Catholic idol worship in Poland

Hi!

I have noticed a curious phenomena in Poland, driving along the roads in the southern part.

There are hundreds of catholic idols on the side of the road and people leave sacrifices there. They also kneel before them and talk/pray to them.

I was wondering if anyone could help me understand this phenomena, it seems very widespread.

I'm an atheist, but I just want to understand what this is all about.

Idol worship??? Afraid you've lost me here a bit! Throughout the whole of Catholic Europe pious Christians have typically taken great pride in likenesses of the Holy Virgin, Jesus etc. for centuries. Unless I'm missing something, this scarcely goes under the heading of "idol worship", a concept exclusively associated with pagan, i.e. pre-Christian civilization(s).

Well, I don't want to start another war of religions here, I'm no protestant, by ancestors were Lutherans and then converted to Pryzbeterians, I'm an atheist.

Most protestants would consider it pagan idol worship.

I'm just wondering why in the heart of Europe so many people are doing such a primitive superstitious thing.

I'm from the US and I always considered Europe to be more progressive in these things that us.

Honestly I'm shocked at the religous fanaticism and cruelty here, I never thought I would see it in Europe.

If you mean the roadside shrines, they're a very long tradition that probably predate Christianity. Rather like the Derbyshire Well Dressings. People like them, and traditions, especially in the countryside die hard. Part of those things that people in villages the world over cherish.

I doubt that what Protestants consider or don't consider enter into it at all.

Exactly, roadside shrines are quite common in Southern Germany, for example.

I agree Jon, it seems that Poland has an outword Catholic character and gives lots of money to them, but they still follow an ancestral Perun-worship ethos.

And very good too. Old traditions die very hard indeed and Poland is an intensely spiritual place. A return to the old gods would be a positive step.

A return to the old gods would be excellent.

They're all over the place in Austria and Croatia too.

Marian shrines are common in tunnels in Austria too.

Get back to Poland in this thread please


Sure ;)

Can't say I've ever seen many people praying to shrines at the side of the road. They do exist, like in all Catholic countries, but that doesn't mean people actually pray near them. I've never seen a soul leave any "sacrifices" there, as it would be completely contradictory to the idea of what the shrine is about.

SAME STORY REPEATING AGAIN AND AGAIN....

When adam and his children (who lived hundreds of years) died, Lucifer came to them and told them that they should make an sculpture of their parents so then can remember them. and this worked for them

but when their children died, Lucifer came to their grandchildren and told them that these idols give you wealth, food and good luck so start praising them...AND THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN.

Christians are already following a corrupt book. they have started worshiping the same prophet which was sent to them to guide them.
This is why God sent another and final messenger Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

There is none worthy of worship except Allah.

/\ Hey, Allah Snackbar, they are CATHOLICS they dont read the bible, they worship Mary and pray to idols.

"they are CATHOLICS they dont read the bible, they worship Mary and pray to idols"
None of this is true. If you take time to really understand Catholic beliefs, you would see that you are misinterpreting things. And Catholics do read the bible - they put it together well before the Protestants changed it.

The difference according to my understanding between Catholics and Protestants is that observant Catholics follow the absolute letter of the New Testament faithfully and completely, whereas the Protestants view Church ritual, e.g. taking the sacrament at Holy Communion as purely a historical "reenactment" of the body and blood of Christ as opposed to physically ingesting the actual body and blood of Christ. Among the staunchest Protestant denominations here in the States are said to be the Methodists! Many strict Methodists, I've been told, don't even follow Lent, believing they have nothing to give up, in addition, look down on the Catholics as mere "Papists" and their religion as a lot of mumbo-jumbo, full of outdated and primitive ritual symbolism.

They're actually called "offerings". 'Sacrifices' makes it sound like they're cutting the heads off goats and chickens.... I've yet to see that in Poland.


And repeating "peace be upon him" every time you write or say his name and caring about depictions by non-believers is _not_ a form of worship? This makes sense? what is PBUH in Polish, anyway?

So is my dog. Never prays and never darkens a church doorway.

Saw recently in a museum in Marseille (MUCEM) a very interesting exhibition about shared sacred sites between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Quite fascinating to see that there are a large number of such shares sites throughout the world including in the country where I am currently living (Turkey): Muslims make an annual pilgrimage to the Church of St George on Buyukada!

Don't forget Meryemana, near Selcuk, where Mary is supposed to have settled and died, or the icons in caves in Cappadocia (most of which have been literally defaced by idiots).

What has that got to do with Catholics worshipping idols in Poland?

Indeed. When my wife and I went to visit Meryemana last year, the group of 5 people that was coming out of the house as we arrived was, guess what.. Polish!!

Catholics don't worship idols. The saints are believed to have the power to intercede on behalf of petitioners, especially when prayers direct to the Big Yin have gone unanswered. Something like St. Anthony saying, "Ah, go on, God, he really needs his car keys. Give the guy a break and remind him where they are." Comparisons between Catholic saints and, e.g. Indian deities are wrong. The saints are not worshipped but asked to intercede.

I've seen it a lot down in Bieszczady. Tourists goin around on their bikes or on horses and stopping and having an auld pray. It's a bit like Ireland, but 200 years ago.


It's pretty much the same thing. Even by having pictures/statues of angels/saints in a place of worship is technically idol worship. Catholic Church puts up with it though coz it keeps the sheep coming and coppers in the coffers.

Sure it's all nonsense anyway, we all know that.


How do you know that, have to never seen All Dogs Go to Heaven?


Oh yea, Adam who had 2 sons, Cain and Abel, one of them killed the other and then they still had to breed to get humanity started so Cain had to engage in sexual congress with his mother (look up the etymology of 'motherf!!ker'). And then Granddad Adam had to have sex with them. This all happening about 4000+ years ago!

Thus beginning the long history of paedophilia in the Christian Church.

Not Paedophilia Smurf rather incest. Get your technical words right!

Might it not be Ukrainians doing that? They're ridiculously religious people (they even cross themselves after passing a church on the bus/tram!) - and there are plenty of Ukrainian tourists there.

I've seen local people do that on buses round my way. You can tell whether they're Roman or Orthodox because they only do it when they pass the 'real' churches ;-)

This all might be happening because Poland is a catholic country don't u think.

When I was working in the UAE there was a call to prayer, people stopped (Including buses) and prayed, because that's what they do In a Muslim country

In the UK they do a bit of everything because it is a multi cultural society.

Well, except that most of us have never seen anyone doing the stuff that the OP describes.

"In the UK they do a bit of everything because it is a multi cultural society."

Yes. Soon (Less than 30 years) Uk will turn into an Islamic society.

Keep this discussion on Poland please

Naw, wouldn't think so, ain't too many Ukrainians around there anymore. Polish border gimps making it awful hard on them since that whole Crimea yoke kicked off.

Maybe, but I know from my inlaws who run a B&B down there that they get a fair few religious types staying with them, biking or horsing around up and down mountains to have a good auld pray.

Sure whatever floats your boat, but I'd rather be licking pish off a nettle that spending my free time off visiting places like that.


Haha, yea, sorry you're dead right there :D

Ahh , I wonder if the op is confusing some of the crosses and statues that are placed by the side of the road to remember accident victims, with as he puts it random idols, or maybe it is a southern Poland thing, I do see people kneeling down by the side of the road praying, but it is usually the family or friends of someone who has been in an accident. I have noticed that they do the same thing in Greece and Italy.