fuli ʼo te malamanei. Kae ʼe lagi mole nātou fia tokagaʼi ko nātou ʼaē neʼe nātou līaki te lotu ʼe feala ke nātou maʼu mo he loto fehiʼa pea mo he fakapalatahi ʼe lahi age ia nātou ʼaē ʼe lotu. Ko te fafine faitohi ʼi te faʼahi ʼo te lotu, ko Karen Armstrong, ʼe ina fakamanatuʼi fēnei mai kia tatou: “Kae ko te Holokoseta neʼe ina fakahā ai ko te tui ʼaē ki te mole ʼaoga ʼo te lotu [ʼe feala] ke fakatupu kovi ohage pe ko te ʼu tau ʼaē neʼe fai e te lotu.”​—The Battle for God​—Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Ko te lotu ʼe ko he mālohi koa ʼe ina uga ki te lelei, peʼe ko te tupuʼaga moʼoni koa ʼo te ʼu fihifihia ʼo te malamanei? Ko te puleʼaki ki te ʼu fihifihia ʼaia ʼe ko te pulihi koa ʼo te ʼu lotu fuli? ʼE koutou punamaʼuli anai ki tona tali, mokā koutou vakaʼi te tali ʼa te Tohi-Tapu ki te faʼahi ʼaia ʼi te alatike ka hoa mai.