“Ilizwe Elingcwele” LamaQuaker

NGOJULAYI 1656, inqanawa ekuthiwa yiSwallow eyayisuka eBarbados, eWest Indies, yafika kwizibuko laseBoston, eMassachusetts, indawo ngoku eyiMerika. URichard Bellingham, isekela lerhuluneli yaseMassachusetts, wayalela ukuba uMary Fisher noAnn Austin bangavunyelwa behle kuloo nqanawa. Phakathi kweempahla zabo kwafunyanwa iincwadi ezili-100 ekuthiwa ziqulethe iimfundiso “zabawexuki eziyingozi nezinyelisayo.”

Ezo ncwadi zatshiswa kwindawo yentengiso. Andula loo mabhinqa avalelwa entolongweni. Akhululwa aze aza ahlolwa enoba akangomagqwirha kusini na. Zavalwa ngci iifestile zesisele sawo, yaye kangangeeveki ezintlanu loo mabhinqa ahlala ebumnyameni. Nabani na owayethetha nawo wayenokohlwaywa ngokuhlawuliswa iiponti ezintlanu. Ekugqibeleni, uMary Fisher noAnn Austin babuyiselwa eBarbados.

Intatheli yalapho yabuza oomantyi: “Yintoni le inothuse kangaka ngokufika kwala mabhinqa, ngokungathi nihlaselwa ngumkhosi onamandla?” Enyanisweni, la mabhinqa mabini ‘ayingozi’ yayingabashumayeli bokuqala abangamaQuaker abafika eMntla Merika. Ayengoobani amaQuaker, yaye kwakutheni ukuze agqalwe njengayingozi?

ISociety of Friends

AmaQuaker, okanye iiReligious Society of Friends, asekwa ngenkulungwane ye-17 eNgilani. Umseki weli qela yayinguGoerge Fox (1624-91), unyana womluki owazalwa eLeicestershire. Kuthiwa lo kaFox wathi, emva kokuba eve ilizwi elingaqhelekanga, wagqiba kwelokuba unokuthetha ngokuthe ngqo noThixo aze akhanyiselwe ngaphandle koncedo lwabantu. Incwadi ethi A Religious History of the American People ithi: “Imbali ibonisa ukuba umbutho weSociety of Friends wasekwa ngowe-1652.

Kwenzeka ntoni ukuze iiFriends zibizwe ngokuba ngamaQuaker (igama elithi Quaker lisuka kwisenzi sesiNgesi esithi “quake” igama elithetha ukungcangcazela)? Enye ingxelo ithi amaQuaker “ayengcangcazela xa uThixo eza kuthetha nawo.” Enye ithi “ayengcangcazela xa engenwe ngumoya oyingcwele.” Injongo yamaQuaker yayikukufumanisa inyaniso kwimicimbi yonqulo nokuvuselela ubuKristu bamandulo.

AmaQuaker ayesithi akhokelwa ngumoya oyingcwele nangabaprofeti ekuthethwa ngabo eBhayibhileni, yaye akhangela nendlela yokuphila yabapostile bakaKristu ‘nokukhanya’ okanye “ilizwi” elingaphakathi ukuze afumane inyaniso engokomoya. Ngoko ke, kwiintlanganiso zawo kwakuthi cwaka aze umntu ngamnye afune ulwalathiso lukaThixo. Nabani na ohletyelwe nguThixo wayephakama aze athethe.a

AmaQuaker ayengabantu abakuthandayo okusesikweni, abathembekileyo, ababephila ubomi obuqhelekileyo nababengaluthandi ugonyamelo. Kwakhona ayekholelwa ukuba onke amaKristu, kuquka namabhinqa, anokuba ngabefundisi. Ekubeni ayengavumelani nenkqubo yeecawa, ebuphepha ubomi bobunewunewu, esithi akhokelwa lilizwi elingaphakathi ingengabo abefundisi, amaQuaker ayesoyikwa yaye engathenjwa. Eyona nto yayibakhathaza gqitha abantu yinzondelelo awayenayo ngokushumayela, nto leyo eyayibacaphukisa abanye abantu yaye ayehlaselwa ngamahlokondiba nangabasemagunyeni.

