Chrzest w opinii katolików polskich

Abstract

The author presents here the results of a sociological research carried out in the period of 1982-1985 in traditional countrysides, in a small town without industry, in a medium-sized town under a strong influence of industralization, in a big town, and in community of youth who are taught religion. With the exception of the latter, all respondents are parents who baptized their children in the year previous to the year of the empirical research. The object of the sociological research was, among others, the Catholics' knowledge of the sacrament of baptism and various attitudes to this religious ritual. A decisive majority of Catholics see the need or even necessity to baptize children, appreciate the value of the sacrament of baptism, even though they do not fully understand its theological sense and meaning. Their attitude is, generally, similar to the Church teaching. Though in particulars, there are some minor differences with the attitude of the Church. People do not understand or realize the intention of their priests or even consciously formulate postulates contradictory to the teaching of the Church. Some Catholics did not know how to define their attitude to the problems with baptism or they adopted unorthodox attitudes. Their number, accordingly to a particular question, ranged from a few to 30 per cent. Women proved to be, generally, more "ecclesiastical" than men, less educated Catholics were more "ecclesiastical" than those with a university diploma, people from country milieus more "ecclesiastical" than those from big towns. Unorthodox attitudes were often an expression of ignorance than contestation. In traditional country milieus the ritual of baptism is still additionally linked with magic images, but convictions of the same kind have turned in retreat.