Isandulelo
INcwadi kaMormoni ingumqingo wemibhalo engcwele eqhathaniswa neBhayibheli. Iwumbhalo wezenzo zikaNkulunkulu kubantu base ndulo ababe hlala eMelika futhi iqukethe elipheleleyo ivangeli laphakade.
Incwadi yabhalwa ngabaningi abaphrofethi basendulo ngomoya wokuphrofetha kanye nowokwambulelwa. Amazwi abo, abhalwe ezingcwepheni zegolide, acashunwa futhi afinyezwa ngumphrofethi ongumlandi obizwa ngoMormoni. Umbhalo unikeza indaba yezizwe ezimbili ezinkulu. Esisodwa sasuka eJerusalema ngonyaka wama 600 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaKristu futhi kamuva sahlukana saba yizizwe ezimbili, ezaziwa ngokuthi ngamaNefi kanye namaLamani. Esinye sasuka kudala kakhulu ngesikhathi iNkosi iphambanisa izilimi eMboshongweni waseBabele. Leliqembu laziwa ngokuthi ngamaJarede. Emuva kwezinkulungwane zeminyaka, zonke zabhujiswa ngaphandle kwamaLamani, futhi wona angabanye bokhokho bamaNdiya aseMelika.
Isigigaba esikhulu kakhulu esilotshwe eNcwadini kaMormoni wubufundisi beNkosi uJesu Kristu uqobo phakathi kwamaNefi masinyane nje emuva kokuvuka Kwayo. Sibeka obala izimfundiso zevangeli, sicacise ngesu lensindiso, futhi sitshela abantu ukuthi kufanele benzeni ukuze bazuze ukuthula kulempilo kanye nensindiso yaphakade empilweni ezayo.
Emuva kokuthi uMormoni eseyiqedile imibhalo yakhe, indaba wayinikeza indodana yakhe uMoroni, eyengeza amazwi ayo ambalwa futhi yazifihla izingcwephe eGqumeni iKumora. Ngomhlaka 21 kuSeptemba, 1823, yena kanye lowo Moroni, ngaleso sikhathi owayesengumuntu okhazimulisiweyo, ovukileyo, wavela kumPhrofethi uJoseph Smith futhi wamfundisa maqondana nombhalo wasendulo kanye nokumiselwa kwawo ukuhunyushelwa olimini lwesiNgisi.
Ekugcineni izingcwephe zanikwa uJoseph Smith, owazihumusha ngesipho kanye nangamandla kaNkulunkulu. Lombhalo manje ukhishwa ngeziningi izilimi njengobufakazi obusha kanye nobengeziwe bokuthi uJesu Kristu uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu ophilayo futhi nokuthi bonke abeza Kuye futhi nabahlonipha imithetho kanye nezimiso zevangeli Lakhe bangasindiswa.
Mayelana nalombhalo umPhrofethi uJoseph Smith wathi: “Ngabatshela abazalwane ukuthi iNcwadi kaMormoni yayingeqonde kakhulu kunanoma iyiphi enye incwadi emhlabeni, futhi iyisisekelo senkolo yethu, futhi umuntu uyokuba seduzane noNkulunkulu ngokugcina imiyalelo yayo, ngaphezu kwanoma iyiphi enye incwadi.”
Ngaphandle kukaJoseph Smith, iNkosi yalungisela abanye abayishumi nanye ukuthi bazibonele ngokwabo izingcwephe zegolide futhi babe ngofakazi abakhethekileyo beqiniso kanye nokuthi iNcwadi kaMormoni ivela kuNkulunkulu. Ubufakazi babo obubhaliwe bufakiwe lapha njengo “buFakazi boFakazi abaThathu” kanye “nobuFakazi boFakazi abayiSishiyagalombili.”
Simema bonke abantu noma kuphi ukuthi bayifunde iNcwadi kaMormoni, bazindle ezinhliziyweni zabo ngomyalezo ewuqukethe, futhi emuva kwalokho babuze kuNkulunkulu, uBaba waPhakade, egameni likaKristu ukuthi ngabe incwadi iyiqiniso na. Labo abalandela lendlela futhi babuze ngokholo bayozuza ubufakazi bobuqiniso bayo kanye nokuthi ivela kuNkulunkulu ngamandla kaMoya oyiNgcwele. (Bheka kuMoroni 10:3–5.)
Labo abazuza lobu bufakazi bukaNkulunkulu obuvela kuMoya oyiNgcwele bayophinda futhi bazi ngawo lawo mandla ukuthi uJesu Kristu ungumSindisi womhlaba, nokuthi uJoseph Smith ungumambuli kanye nomphrofethi Wakhe kulezi zinsuku zokugcina, kanye nokuthi iBandla likaJesu Kristu labaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina lingumbuso weNkosi ophinde futhi wamiswa emhlabeni, ukulungiselela ukuZa kwesiBili kukaMesiya.