The Religious Values and the Ritual Orientations of Contemporary Youth in Sociological Reflection

Abstract

The article reflects upon the religious values and ritual orientations of the contemporary youth in the context of their mutual connections and implications. For this purpose, the results of the author´s empirical research conducted at the end of the first decade the 21st century among the high school seniors from the Świętokrzyskie region have been invoked. The religious values (sacrum) have less significance for young people in comparison with other axiological issues (the groups of values). The features of a “ritual personality” are more often displayed by the female students, believers and deep believers, those who systematically participate in religious practices, students coming from small local environments. It seems that the civilization transformations in Poland weaken the influence of traditional institutions of religious socialization. Moreover, the cult involvement in the youth environment rarely grows deeper. However, the ritual orientations acquired in the time of primary socialization constitute a “conveyor belt” for the participation in different types of rituals. The lack of such competence makes it difficult to experience the “unusual.”