Manipulation can be a sinful act, or it can simply be the result of the narrowness of man, who is not always able to respond with full awareness to the information and messages that reach him. The development of Catholic doctrine, which takes place, among other things, through theological reflection and the decisions of the Church’s Magisterium, is not free from manipulation in both these senses. Sometimes manipulation occurs as a result of socalled good intentions, which can flow from both the “conservative” and “progressive” visions of Catholicism. In each such case, at the root of the manipulation is some kind of suspicion that leaving people free may lead them in a wrong direction and lead them away from the truth. However, by inviting man into a relationship of love, God appeals to his freedom. For this reason, he acts in a kenotic way, as we see most clearly in the Paschal Mystery.

The Bible is appreciated in our culture, but it is sometimes incorrectly understood. The correct basic meaning of the biblical texts should be established with literary and historical methods, but this meaning is sometimes distorted for ideological and confessional reasons. Looking for a deeper meaning can lead to subjective exposition. Sects often cut the biblical quotations from their proper context. Biblical sayings and situations are sometimes applied incorrectly to the present problems. They are misused in the progressive propaganda. Do not allow manipulation and do not manipulate! (Matt. 10.16).

The article presents the instrumental approach to the Bible found in the new religious movements, or internally diverse organizations, which emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They offer some kind of answer to fundamental questions of a religious, spiritual, philosophical nature. They make a significant impact on the lives of their followers. In terms of interpreting the Scriptures, they are characterized by an ahistorical, irrational, symbolic approach. They give the biblical texts their own content and draw conclusions contrary to ecclesial hermeneutics.

The paper is a study of the use of the biblical motif of the Promised Land in political discourse in Zionism. The paper is divided into three parts: 1. Promise of the land in the Bible, 2. Zionist right to land, 3. Religious opposition to Zionism. Its purpose is to study one aspect of the line of argumentation used in Zionism, i.e. using a theological category in modern political discourse. Theologically-wise, this approach is incorrect as it constitutes misuse of biblical texts without considering the appropriate historical and theological context.

The author addresses the issue of manipulation in politics. He first defines the concept of manipulation, and then analyzes two “classical” concepts of politics: Aristotle and Machiavelli. While Aristotle states that an immoral man is incapable of being a politician, Machiavelli argues that a prince must “be able not to be good.” This is a consequence of his conviction that most of those served are egoists who, in the name of self-interest, can choose what is destructive to the state, and in the long run also to themselves. The key term to explain this fact is ‘blinding’ and ‘self-deception’. The author then considers why some people are resistant to politicians’ attempts at manipulation. Finally, he concludes with an analysis of the two faces of democracy: salvific and pragmatic.

The article presents political persuasion from the perspective of social psychology. Particular attention was paid to two strategies of influence: the ambiguity of political messages and framing the interpretation of political issues. Typologies of these strategies and their examples are presented. The aim of their presentation is to educate the recipients of political communication and make it easier for them to identify manipulative methods used in political discourse. Moreover, ways of defending against political manipulation are described, with particular emphasis on motivation to carefully analyze persuasive messages used by politicians and other agents of social influence.

Authors of cinema, a medium based on illusion by its very nature, often use manipulation: this may be discovered, for example, in films with religious themes, relating to the Church and the figure of Jesus Christ. The article points out the manipulations found in several selected films of recent years: The Shack (2017), read by the audience as a Christian film, presents, for example, a falsified image of the anthropomorphic Trinity and the concept of predestination; the films of Małgorzata Szumowska (among them In the Name of…, 2013), a director critical towards faith, show the Church from the perspective of the ideology adopted by the author; the popular novel The Da Vinci Code (2006) the cinematic adaptation of, in turn, uses mystifications concerning both the history of Christianity and Jesus himself. This kind of manipulation, made possible, among other things, by the insufficient religious knowledge of the audience, causes controversy and can lead to the perpetuation of a false image of the Church and God.

The Bible has been present in the film almost from the beginning of its existence. It quickly began to be used inappropriately in this medium, even resorting to manipulation. This study consists of two main parts. The first one introduces us to various ways of presenting the Bible in films, including non-Biblical ones. The second one presents, on the example of selected films, ways of manipulating the Bible.

This article clarifies the developments in the understanding of pastoral care. On the basis of a letter on pastoral care, presented by the German bishops, the article verifies the thesis that voluntary work in the church can be understood as a co-sponsor of pastoral care.

The article takes up the issue of a Polish community walking pilgrimage from Chicago to the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Merrillville. It is an example of the transfer of a Polish pastoral ministry initiative to a country of emigration. Such a phenomenon is observed among various groups of migrants in the United States and concerns, among others, Catholic migrants from Europe. The pilgrimage discussed in the article refers directly to the well-known tradition in Poland of going on a pilgrimage on foot to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. The article in individual sections presents the theology of pilgrimage, the history of the creation of the Marian shrine in Merrillville, the origins of walking pilgrimage to this site, the course of the annual walking pilgrimage, and the current pastoral challenges of this pastoral ministry initiative. Apart from its purely religious significance, the Polish community pilgrimage, which is a manifestation of piety, also contributes to the maintenance of the national and cultural identity of Polish emigrants in the United States.

Undertaking the theological interpretation of selected texts by Fr. Lucien Laberthonnière, a French personalist, theologian and philosopher at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, I am trying to present an outline of the issue of God in Christian Revelation. The starting point of this reflection is the affirmation of God revealed in Jesus Christ. This means that in the Christian realm, reflection on God, who is love (theology), remains inextricably linked to talk on man (philosophical anthropology). This theme sheds light on a specific aspect of the French personalist’s thought, according to which the mystery of God is inextricably related to the mystery of man called to life out of love and for love. In this way, we touch upon the essence of the doctrine of Trinitarian Christian theology: the inner world of God is a limitless sacrifice, a gift of self-communicating Love which has the power to generate and create another life open to the Love that communicates itself to this life. Love that is expressed in being for others in an attitude of self-sacrifice.

The article presents types, means, principles, techniques and systems of manipulation. In the era of an enormous influence of the media on the reality around us it is worthwhile to know purposeful and hidden actions that impose on individuals and groups of individuals fake state of reality. This is true especially now, when the times of clumsy manipulation meant to introduce some ad-hoc confusion are long gone. The contemporary forms of manipulation are multidirectional and multifaceted. Their purpose is to a potentially long-term attachment to specific attitudes and opinions created by propagandists who are often founded on the organized anthropological lie.

This text is a personal note based on a lecture by the French bishop and theologian Joseph Doré, delivered in September 2001 on the occasion of a symposium marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Concordat between France and the Holy See in 1801. Given the relevance and significance of the reflections presented in the lecture, I am simply sharing with the reader a handful of thoughts contained within it and inspired by it.

The text attempts to synthesize the thoughts presented in The Seminar on the Future of the Teachingof  Theology in Ecclesiastical Institutes of Higher Education organized by the Dicastery of Culture and Education in Rome (May 6–7, 2024). The main purpose of the Seminar was to answer at the challenges offered by the Proem of Pope Francis Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium: «to impart to ecclesiastical studies that wise and courageous renewal demanded by the missionary transformation of a Church that goes forth […] but for this very reason the theology must simultaneously accompany cultural and social process”. The Seminar treated theology from different perspectives in an attempt at the Pope’s request.