ENgilani, amaQuaker atshutshiswa aza abanjwa, yaye eNew England avalw’ umlomo yaye amanye abulawa. Ngokomzekelo, phakathi kowe-1659 nowe-1661, uMary Dyer, uWilliam Leddra, uWilliam Robinson noMarmaduke Stephenson ababengabashumayeli baxhonywa eBoston. Abanye bafakwa imixokelelwano, batshiswa ngentsimbi eshushu, okanye bakatswa. Abanye basikw’ iindlebe. Indoda ekuthiwa nguWilliam Brend yabethwa imivumbo eli-117 ngentambo enetela emqolo inganxibanga. Noko ke, phezu kwayo yonke loo nkohlakalo, amaQuaker anda.

UWilliam Penn ‘NeLizwe Elingcwele’

Ukususela ngowe-1681, ubomi bamaQuaker baguquka ngendlela emangalisayo eMntla Merika. Kwindawo eyayibizwa ngokuba ‘lilizwe elingcwele’, uWilliam Penn (1644-1718), iguquka elaliselula neliliNgesi leeSociety of Friends laseka urhulumente owawulandela iinkolelo zamaQuaker nowawuphantsi kwawo. Nakuba wayengunyana womphathi-mkhosi waseBritani, uPenn owayengenanxaxheba emfazweni wabanjwa ngenxa yokushumayela nokubhala ngeembono zakhe.

Lihlawula ityala likayise, iTshawe laseNgilani lanika uPenn umhlaba omkhulu eMntla Merika. Ngomyalelo wakomkhulu, eli tyendyana lomfana uPenn wanikwa phantse igunya elipheleleyo kweli thanga litsha, elabizwa ngokuba yiPennsylvania, igama elalithetha ukuthi “Amahlathi kaPenn,” njengesikhumbuzo soMphathi-mkhosi uPenn. Kwelo thanga, bonke abantu babenenkululeko yonqulo.

UPenn waqala wathumela umza wakhe uWilliam Markham eMerika ngenjongo yokukhumbuza ibathwana lamaNgesi elalilapho ngegunya lakhe aze athenge nomnye umhlaba kumaIndiya aseMerika. Ngowe-1682, uPenn wahamba ngesikhephe kuMlambo iDelaware waza walibona okokuqala eli thanga lakhe. Wenza isivumelwano nabemi baseShackamaxon (ngoku ebizwa ngokuba yiKensington, ummandla wasePhiladelphia). Wandula ke, wakha isixeko esitsha kummandla ongaphantsi kwekhilomitha ukusuka eShackamaxon, nawasithiya ngokuthi yiPhiladelphia, igama elithetha ukuthi “Uthando Lobuzalwana.” Le ndawo yakhula ngokukhawuleza.

UPenn wabuyela eNgilani waza walibhengeza eli thanga lakhe litsha ekhuthaza abantu ukuba bafudukele khona. Wabhala ethetha ngomhlaba namahlathi amahle, umlambo omkhulu, amarhamncwa asendle nezikhumba zamarhancwa. Wathembisa esithi kurhulumente wakhe omtsha abantu baya kuba nenkululeko yonqulo baze bahlalisane ngoxolo. Nabani na wayesamkelwa—amagcisa, amahlwempu nabantu abanezimvo zabo nababeya kuba lulutho kurhulumente wakhe.

Enethemba lokukhululeka kwiinkxwaleko neengxaki zaseYurophu zobupolitika, amaQuaker aseNgilani nawakuMntla Ireland abalekela khona. AmaMennonite namanye amaqela anjengawo afuduka esuka kumazwe akufuphi nomlambo iRhine eYurophu. Inkoliso yabantu bokuqala ukufudukela kweli lizwe yayingamaQuaker, yaye labonakala ngathi liza kuzaliseka iphupha likaPenn lorhulumente woxolo. Ngowe-1683, wabhala esithi: “Sibe neengqungquthela ezimbini, . . . yaye kumiselwe ubuncinane imithetho engamashumi asixhenxe ngaphandle kokuxambulisana.” Phofu ke, kungekudala wayeza kuvuka emaphupheni.

