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Atheism and irreligion is uncommon in Poland with Catholic Christianity as the largest faith. However, it is on the rise, which has caused tensions in the country. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] According to a 2020 CBOS survey, non-believers make up 3% of Poland's population. [7]
The 2014 Procession of Atheists in Poland commemorated Kazimierz Łyszczyński, who is considered the first Polish atheist. [8] [9]
Atheism in Poland dates back to the Renaissance. In the sixteenth century, individuals considered to be atheists include the royal courtier Jan Zambocki, geographer Alexander Skultet and professor of the Academy of Krakow Stanislaw Zawacki. In 1588 Krakow released a pamphlet Simonis simoni Lucensis ... Athei summa Religio, suggesting that the doctor Simon of Lucca staying at the royal court says the idea that God is a figment of the mind. [10] An important figure in the history of atheism on Polish territories was Kazimierz Łyszczyński, sentenced in 1688 (the judgment was made a year later) on the death penalty for his work on the work of De non existentia Dei ("The Non-Existence of God"). [11]
In the nineteenth century, open proclamation of atheist views were rare, although a certain part of the intelligentsia openly admitted to atheism (including Wacław Nałkowski [ citation needed ] and Maria Sklodowska-Curie [12] [13] [14] ).
During the Second Republic, President Gabriel Narutowicz was said to be an atheist. [15] [16]
In general, then Polish overt atheism was a widespread view, even among anti-clerical and secular intelligentsia, as evidenced by the fact that in the Second Republic the traditional association of atheists – Freemasonry of the Great East - has not been established despite the existence of acting freethinking organizations: Polish Association of Freethinkers, Polish Association of Free Thought or Warsaw Circle of Intellectuals. They were also issued a letter Rationalist .
In the twentieth and twenty first centuries Poles declaring a lifelong or temporary atheistic worldview include Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, Tadeusz Kotarbiński, Ludwik Krzywicki, Irena Krzywicka, Witold Gombrowicz, [14] Władysław Gomułka, Jan Kott, Jeremi Przybora, Wisława Szymborska, [14] [17] Stanisław Lem, [14] [17] Tadeusz Różewicz, Marek Edelman, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Zygmunt Bauman, Maria Janion, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Włodzimierz Ptak, Jacek Kuroń, [14] Kazimierz Kutz, Jerzy Urban, Roman Polański, Jerzy Vetulani, Karol Modzelewski, Zbigniew Religa, [14] [18] Jan Woleński, Andrzej Sapkowski, Kora Jackowska, Lech Janerka, Wanda Nowicka, Magdalena Środa, Jacek Kaczmarski, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Kazik Staszewski, Kuba Wojewódzki, Janusz Palikot, Jan Hartman, Maria Peszek, Dorota Nieznalska and Robert Biedroń.
After World War II to the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, atheist worldview has been propagated by the state, which manifested itself, among others, in limiting building permits, as well as the expansion of the temples, the persecution of the clergy (e.g. illegal [19] arrest of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski) and harassment of members of the Communist Party taking regular participation in religious practices. In 1957, the decision of the Central Committee at the propaganda and agitation department of the Central Committee was established committee. Atheistic propaganda. [20]
In the communist Poland Association of Atheists and Freethinkers worked well – supported by the authorities – and later also Society for the Promotion of Secular Culture, formed on its basis in 1969. On the other hand, some declared atheists were involved in the activities of the democratic opposition, like [ citation needed ] Jacek Kuroń, [14] and Adam Michnik.
After the fall of the Polish People's Republic, despite the lack of state support, atheism and the process of secularization have not disappeared. In 2007, the wave of popularity of the book "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. [21] and his social campaign under the name of The Out Campaign started in the Anglo-Saxon countries and reached Poland. Thus the List of Internet Atheists and Agnostics was established, [22] led by Polish Association of Rationalists. On that list a person could openly admit their atheism or agnosticism. The initiative aims to promote ideological assertiveness among the unbelievers, checking the presence of believers in the social life and the consolidation and strengthening of cooperation between free thinkers. Many leading Polish media have written dozens of articles about this initiative, causing a discussion on the situation of unbelievers in Poland ( Gazeta Wyborcza , [23] Cross-section, [24] Overview, [25] Republic, [26] Newsweek, [27] Trybuna , [28] Gazeta Pomorska , [29] Kurier Lubelski , [30] Wirtualna Polska, [31] [32] Życie Warszawy [33] [34] ), and on the radio TOK FM was a debate about atheism between the academic priest Gregory Michalczyk and the founder and then-president of the Polish Rationalist Association, Mariusz Agnosiewicz. [35] After two months since the launch of Letters, inscribed on it more than 7500 participants of the action. Agnosiewicz went a step further by organising a campaign under the name Internet Photo Atheists , which was launched on 6 December 2009. [36]
In response to the rapid progress of atheism in Poland [37] in 2012 a Parliamentary Group for prevention of atheism in Poland was established by the Polish Sejm. [38] It consists of 39 deputies and 2 senators. [39] At the turn of 2012/2013, the Polish Association of Rationalists, together with the Foundation Freedom of Religion organized in several Polish cities including Rzeszow, Lublin, Czestochowa, Kraków and Swiebodzin an action under the slogan "Do not steal, do not kill, do not I believe" and "If you do not believe, you are not alone". According to the organizers they serve to consolidate the people of atheistic worldview. [40] [41] On March 29, 2014, an Atheists' March was organized in Warsaw in the framework of Days of Atheism, during which there was a staging of the execution of Kazimierz Łyszczyński, sentenced in 1689 to death for treaty "the non-existence of the gods," in which the role was played by Jan Hartman, a professor of philosophy, bioethics and then an activist of Your Movement, a progressivist political party. [42]
In 2004, 3.5% of the citizens of Poland identified as non-believers or indifferent religiously. [43] According to the Eurobarometer survey in 2005 90% of Polish citizens said they believed in the existence of God, a further 4% not determined. [44] In 2007, 3% identified as a non-believer.
