Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 80 No. 2, 2010.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Certain Aspects of Churchness in Croatia – Survey Results and Conclusions
Josip Baloban
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Alojzije Hoblaj
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Danijel Crnić
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
The authors, who are at the same time the researchers in the EVS - 2008 Project, discuss the phenomenon of religiousness and churchness based on an empirical method of social science and analytical-critical method of theological science. In this way, they analyse the following dimensions of churchness: the dimension of confessional belonging, dimension of religious truths, ritual dimension, experiential dimension and the dimension of trust in the Church. In this research and interpretation of the phenomenon of churchness they start from its pluri-dimensional character. With regard to the dimension of confessional belonging the EVS - 2008 claims that in the past nine years the percentage of Catholics in Croatia has decreased (from 87% to 81%). There was a slight increase of believers of other confessions (from 2% to 4%) as well as a slight increase of those who consider themselves as non-believers (from 11% to 16%). The authors conclude that this is due to stability in the dynamics of churchness. In the dimension of religious truths too, there has been a fall in churchness amongst Croatian citizens. Belief in God experienced a significant fall (from 91% to 87%) and there was a significant fall in believing in sin and hell. The authors concluded that some form of classification and profiling within the Church scene has still not come to an end, particularly not in relation to the gradual distancing of churchness. In the third ritual dimension they analyse churchness in regard to participation at Sunday Eucharist-Mass and participation in ritual of transition (baptism, marriage, church funeral). Along with a certain fall in churchness in this dimension, the authors conclude that this a social-cultural and anthropological-religious aspect which in itself is very complex. At the same time they warn of contradictory ambivalence where the ritual template of the secular man is no longer identical to ritual templates in the official Church. That dissention is causing growing problems in the pastoral activities of the Church today. The experiential dimension is treated based on prayer indicators. According to EVS - 2008, there was a slight decrease in the number of those who never pray while at the same time the number of those who prayed every day decreased too. Generally looking, more than half the population in Croatia communicate weekly with God through prayer. With regard to the dimension of trust in the Church, the authors state that these is a continual fall in trust in all institutions in Croatia and the Catholic Church is no exception where now the percentage of those who still place a great deal of trust in the Church is around 53%. At the same time there are examples of a diminishing trust in the Church both within the Church and outside it. The authors warn that it is easier to ascertain what has happened in hindsight with regard to trends in churchness than to offer an exact estimate of what will happen and so they offer only accountable estimates. In the conclusion they call for Evangelic, Christological and ecclesiastically responsible moves and lives - transparent witnessing of all Christians in Croatia regardless of their level of churchness or the ecclesiastic service they hold.
Ključne riječi
Church; Christianity; churchness; dimension of churchness; distanced churchness; witnessing
Hrčak ID:
56246
URI
Datum izdavanja:
19.7.2010.
Posjeta: 2.017 *