Published: 2024-12-05

Popular piety or popular religiosity. An attempt to clarify the semantic field of concepts. Contribution to the discussion

Zygmunt Osiecki
Warszawskie Studia Pastoralne
Section: Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.21697/wsp.2022.4.03

Abstract

The term popular piety is commonly used for extra-sacramental forms of cultic manifestations. According to the author, it consists of depreciated words: piety and people. The word religiosity is a synonym of the word piety and as a neutral word it can be successfully used in theological discourse. Since ancient times, the word people has carried with it negative attributes that characterize people, namely: susceptibility to manipulation and a tendency to revolutionary attitudes. The term popular piety is dichotomous, dividing the community of the faithful of the Church into Ecclesia discens and Ecclesia docens; the higher Church and the lower Church. In order to avoid these awkwardnesses, the author proposes to use the term „popular religiosity”, which is more mobile and can be used to name a number of extra- sacramental cultic behaviours without raising doubts as to the adequacy of their name.

Keywords:

contemporary times, people, piety, popularity, religiosity, change

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Citation rules

Osiecki, Z. (2024). Popular piety or popular religiosity. An attempt to clarify the semantic field of concepts. Contribution to the discussion. Warszawskie Studia Pastoralne, 58(4), 77–97. https://doi.org/10.21697/wsp.2022.4.03

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