Abstract
This paper analyzes the phenomenon of anticlericalism in contemporary Lithuania, applying a sociohistorical approach. It starts with a discussion on the problem of criticism of religion and anticlericalism in contemporary societies, and particularly Lithuania. The empirical part of the paper provides a statistical data analysis of two surveys, conducted in 2012 and 2018. The secondary data analysis showed that age and place of residence of Roman Catholics in Lithuania were statistically meaningful factors for the formation of anticlerical stances. Younger respondents expressed more critical stances towards the clergy, while respondents living in large cities of the country had more relaxed stances towards clergy than those living in small towns and rural areas. Living in a proximity to a Roman Catholic church in rural areas determined the prevalent anticlerical attitudes among the Lithuanian population.
Highlights
The increasing role of religion in the public sphere of contemporary society is one of the outcomes of religious change in the context of globalization and migration
A similar pattern manifested in 2018, because the view that priests should actively participate in the formation of law and legal acts is dependent on locality (χ2 (4, N = 856) = 17.04, p < 0.01): Roman Catholics from urban areas held a more critical view than individuals from large urban or rural areas
A variety of factors influence the role of religion in the public sphere of contemporary Western societies, including historically constructed religion and state relations, trends of migration, and globalization
Summary
The increasing role of religion in the public sphere of contemporary society is one of the outcomes of religious change in the context of globalization and migration. As various social research scholars have observed, religion in contemporary society has been becoming more individualized and privatized, but at the same time more public (Casanova 1994) These generalizations on the role of religion in public seem to be questioned, the post-socialist central and eastern European societies have undergone socio-political transformations that have had a considerable impact on their religious lives, and a period of religious revival brought an increase in religious beliefs and practices in many societies (Norris and Inglehart 2004; Müller 2008). The public spheres in central and eastern Europe are usually dominated by national churches, leaving little space for manifestation of religious diversity and non-religious worldviews. We will provide secondary data analysis on public attitudes towards the clergy and their development during the period 2012–2018 This period might be seen as illustrating the third decade after the socio-political transformations took place in contemporary Lithuania. And economically, this period is marked with strengthening relations with the European Union, its impact on the country’s politics and economics
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