Leisure in relation to religion as seen from the results of a transnational empirical lifestyle research of the "visegrad countries" (HU, PL, CZ, SK)

The liturgical disciple of the Church prohibits the performance of a so called “menial work” on Sundays, and at the same time allows the “free” activity, as a pursuit not connected closely to our subsistence counts as leisure (Somfai, 1993). In our postmodern society religiosity is characterised by diversity and complexity. According to Glock and Stark (1965) religion is a compound phenomenon with five dimensions: 1. the doctrinal, 2. the intellectual, 3. the ethical-consequential, 4. the ritual, and 5. the experiential. The Institute of Applied Health Sciences and Health Promotion at the University of Szeged has studied 485 Hungarian families in the framework of a transnational empirical lifestyle research among the families of the so called Visegrad Countries (HU, PL, CZ, SK). As part of the research topics the ritual dimension of religiosity was studied through the frequency of visiting church and the experiential dimension was studied reflected by the comfort provided by faith, and leisure habits – focusing on cultural habits - were analysed among those considering themselves to be religious (76% of the sample). According to our results, the spiritual nature of faith, its inward, mental experience, as well as its manifestation in practice is a life cycle phenomenon coming into view mostly at young ages up to 25 and in ages above 66 years (20,7% / 20,0% goes to church regularly, 67,9% / 78,6% finds consolation in faith respectively). 74,4% of those regarding themselves as religious consider their leisure habits traditional, and 68,1% of them consider their cultural habits traditional. Our paper will reveal the relationship between the above issues in details.

References

Glock, C. and R. Stark (1965): Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago.

Rev. Dr. Somfai Béla SJ (1993): Szabadidő és ünneplés. A munka és a játék keresztény értelmezése. Torontói Egyetem, Teológia Tanszék, CA.