Why are Polish so conservative and religious?

Sorry, didn't get right your every comment. That happends when you are talking on forums and don't have opportunity to see to what or who you are reffering and don't hear intonations, see gestures etc. Discussion can become difficult.

I think you can find many parallels between the Polish and Isreali nation and diaspora: the CBOS opinion poll ranked Isreal very closely to Poland in its religiosity, and Isreal has a thriving, intelligent secular class (they go hand in hand). Of course Isreal has it's Zionists as Poland has its die-hard Mafia-Catholics, and both exert a disproportionate hold over political power in both countries.

If you look at the two countries' tragic histories, their monolithic culture and nation-state, you will find many similarities and possibly an answer as to why Poland chooses group together under Catholic's veil.

I think GabiDaHun hit on two important points:
1) The Catholic church was the only uncensored voice against communism for nearly 50 years.
2) The Pope during this time was Polish.

But that's not the only reason why Poles hold onto their imaginary friend. When a country goes through what Poland (or Isreal) went through, you band together under any cultural affinity. Unfortunately, that affinity happens to be a religious one in Poland. Majority of Poles themselves aren't as extreme in their views as the Fascist-Roman Catholics-- in Poland, women enjoy equal rights; the majority of Poles believe in contraception and condoms (I think many Poles cringed when Benedict went to the worlds most AIDS infested continent and told the people there that condoms don't work); and, above all, Poles believe in education, math, and Science. Science. Science. Science.

So I think the question that is being asked is why there's such a disparity between Polish values and their religion. The answer: cultural history.

And soon, once Poles drop the shackles of religious dogma, it will all be history.

Thanks to it, we survived partitions, occupations, communism. We kept our balance due to our 1000 year old traditions.

Tradition!!:

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gRdfX7ut8gw

Mike, I can tell you for a fact, Poland has a pretty good naturist scene here. In many saunas nudity is obligatory eg, Sopot aquaprk and Fala in Lodz. I have seen more of my male and female friends here naked than I ever did in England. It is a loong weekend here in Poland next weekend so a group of us (5 men and 7 women) are heading to the nude beach in Rowy for a spot of naked volleyabll and beer drinking

MikeUSA--you are wrong on many things, but this comment is true. As a Polish-Canadian, I am ashamed of this.

The most important point. And the liberals came over here first, and were my first wave of Polish friends, and then the rest came over later, and gave me rather a shock ...

Do you want to get married in Poland.


You mean except for the USA?


Good thingy though, I don't need TV to swear.


Awkward for peepers, right Mike?


What wrong with that ?


Hallelujah!


OMG! Really ? What have you done to them ?


Yes ! At this point a shotgun would come handy.


Are you into this kind of scam?


They are just talking, not that is a bad idea.


Ever heard about cancer ?


the USA is a big country, spread over a half of the continent. There many things you can find there and many other as well, like churches and all there is.

My question - have you ever been to the USA?

I don't know if fact that only about 150-300 thousand Jews were assimilated in II RP can support your statement
unless you believe in one nation/two languages theory.
Anyway it is an absolute truth that in Polish history we had a number of great Polish Jews, even Mickiewicz in
Pan Tadeusz wrote about Jankiel that "stary zyd Polske kochal".

Why are Poles so conservative?

Because they took a look at America and didn't like what they saw.

The Poles I know who have pûrn on a big screen TV while little kids and grandmas are running around/sitting on the sofa (respectively) right in front of the telly don't seem so uptight ...

I guess it's all caused by our difficult history. In the past Poland diseapered from political maps for over 100 years. Catholic religion and conservative beliefs were associated with being a Pole. The same situation is with the gone not so long ago communist times. Now, when the boarders are opened and we are influenced to agreater extention by western way of living Poland is definitely getting more liberal every year. It's just a slow process.

Liberal? Hopefully never.
Secular? I think it already is. Do you even know what secular means?

Congratulations America is a unmorality filthy country. Cant wait for it to be in ruins.


And what the **** is wrong with that?

I don't have a problem with religion. I have a problem why Polish women beat themselves for just kissing a guy? Omg, some women are so prude. But they are raised that way. Men don't behave like that. Me coming from Scandinavia this is just sad. Why can't two adults have sex if they want to? Ridiculous.

It is already. Poland has a centuries' old liberal tradition and there is absolute freedom of religion. regular churchgoers are in a minority, even according to the Church's own statistics. You shouldn't judge a country only by its villagers.