Ilizwe Lamaphupha Liyaphela

Uxwebhu lwemithetho kwithanga likaPenn lalivumela bonke abantu ukuba baphile ngokuvumelana nezazela zabo. Ngoko ke, xa kwakufuneka kusetyenziswe izigalo ukuze kugcinwe umthetho, ukungafun’ ukulwa kwamaQuaker kwaba yingxaki—eyay’ iqatsela ngokuhamba kwexesha. Ekuqaleni, uPenn wayisingatha le ngxaki ngokunyula amasekela angengawo amaQuaker waza wawayalela ukuba “abe ngqwabalala xa kuyimfuneko.” Kwakhona imfazwe eyayinuka phakathi kweFransi neli lizwe ngowe-1689 yaphinda yawafak’ engxakini amaQuaker.

Kwaba mdak’ iisali xa kwafika amahlokondiba angengawo amaQuaker, aza ahlutha umhlaba wamaIndiya aseMerika. Ngoko ke, njengoko amaQuaker ayelibathwana, yaphela imvisiswano phakathi kwabantu bomthonyama nawo.

Laphela ke igunya lamaQuaker kwimicimbi yobupolitika xa irhuluneli nebhunga layo bacel’ undikho kwiintlanga ezazihlala kwintlambo yeDelaware neyaseOhio ngowe-1756. Ngenxa yoku, amaQuaker arhoxa kurhulumente, lwaza lwaphela ke ulawulo lwawo. Laphela ngaloo ndlela ke “ilizwe elingcwele” likaPenn emva kweminyaka engama-75 likho.

Ekuhambeni kwexesha, yathotha inzondelelo yamaQuaker ngonqulo njengoko ayeya esiba zizityebi. USamuel Fothergill naye owayelilungu lamaQuaker uthi: “Njengoko ayesiya ebambiseka kwizinto zehlabathi, [amaQuaker] ayengakwazi ukufundisa inzala yawo imithetho nawo awayeyilibele.” Kungekudala, kwaqala kwakho amahlelo.

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uPenn noogxa bakhe babeneenjongo ezintle yaye baphumelela okwexeshana. Noko ke, basenokuba abazange bayiqonde okanye bayityeshela imfundiso kaYesu yokuba yena nabafundi bakhe “abayonxalenye yehlabathi.” (Yohane 17:16) Ngoko ke, naliphi na ilinge elenziwayo, enoba lenziwa ngeenjongo ezintle kangakanani na, ukuba lixuba unqulo nemicimbi yobupolitika yeli hlabathi alisayi kusikelelwa nguThixo okanye uNyana wakhe. (Yakobi 4:4; 1 Yohane 5:19) Ngoko ke, alinakuphumelela.—INdumiso 127:1.

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“UBUKUMKANI BAM ABUYONXALENYE YELI HLABATHI”

Kwakutheni ukuze uYesu athethe loo mazwi, abhalwe kuYohane 18:36? Impendulo icaca ngakumbi xa sibuqonda into obuyiyo uBukumkani bukaThixo. Umxholo ophambili wemfundiso kaYesu, uBukumkani bukaThixo, enyanisweni ngurhulumente wehlabathi oza kulawulwa nguYesu Kristu. (Isaya 9:6, 7; Luka 4:43) Kunokuba kulawule oorhulumente babantu, obu Bukumkani buya kubashenxisa buze bona bodwa bulawule umhlaba. (Daniyeli 2:44; 7:13, 14) Le yinto eyakhankanywa nguYesu kumthandazo wakhe xa wathi: “Mabufike ubukumkani bakho. Makwenzeke ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni.” (Mateyu 6:9, 10) Abantu abazithoba kobo Bukumkani baya kuphila ubomi obumnandi nobungenakuze bufumaneke nakubantu ababenyanisekile njengoWilliam Penn. Baya kuba nempilo efezekileyo nobomi obungapheliyo beseluxolweni, behlala eparadesi.—Luka 23:43; ISityhilelo 21:3, 4.

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Iintlanganiso yamaQuaker ePhiladelphia, ngeminyaka yee-1800

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UMary Dyer, ilungu lamaQuaker esiya kuxhonywa eMassachusetts Bay Colony

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AmaQuaker anduluka eNgilani, ngeminyaka yee-1600

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UWilliam Penn wenza isivumelwano namaIndiya aseMerika, ngowe-1682

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Yomibini le mifanekiso: © North Wind Picture Archives

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Izikhephe: © North Wind Picture Archives; isivumelwano: Brown Brothers