IX Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2017

As a matter of fact belief in God has been a principle and a mainstay of life in Poland since early times. In fact, the creation of Polish state is associated with adoption of Christianity by its ruler, Mieszko I, in 966. Before 966 Poland was broadly pagan. It is thought that religion was organised tribally, so it is very likely that many 'border tribes' would have assimilated Christian ideas from the Czech Christians, long before. Indeed, it is also thought that the wife of Mieszko I was already a staunch and zealous follow of Christ, and probably a Lady Macbeth-esque key player in bringing her husband round to the idea of a national conversion. Today the overwhelming majority of the Polish population (around 90%) is Roman Catholic, and a considerable number are practicing Catholics. The church has played an important role in the history of the country and its social and political life. It is widely respected by Poles and perceived as a symbol of Polish heritage and culture.

When Poland was still a kingdom, the Polish gentry had the motto: “God, honour, fatherland”, where God was always in the leading position as religion is said to have remained an important element of Polish consciousness andidentity.

As it was, in past centuries, Poles often regarded Poland as being the “bulwark of Christianity”, bordering as it did with Muslim peoples such as the Tartars and the Turks. One of the most important events in the history of Poland was the battle of Vienna in 1683, when King Jan III conquered the Osman army of Kara Mustafa, helping the Austrians to end the Turkish invasion of Western Europe.

Evidently, more details on different aspects

1. When talking about Poland, “religion” often means “Catholicism”. About 90% of Poles are Roman Catholics, although this number may be overestimated as the statistics often include people who were baptised Catholic, even if they later abandoned the Church. Anyway, Catholics make the most significant religious group and this religion is a subject studied at school, even though this is not obligatory. The most religious parts of Poland are the highlander Podkarpacie region and the Silesia region.

2. No doubt, the most esteemed person for many Poles was John Paul II, the Polish Pope (1920-2005). His popularity is based upon his many pilgrimages and his open attitude towards people, and among the youth he often surpassed the fame of current singers and actors. John Paul II was also known as a supporter of the ecumenical movement, and he played an important role in the fall of communism in Poland.

3. One more interesting topic is the holy places and holy days. There are many places in Poland that are considered holy by Christians, particularly Catholics. The most renowned is the imposing monastery of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, where the monastery church contains the miraculous icon of the Black Madonna. The latter is the reason why many thousands of people make pilgrimages here, particularly for August 15th, the Day of the Assumption of St Mary. Among other pilgrimage centres in Poland are Lichen, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Lagiewniki in Krakow, Swieta Lipka, Niepokalanow, Wambierzyce, and Gora Swietej Anny. Poles celebrate many holy days, such as Easter, Christmas, All Saints Day (November 1st) and Corpus Christi, and there are many folk traditions and customs connected with these days.

4. I should note that religion plays an important role in the Polish society and is deeply intertwined with Polish culture.

Religious holidays are considered national holidays when most businesses are closed. The most important holiday is Christmas and celebrations last two and a half days. Poles practice "dzielenie oplatkiem" which is the breaking and sharing of a thin white wafer (oplatek) with all family members. While sharing the wafer, individuals express wishes of good health and prosperity for the coming year. This is also commonly practised at work Christmas parties and is very much a part of Polish culture.

There is another religious holiday of note with the name of All Saints’ Day which takes place on November 1st. On this day Poles visit cemeteries to honour their loved ones who have passed away.

I think, catholicism is the most widely practiced religion. Life’s milestones such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, first communion and confirmation are influenced by the religion.

5. As to the other religions of Poland today, there are predominantly Christian, including Byzantine Catholics (Uniates), Orthodox Christians, Armenians, Old-Believers, Evangelical Reformed, Evangelical Augsburg, Evangelical Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventists, Pentecostals, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are also communities of Muslims, Jews, Karaims, and Hare Krishnas. The range of non-Catholic religions is fairly wide even though the number of members is relatively small.

Thus today, when freedom to confess a religion is constitutionally assured, there are a lot of different Churches in Poland, mainly Christian denominations. The largest and most important is Catholicism, which is confessed by, according to official data, about 90% of the population. However, the majority of Polish Catholics don't practice the religion. Although they describe themselves as Catholics, many don't go to church or take part in Church life except during the most important religious holidays and exceptional occasions.

Besides, the second largest church in Poland, in size and importance, is the Polish Orthodox Church. It counts more than 500,000 followers, mainly in the eastern regions of Poland. The Orthodox Church in Poland was persecuted and discriminated against for many years to a much greater degree than the Roman Catholic Church. Now, after the fall of Communism, Orthodox Christians can without fear confess their faith and rebuild places of worship which had been destroyed in the last 50 years.

It is obvious that protestant Churches are also numerous in Poland. The largest are the Augsburg-Evangelical and Pentecostals (each has about 100,000 members) followed by the Baptists, Adventists, Methodists and ending with the smallest, the Christian Congregation and Evangelical Congregation 'Zion,' each with 20 members.

It is said that moslem and Krishna confessors number about 5,000 members each. And there are only a few practicing Jews left in Poland; the Association of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland has only 1,222 members. After the German occupation during World War II and the systematic extermination of Jews, only about 300,000 Jews survived in Poland. There had been more than 3.5 million Jews living in Poland before 1939. Shortly after the end of the war, 290,000 emigrated from Poland to Israel.

References:

1. http://www.intopoland.com/poland-info/religion.html

2. http://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/poland-guide

3. http://blogs.transparent.com/polish/religion-in-poland/

4. http://www.staypoland.com/poland-religion.htm

5. https://polish-dictionary.com/poland-religion

6. http://www.explore-poland.pl/Religion-in-Poland.html

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