Secularization and the Development of Religion in Modern Polish Society
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Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change Series IVA. Eastern and Central European Philosophical Studies, Volume 53 Series VIII. Christian Philosophical Studies, Volume 13 General Editor George F. McLean Secularization and the Development of Religion in Modern Polish Society Polish Philosophical Studies, XIV Christian Philosophical Studies, XIII Edited by Leon Dyczewski The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Copyright © 2015 by The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Box 261 Cardinal Station Washington, D.C. 20064 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Secularization and the development of religion in modern Polish society / edited by Leon Dyczewski. -- first [edition]. pages cm. -- (Cultural heritage and contemporary change. Series IVA, Eastern and Central European philosophical studies; Volume 53) (Cultural heritage and contemporary change. Series VIII, Christian philosophical studies; Volume 13) (Polish philosophical studies; XIV) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Catholic Church--Poland. 2. Christianity--Poland. 3. Christianity and culture--Poland. 4. Secularism--Poland. I. Dyczewski, Leon, 1936- editor. BX1566.2.S33 2015 2014041777 282’.438--dc23 CIP ISBN 978-1-56518-303-2 (pbk.) TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Leon Dyczewski Chapter I. Religion: Spirituality in Modernity 7 Leon Dyczewski Chapter II. Contemporary Spiritualities in the XXI Century 35 Catholic Social Discourse Karol Klauza Chapter III. Catholic Church in the Process of Change in Poland 53 Leon Dyczewski Chapter IV. Transformation of Morality in Poland 63 Maciej Hułas Chapter V. The Sacrum in the Public Space 89 Leon Dyczewski Chapter VI. Christian Holidays and the Formation of Religious Identity 99 Anna Sugier-Szerega Chapter VII. Pluralizm of Spirituality in the Urban Social Space: 115 Warsaw and Lublin Małgorzata Sławek Czochra Chapter VIII. The Pluralizm of Spirituality in Press Coverage 131 Justyna Szulich-Kałuża Chapter IX. Religious Media Events as a Presence of Religion 141 in Modern Culture Agnieszka Zduniak Chapter X. Religion and Spirituality in the Citizen Media 157 Joanna Szegda Chapter XI. Forms of Religious Activity on the Internet 167 Krzysztof Jurek Chapter XII. Different Forms of Spirituality on the Internet 181 Józef Kloch and Monika Marta Przybysz Contributors 205 Index 211 INTRODUCTION LEON DYCZEWSKI In European societies there are three characteristic phenomena related to religion: - a progressive secularization in various forms and different areas of life, - increased interest in non-material values, the meaning of life, a renewal of religious life and new forms of religiosity, especially in the younger generation, - the formation of extra-religious spirituality. The beginning of the 21st century is marked with a strong emphasis on a rationalized, effective and empirical approach towards man and his activity, including the religious. This is being enhanced by the maximization of a multifaceted consumption, which is becoming more and more often the indicator of man’s presence and development in contemporary society. This way of perceiving man and his identity effectively drowns out spiritual needs and pushes them into the private sphere of human life. Many contemporary people do not make the effort to understand the previously accepted truths of faith since these seem worthless when juxtaposed to materialism, obsession with numbers, and the expectation of immediate results, faith seem worthless. So, the presence of God in people’s consciousness, the presence of religion and the Church in social consciousness and public space have become an existential and intellectual problem. Even more so the former than the latter. More people live now as if there was no God than those determined to reject God. For many, God still exists, but has “lost” the power to influence their life choices. They achieve the goals set by themselves and judge their own actions, as well as those of other people, without referring to God. The gap widens between people’s life in the individual and social dimension and the axio-normative system, based on God. This is the deepest expression of the secularization of modern societies. It is becoming a difficult, or even impossible, task to determine how many people function in this kind of “instability” in particular societies of Europe, but their style of life which differs from the Christian one, is a fact. Non-religiosity as a binding principle in 2 Leon Dyczewski politics and lawmaking has also been accepted by the European Union, which through constantly growing institutions exerts decisive influence on many areas of the social and economic life of its member and candidate states. Liberal and non-religiously oriented politicians dominate the discussion on the shape of the future of Europe, determined to void it of values and erase all mention of Christian roots in European culture. Will this tendency result in making man happy? Historical experiences, especially in the 20th century, cast doubts. Anti- Christian socialism and German national socialism did not bring about anything good, both have destroyed millions of human beings and a large part of the heritage of many generations. Beside the secularization processes outlined above, in European societies of late 20th and early 21st century there are symptoms of renewal and religious awakening; new forms of religiosity and spirituality are taking shape. These transformations occur with different intensity in different countries. Notions of God and attitudes toward Him are diversified, as are the approaches to the religious community. Many young Christians make choices in the fundamental truths of their faith and interpret them in their own way. Their selections also include moral norms and Christian models of behaviour, which function only in the private sphere or only during meetings which are definitely religious. Many people seek to satisfying their religious needs outside the Church, in para-religious or therapeutic groups, in lay institutions or in non-religious ways. More and more often there occurs some kind of sacralization of psychotherapeutic practices, artistic, political and economic activities which become a nearly divine sphere with unquestioned authority in everyday decisions. New forms of religiosity in Europe are usually set in the Christian tradition or a particular Christian denomination. There are also forms which take their core from Christianity and combine it with elements of various religions and lay practices or are a typical compilation of beliefs and practices originating in different religions, traditions and cults, often connected with the philosophy of the Far East. Religiosity today has many changing “faces”; comparatively uniform in the past, now it is being transformed into diversity. This is one of the most important features of contemporary culture, based on the contemporary person’s sensitivity to spiritual matters, often reduced to intense experiences. In modern society spirituality has become an important social and cultural phenomenon and usually has positive connotations, since it is associated with the effort of achieving a higher spiritual state, it is expressed in self-education and the development of personality, coping with suffering, striving after comprehending the world and finding the meaning of life. Introduction 3 Whereas in the past all spirituality had an exclusively religious character, now it is developed independently of any religion or even as an alternative to it, so one can be at the same time a spiritual and non- religious person. Religiosity is associated with a concrete religion, dogmas, moral norms, priests, Churches, religious institutions and social organizations, with some traditional forms of expression and group practices. Conversely, spirituality is directly associated with experiencing the meaning of life and God, and invokes a lifestyle. Religiosity is often described as an objective, external reality, individual and social, while spirituality is something subjective, internal and exclusively individual. The majority of people consider themselves to be both religious and spiritual persons, while the minority define themselves as spiritual, but not religious; for them spirituality means rejecting religion. Religiosity can be easily observed, defined, and attributed to some qualities, whereas spirituality is quite difficult to define and identify. It is a new phenomenon, diverse and not much researched, but still characteristic of many individuals and social groups. Confrontational and competitive approaches to religiosity and spirituality have arisen in the culture promoting individualism, where traditional authorities and cultural norms are questioned and rejected. In spite of the ubiquitous critique of religiosity, new religious groups and new forms of religiosity are gaining ever greater popularity and the existing ones continue to exist. In turn, people who abandon traditional religiosity and look for something deeper than satisfying basic needs often share the beliefs of believers, and establish organizations which differ from the traditional religious ones only in their being new. Political, social, cultural and economic transformations which have occurred in Polish society in the last 50 years on one hand are favourable to the secularization processes, but they take a slower and different course than further West in Europe. On the other hand, they are a challenge for religious people,