Life / What makes a man a Pole? what does it mean to be a Pole? [187]


smart girl, being Polish and being a Polish patriot is not always the same (ofc it's the same with other nationalities too)

Genealogy / Polish blood only makes up 1% of your "Polishness" [77]

good advice and a very true statement ;-)

Life / What makes a man a Pole? what does it mean to be a Pole? [187]

well, you know that she's still very young and gets easily emotional but she was born in Poland and feels Polish and it's not like many Polish Americans feel the way she does so I believe, you could at least try to show some appreciation for her desire to live in a country you both love so much.

Life / What makes a man a Pole? what does it mean to be a Pole? [187]

you're welcome.

Anyways, if a person really feels Polish, I'm sure, it won't take long for her (in this particular case) to learn everything she needs to know to become Polish, through and through (as you'd probably say). Then again, alone to know Polish history, including all the names you've mentioned in your post and many more, definitely doesn't make one a Pole because I actually know a lot about your country but I'm sure, you wouldn't call me a Pole, would you? ;-)

Life / What makes a man a Pole? what does it mean to be a Pole? [187]

If you ask, what makes a big time Polish patriot, you might be right with what you said but just to be a Pole, it's really enough to be born there and declare yourself as such. Actually, one doesn't even have to be born there either, as long as at least one of his/her parents is a Pole, right?. God knows that I'm not an expert in Polish law but I strongly assume that a person who has at least one Polish parent (born in Poland) can ask for Polish citizenship, right? (correct me if I'm wrong)

Genealogy / Polish blood only makes up 1% of your "Polishness" [77]


what a load of crap? Who the hell told you that you're not Polish? You were born there and you freely declare yourself as Polish, that's all that matters. Look, there are thousands of Americans born in Germany because their parents (or one of them) were stationed over there at some point in time. They're all Americans, no question about it and you're Polish, end of story.

Life / The changing RCC habits of Poles [70]


DD, you can't deny that Polonius3 is much smarter than you thought he was ;-)

Life / The changing RCC habits of Poles [70]


c;mon DD, we both know why you and Harry are here. You guys are having fun (lots of it) on cost of many peed off (when provoked),God fearing Poles. I don't care what you say, it's freaking obvious, LOL

Life / The changing RCC habits of Poles [70]


all valid points, Paulina.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


DD listen, the 92.2% of Poles who freely declared themselves as Catholics will stay Catholics as long as they continue to say they are and as long as they won't be officially banned from the RCC. C'mon guys, you're smart people and I assume you all stand for democracy and if the answer is YES, then let them be what they choose to be. No one ever forced them to be Catholic and yet they are by their own choice. Let's respect their right to be whoever they choose to be.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


You're only Catholic if you say you are (it's the same with other religions too).


Again, as long as they're not officially banned from the church, it's their right to be what they want to be.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


as I said, you guys might be right about that but it's not our decision, let the church deal with it. We debated whether they are Catholics or not and I hope, we can now conclude that they are all Catholics as long as they're not banned from the church and freely declare themselves as such.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]

you might be right about that DD but as long as they're not officially banned from the RCC, and freely declare themselves as Roman Catholic, they are Catholics.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


well, in that case, as long as they call themselves Catholics, they are Catholics. Really not much talk about, Harry.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


Let me ask you a question, are these people (most of the 92.2% as you say) officially banned from the RCC? not by definition or rule but is there any official statement of the RCC that clearly states that they're no longer Catholics?

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


OK, this is how I see it too.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


I like that approach and this is why millions of people believe in God, because there's absolutely no proof of his non-existence. Of course, you could say the same about his existence but this is the choice we're all making. I believe in God and some people don't and I personally don't have any problem with that as long as they accept my right to believe.


true and yet if one tells me, he's a Catholic, he is one IMO. I'm not gonna even try to prove him wrong. Why would I?

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


I know what you're saying DD but it's not the kind of answer I was getting from Poles I was talking to. None of them said, I was born Catholic but now I'm an atheist. OK, I've heard it's somewhat different in Warsaw but it's not where I lived in Poland so I can only say what I've heard in Eastern Poland, in the Masurian Lakes area and in the Tri-City but putting it all together with what I hear here on PF, the number found in many links online, is about correct. I know, you and Harry hate the RCC but none of this will change the fact that most Poles are Catholics and whether you like it or not, you're gonna have to learn to live with it. I don't know about you guys but to me, this is not some kinda d/ck measuring contest and if it the number I found online, wouldn't be right, I wouldn't be wasting my time on discussing it.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


OK, well who does it in this particular case? I didn't see anyone here, trying to convince others to his religion. I posted a link (many to choose from) confirming that over 90% of Poles are Catholics and some posters are opposing that number, that's all. Nothing too exciting though.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]

that's exactly what I'm saying too and that's why, there's no need to pick on people for being Catholics, Jews or anyone else for that matter.

