Poland and Czech Republic

From a simplistic historical perspective, religion has always been symmetrically matched with religious states as well as religious politics. One of the most pervasive myths regarding the Catholic Church is that its sole purpose is to "tend to the spiritual needs of the people." But on the contrary, the Church is, and for the most of its existence has been, a profoundly political organization. (Behind the Crisis) One country that exemplifies this concept of Church as a political organization is Poland. Contradictorily one country whose majority of the population is not Roman Catholic and is not as influenced by religion is Czech Republic. I will be looking in depth as to how religion plays a role in political influence and social prestige of both counties.

Both Poland and Czech Republic are located in the center of Europe and share a common history. Poland was an independent state for most of its history. Even while it was a part of the socialist world, it kept its independence and enjoyed fundamental privileges among socialist countries, such as prevalence of private property in agriculture and the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church in spiritual life. The Polish nobility were famous in Europe for their liberal rules and liberal freedoms at the time when many other European countries were authoritarian monarchies. Poland had a parliament and even some democratic practices for centuries even before it was partitioned by the end of the eighteenth century. (Larissa) Poland's Catholicism had puzzled outside countries when in 1980 Polish workers astonished the world by setting genuinely independent labor unions when the president of the time Lech Walesa was holding a crucifix and by burly strikers. This was just the beginning of the Solidarity movement. Even after the revival of the Polish Labor movement, the outside world was left with the mystery of the strange conflicting coexistence between the Catholic Church and the Communist Party. (Flame of Faith). During the post communist transition Poland became a liberal democratic state belonging to Europe politically and economically.

"Today Poland is predominantly urban and much more educated, yet the Church thrives. Its popularity seems largely due to the postwar regime. The Communist government nationalized industry an broke up the large, privately owned rural estates and in the process deprived the Church of its traditional allies, the industrialists and the large landlords, with official political opposition banned, the Catholic Church was thrust into a new and unexpected role. As the regime was increasingly associated with oppression, injustice and inequality, the spiritual prestige of the Church rose accordingly. It became a symbol of resistance and a focus of hope... in 1980 [dramatic confrontation] between Solidarity and government. This profoundly altered the position of the Church. Up to then the Catholic Church had been the only outlet for opposition to the government. And now Solidarity was fighting for the rights of every section on society, including the Church's right to continue religious broadcasting." (Flame of Faith)

The origin of philanthropy is closely tied to Christianity. Christian beliefs were a strong motivating force for disseminating the ideas of charity, love, and assistance to those in need. As early as in the 13th century, the first foundations supporting churches and spiritual education were established within the Catholic Church, which played a dominant role throughout the Middle Ages in creating charitable institutions. Other spiritual roots took hold as well, including the development of the brotherhoods of Jewish religious communities, and non-religious philanthropy grew as urban centers began to flourish. The emergence of the Hussite religious reform movement in the 15th century and the beginning of the Renaissance period greatly reduced the influence of the Catholic Church, and the cities and communities assumed a greater role in the fields of social care, welfare, education, and training. During the period of Enlightened Absolutism in the later half of the 18th century, and under the reign of Joseph II, the church became increasingly under state surveillance. Many monasteries, brotherhoods, and orders were dissolved. The state introduced a new school system, with schools and universities chaired by secular officials. As a result, the role the Church played in philanthropic activities was more and more taken over by the state. (Working Papers)

The fact that recognized churches receive state subsidies indicates that there is no clear separation between church and state yet in the Czech Republic. In a way, this is a legacy of the Communist regime's overall tendency to control all civic activities, including religious ones, by fostering financial dependence on the state. Registered churches receive contributions form the state's cultural budget. Based on a funding formula developed under the Communist Regime, these contributions cover the salaries of priests and part of the operating expenses of churches and are based on growth projections for the number of priests.

Although freedom of religion exists in both Poland and Czech Republic it has not always been that way. There is a separation of church and state, but religion still influences public affairs. In Czech Republic laws establishing religious freedom were passed shortly after the revolution of 1989, lifting oppressive regulations enacted by the former communist regime. According to the 2001 census, 59% of the country is atheist, non-believer or no-organized believer, 26.8% Catholic and ca 2.5% Protestant. According to the 2005 Euro barometer poll, 30% of Czech respondents don't believe in gods, spirits, or life forces, 50% believe in some sort of spirit or life force, and 19% believe in a god. Major denominations and their estimated percentage populations are Roman Catholic (39%) and Protestant (3%). A large percentage of the Czech population claim to be atheists (40%), and 16% describe themselves as uncertain.

One example of how religion still influences public affairs is the ceremony of the sacred bond of marriage, it is practiced in both states yet it is both a civil and a religious ceremony. Strikingly in recent news in Czech Republic there was a same sex partnership bill that was attempted to be passed. It took seven years of lobbying by the gay and lesbian community in order to have the Czech Republican government to pass a law enabling them to enter a form of marriage. This way they would get inheritance rights and the right to be briefed about their partner's state of health. Although the bill was approved by both houses of parliament, President Vaclav Klaus did not pass