I'm sorry? I guess my past two husbands weren't really Polish, then! What, more lies and deceit? ; )

I'm not going to feed the troll but Poland is the Bible Belt of Europe

Although religion seems to continue to decline when comparing my grandparents-parents & myself, religious factions seem to have an unhealthy influence in Polish politics. IMO, Poland is on a healthy decline pace in terms of religion. But I do believe the Churchs' blind eye to hatred of homosexuals (I was raised Catholic & sacred marriage is not an issue with me) has fueled hatred of all others in many poor economic circles. In comparison to Western Europe & even some other Central Euro nations we are behind in that regard. As the haves & have nots continues to widen in Poland, we can't forget about the poor & let them turn to hatred/crime. Upper Silesia has the higgest crime in Poland and highest earnings & unemployment

thankfully, crime is falling in Kato, according to recent figures

katowice.gazeta.pl/katowice/1,35063,11432046,W_Szopienicach_kra dna__na_Paderewie_bija__Przestepczosc.html

I do not think Polish people are conservative. I grew up in Poland in the eighties... we had sexual education at high school, my girlfriend had no problems with contraception, sex was legal from the age of 15, girls used to wear miniskirts, and every summer we used to spend in place with a great nudist beach. We wre camping in a field without running water (at that time), everyone would go to have bath in the river in the evening, completely naked, families with children, no one made any fuss about it.

Later, I lived in the UK for 10 years, and now I have been in the south of USA. These two countries seem to be much more restrictive than Poland used to be in the 80s. Not sure what Poland is now though.

It depends where you are. What you get in Warsaw or Katowice isn't what you get in the boondocks of Podlasie or Lubelskie. Other places are on a continuum between either one place or the other.

Jon357 "the boondocks of Podlasie"

I've travelled a fair bit in Poland and I live in what you consider to be the boondocks. Perhaps it's been a while since you've visited the east of Poland. If so, you'd be surprised at the changes that have occurred in the last few years. I've been to much less developed places in what are considered to be more civilised parts of the country. As for Białystok, the younger generation have the same views as young people from any capital in Europe. They're much slimmer, though.

I would say the whole of Polska B.

A month ago.


There's still the dead hand of the church exerting huge influence in smaller towns and life for many in villages is still quite inward looking.


I wouldn't go that far, however it's a decent place to live - much like any other town of 300,000 outside a conurbation.

Jon"I wouldn't go that far"
Well I would. I talk to about 150 of them each and every week, and while they might not dress as outlandishly as they do in Camden, they are tolerant and gentle. Last semester one lad briefly and affectionately put his head on another lad's shoulder in my class. The other students all quickly looked at me to see my reaction (none whatsoever), but they were all fine with having these lovebirds in their class. When I came here years ago students said the most horrible, intolerant things. Now they're cool.

The churches used to be so packed in my nearest town that there were fifty people outside the door. Not now. Things are changing very fast here. Twenty years is a generation, and even the boonies are coming alive.

And I'd say you're guilty of stereotyping and pigeon-holing. Believe me, boondocks in the western parts (post-German & former PGR lands) are today probably worse that those in Lubelskie, Rzeszowskie, Podlaskie... I'd say the most underprivileged/conservative areas today are in the south, in the mountains...

It's true, South is very religious. Especially in small cities, towns etc. but I wouldn't use the word underprivileged. I like it, It's the only part of Poland I know (near the mountains) :)

Sexual freedom where I grew up in Poland is non-existent.

Ever since I moved to the UK, I have been spending a lot more time dating men. You can't blame me either since the men in the UK are so attractive! I'm also a bartender at a strip club (I'm not a stripper). Let's just say my family back home isn't too happy.

Are these students?

Jon "Are these students?"
Yes, first years.

Probably a bit more progressive than the average inhabitant of the region. I remember when I was a student - some of my peers had quite radical views like abolishing the age of consent, freeing Nelson Mandela and getting thatcher out of office. Two of those things came true a few years later. Half of the most "right on" people are probably Tory voting bourgeoisie now.

Not everyone in small towns lives in the past, but there are very good reasons why some people head for the big city as soon as they can. And there are still villages in Poland where every family is expected to attend church and has a hard time if they don't want to.

"Polish people uptight about swearing".?.A lot must have changed there.
Cause the usual k.. h.. and p's is how I used to ecognise my country folk in a crowd. !