Most Poles Poland /ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Eastern Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total, by far, adhere to the Christian faith Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. The Christian faith is essentially faith in Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of God, the Savior, the manifestation of God to humankind (Immanuel), and God (Yahweh or the "Lord") himself, with more than 94% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church,[note 1] is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians[note 2] and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Church, and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called.[1] Catholicism plays an important role in the lives of many Poles and the Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church,[note 1] is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians[note 2] and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Church, and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called in Poland enjoys immense social prestige and political influence. [2] The church is widely respected by both its members and nonmembers, who see it as a symbol of Polish heritage and culture.[3] The rest of the population consists mainly of Eastern Orthodox The Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church[note 1] and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church,[note 2] is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 700 million members. It is considered by its adherents to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic (about 506 000), Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million. They are directed by the Governing Body, a group of elders which (about 220 000) and various Protestant Protestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and (about 159 000, with about 76 000 in the largest Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland The Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Poland , the largest Protestant body in Poland, is rooted in the Reformation. The first Lutheran sermons were held in 1518, and in 1523 the first Lutheran dean, Johann Heß, was called to the eastern German city of Breslau, whence Lutheranism was spread into the Polish lands. Today the Church has) religious minorities.[4]
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll Eurobarometer is a series of surveys regularly performed on behalf of the European Commission since 1973. It produces reports of public opinion of certain issues relating to the European Union across the member states. The Eurobarometer results are published by the Public Opinion Analysis Sector of the European Commission - Directorate General 2005;[5]
- 80% of Polish citizens responded that "they believe there is a God" (which was the fifth highest result in the European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an).
- 15% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
- 3% answered that "don't know".
- 2% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".
According to the most recent CBOS opinion poll published in the fall of 2008;[6]
- 94% of Poles claim "they believe in God",
- 6% claim they "do not believe in God or do not know",
- 52% of believers claim "they attend to mass, religious meetings etc. at least once a week",
- while 17% do so "once or twice a month",
- 18% do so "a few times a year",
- and 13% "never do so".
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Poland was famous for its unique religious tolerance In a country with a state religion, toleration means that the government permits religious practices of other sects besides the state religion, and does not persecute believers in other faiths. It is a partial status, and might still be accompanied by forms of religious discrimination. Religious toleration as a Government policy merely means the (see Warsaw Confederation (1573)).
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