Kościół w Polsce wobec sekt i nowych ruchów religijnych

Abstract

Sects and new religious movements are a contemporary cultural phenomenon. It is not so because they have not existed before but because they affect masses which, in turn, is a result of the crisis of values more and more visible in our western culture. The crisis is caused mainly by the emancipation of this culture from its Christian roots, without giving anything in return apart from the technological progress and the relatively high living standard. Therefore different sects and quasi-religious groups make up for this loss. They quickly put down roots in the spiritual desert people nowadays live on. Since 1989 Poland has experienced political changes and cultural transformation. This process is accompanied by the emergence of many sects and religious movements searching for new disciples. Since that time many people, especially young ones as well as the ones lost in life and in the world of ideas, have fallen their “prey”. Therefore, providing them with the help they need on the one hand and forming their faith and appropriate attitudes in life on the other are important tasks for the Church and the state. The special kind of help given to the victims of sects and new religious movements and people who are likely to come into contact with them are diocesan and parochial information centres which provide information concerning the abovementioned. Thanks to their work many people once caught in a trap set by the contemporary false prophets have “returned” to the Church and society. The centres have also collected invaluable informative materials which are in the educating process and help those who have broken bonds with the sects and new religious movements. Due to the fact that these centres are established by churches, their mission is also of evangelizing nature. It is extremely important, as not only does it make possible to prove the falsehood of a given ideology, but also shows the Truth of Jesus Christ, which should be followed further on in life. This activity, undertaken because of the ongoing changes, is presented in this article. The text shows, with the support of statistics, law, and reports on national security, the danger of the current situation caused by the influence of sects and new religious movements.