It is what it is and let's try to accept it at least. Of course, we are all entitled to our opinions, have our likes and dislikes. It's human after all. Love and hate is a as old as humanity and so it's very natural to have different opinions about different things but it doesn't mean that we have to make our lives miserable. Let's enjoy what we have because it certainly won't last forever.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


yep, if we all followed that rule, the world would be a much better place to live in.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


very sad indeed but if we're going to follow that path, I'm gonna end up posting crimes against humanity under communist regimes (atheists ofc) and trust me, the numbers will be way higher than any other crimes committed by anyone, anywhere else.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


you can but it won't change my opinion about people and their right to decide whether they're Catholics (or anyone else for that matter) or not.

Tell me, if you consider yourself an atheist (I don't know, just an example) and we'll all say, you're not, will our opinion make any difference in how you see yourself?


really, Harry? Is that what Catholics do?

"A young teenage girl, impregnated during a satanic ritual, is forcibly delivered of her nearly term baby, forced to ritually kill the child and then to cannibalize its heart as cult members watch. Another girl, a small child, is sealed inside the cavity of a disemboweled animal and "rebirthed" by her cultic captors during a ceremony"


so basically what you're saying is that most of the 92.2% are lying and or are too dumb to determine who they are.


Let's be honest DD, am I lying? ;-)


many bad things happened in the past (still are) and just about anyone was (is) involved in it. If you already mentioned Catholics, be fair and don't forget to mention the two biggest criminals of all times who happened to be commies and atheists, Mao and Stalin.


now, that is a complete assumption, more like a wishful thinking and you know it.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


you see, the difference between us is that you see it all in definitions and numbers while I see the right of everyone to believe what he wants and if one calls himself a Catholic, so be it. Besides, if RCC had a problem with its believers it would act accordingly, don't you think?

No, I can't quote data from the RCC (neither can you, I assume or you would have already posted it) but any link I've found online about Polish Catholics, confirms pretty much the same percentage of Catholics in Poland.


well, this could be a reason (link below) why many people (even some atheists, I'm sure) would have a problem with Satanism

rickross.com/reference/satanism/satanism12.html

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


well, I'm sure you understand that if the RCC was so unhappy with its followers not fulfilling the requirements of the RCC, it would drastically narrow down the amount of Catholics in Poland.


yes, there are but they don't have many followers, not to my knowledge anyway.

Anyways, again I agree with you that they should be allowed to display their religious symbols as long as their religion doesn't support hatred and violence.


No one has the right to force others to believe what he believes but it works both ways, Harry. It means that just because you're an atheist or a Jew or whoever you are, you can't expect the 92.2% of Poles to act the way you want them to act and remove crosses allover Poland just because you and people who feel like you, don't like it or feel bothered by it.

Just let everyone display his religious symbols, like you said earlier and the world will be just fine.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]



Neither laws nor definitions will ever make people what they don't want to be. I'm sure, you guys know it but you're politically so far left that it blinds your, otherwise healthy judgement. Most Poles are Catholics, accept it.


I agree with that part of your statement but obviously, in this particular case, there won't be many other symbols to display in Poland ;-)

Taking crosses down in Poland however is wrong because it suits very marginal parts of the society and at the same time, punishes the earlier mentioned, 92.2% of it.

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


well, he obviously feels very Polish and he might be just as well, we simply don't know. Unless you can prove him wrong, he is what he says he is.


well, not quite. It happens to be that what they say here on PF, pretty much confirms what I've experienced in Poland.

according to the link below, 92.2% of Poles are Catholics and this is pretty much the impression I had when I was there.

natemat.pl/52507,ponad-35-mln-katolikow-w-polsce-najwiekszy-odsetek-na-swiecie

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


he is if he says he is. How would you feel if someone would say, you're not Scottish? OK, you probably don't care (knowing you from PF) but many others do and you have to respect it but even if you don't, it won't change anything about how others feel about it.


well, the problem with that is that according to what I see on PF and to my personal observations while in Poland, it doesn't seem to have the same importance to many Poles as it has to you and people who feel like you (for obvious reasons, you love the secular thing about it, most Poles don't).

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


taking into consideration that your constitution was written not too long ago and under different circumstances, I can understand why it doesn't have the same meaning to guys as ours has to us

News / Polish police chief removes crosses [250]


If one says, he's a Catholic, he is one, end of story and so, anytime a Pole told me, he's a Catholic, I believed him (why wouldn't I?). Who am I ( (are we) to tell people, they are not what they say they are. I can have my own opinion about it but that's as far as it goes. Some people pray to God and some pray to Marx, what the heck. Why is that a problem, huh? Do we all have to pray to Marx?

Also, I don't understand why having a cross hanging on the wall is such a big problem to you guys. It was always present in Poland and if you don't like it, don't look at it, simple as that. You and your friends, praise yourself to be tolerant, now you have a chance to prove it, Harry.