The continuity and change of religious traditions — problems and hypotheses

Abstract

The author discusses the concept of religious tradition which he specifies through three parameters: ideological, behavioral and symbolic. Taking into consideration approaches towards religions tradition he distinguished three attitudes: accomodating, selective and reproaching. These attitudes were hypothetically ascribed to particular categories of people in Poland. The factors conducive to the durability or to the change of religious tradition were also mentioned and discussed. The Polish family, the regional environment with its cultural and religious patterns, and the national consciousness, always connected with religious element in the history of Poland, were included in the first group whereas urbanization, education and age were included in the second group. However, most of these factors have the character of the ’’partial variables”.