Polish citizens – this means that this group has doubled its size within two years [45] However, according to the survey from 2012 the number of people in Poland declare atheism, agnosticism or atheism was 3.2% and disbelief 4%. And, according to studies Eurobarometer in the same year 2% of the population of Poland were atheists, and 3% were agnostics and otherwise non-denominational. [46]
According to the results of Census of Population and Housing 2011 individuals who claim not to belong to any religion accounted for 31 March 2011, 2.41% of the total Polish population. While taking into account that 7.1% covered by the census did not answer the question on religion, and to 1.63% not determined the matter, they accounted for 2.64% of those who responded to the question about religious affiliation. [47]
According to data published in 2015 by GUS concerning the faith of Poles most atheists are in Warsaw and Zielona Gora. [48]
Currently, some atheists in Poland are grouped around: [49]
Kraków, also seen spelled Cracow or absent Polish diacritics as Krakow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596, and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Cited as one of Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town with Wawel Royal Castle was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the world's first sites granted the status.
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska, is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate culture featuring diverse architecture, folk costumes, dances, cuisine, traditions and a rare Lesser Polish dialect. The region is rich in historical landmarks, monuments, castles, natural scenery and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukrainian literature. A principal figure in Polish Romanticism, he is one of Poland's "Three Bards" and is widely regarded as Poland's greatest poet. He is also considered one of the greatest Slavic and European poets and has been dubbed a "Slavic bard". A leading Romantic dramatist, he has been compared in Poland and Europe to Byron and Goethe.
Polish people, or Poles, are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe. The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland defines the Polish nation as comprising all the citizens of Poland, regardless of heritage or ethnicity. The majority of Poles adhere to Roman Catholicism.
Kraków John Paul II International Airport is an international airport located near Kraków, in the village of Balice, 11 km (6.8 mi) west of the city centre, in southern Poland.
Young Poland was a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the earlier ideas of Positivism. Young Poland promoted trends of decadence, neo-romanticism, symbolism, impressionism and art nouveau.
Sonderaktion Krakau was a German operation against professors and academics of the Jagiellonian University and other universities in German-occupied Kraków, Poland, at the beginning of World War II. It was carried out as part of the much broader action plan, the Intelligenzaktion, to eradicate the Polish intellectual elite, especially in those centers that were intended by the Germans to become culturally German.
The Cross of Merit is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state.
Radosław Sobolewski is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of I liga club Wisła Kraków. He played for the Poland national team.
Tadeusz Synowiec was a Polish football player, midfielder and forward, later a coach and journalist, graduate of Kraków’s Jagiellonian University.
Kazimierz Łyszczyński, also known in English as Casimir Liszinski, was a Polish nobleman, philosopher, and soldier in the ranks of the Sapieha family, who was accused, tried, and executed for atheism in 1689.
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Michał Jelonek, also known as Jelonek, is a Polish musician and composer. He specializes in violin.
Kazimierz Chodziński (Casimir) was a Polish sculptor, and a student of Jan Matejko academy in Kraków. He sculpted over a hundred different statues in partitioned Poland, as well as some other European cities, such as Vienna. Around 1903-1910 he worked in the United States, where he designed, among others, the Tadeusz Kościuszko statue in Chicago in the Humboldt Park neighborhood and the General Casimir Pulaski statue in Washington, DC.
The 2015–16 Ekstraklasa was the 82nd season of the highest level of football leagues in Poland since its establishment in 1927. A total of 16 teams were participating, 14 of which competed in the league during the 2014–15 season, while the remaining two were promoted from the I Liga. Each team played a total of 37 matches, half at home and half away.
The Polish Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Polish Athletic Association (PZLA), which serves as the Polish national championship for the sport. It is typically held as a three-day event in the Polish summer, ranging from late June to early August. The venue of the championships changes annually.
The mansion/manor home (dwór) in Michałowice village, Lesser Poland province, Poland, designed by prominent architect Teodor Talowski (1857–1910), and reminiscent of a suburban villa, was constructed in the years 1892–1897, for the noble (szlachta) family, Żądło-Dąbrowski z Dąbrówki herbu Radwan, who moved from Mazovia, Poland.
Halina Kwiatkowska was a Polish actress, educator, and writer. She performed in The Cherry Orchard at the National Stary Theatre in Kraków, and starred in the films Ashes and Diamonds, The Doll, and And Along Come Tourists.
Events in the year 2022 in Poland.
The Sunday of Miracles is a colloquial description of the events that took place during the last matchday of the 1992–93 Ekstraklasa season.
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