sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (03/17/84)
It is especially interesting, and more than a bit ironic given the recent
debate about school prayer here in the US, to read the recent newspaper
reports of the unrest in Poland following the government's announcement
that crucifixes and crosses will be removed from public buildings,
including schools. Private property does exist in Poland, so churches and
other private buildings would not be affected.
On the one hand, it seems purely like a political act of harassment against
the Church, another exercise of muscle by the government to see who's in
charge. On the other hand, I visited Poland recently, and the entrenchment
of the Roman Catholic Church is very strong, and its overwhelming presence
is noted not only by the Communist authorities, but also by the Orthodox
and Jewish minorities, who have always felt somehwat smothered by the ways
and influence of the Catholic majority.
So who is right here? Funny how the typical good-guy/bad-guy dichotomy
breaks down. If we intuit the intentions of the Polish government, then
we cheer the efforts of the Church and the Polish people to withstand another
attack. But from a civil-libertarian point of view as seen from similar
efforts in the US, the government's action is quite appropriate! (Not that
it makes any sense to speak of civil liberties in modern Poland...)
--
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA